From the Lawrence Daily World for Dec. 11, 1908: “Secretary Coburn of the Kansas Board of Agriculture, today issued his final crop report for the year on farming in the state. Agriculturally, this has been Kansas’ greatest year and never before have the financial returns from farms been so high. This year’s farm products and livestock reached the unprecedented value of more than $175 million, $11 million better than 1907, which had been the previous record year. Higher prices for goods did much to boost the financial picture.”