Wheat production increased 70 per cent Corn production increased 27 " " Cotton production increased 58 " " Coal production increased 90 " " Petroleum production increased 317 " " Pig Iron production increased 69 " " Steel production increased 131 " " Copper production increased 89 " " Cement production increased 406 " " The United States was rushing toward a position of economic world power before the catastrophe of 1914 hurled her to the front, first as a producer (at immense profits) for the Allies, and later as the financier of the final stages of the War. The economic position that is now held by the United States among the great competing nations of the world can be in some measure suggested--it cannot be adequately stated--by a comparison of the economic position of the United States and some of the other leading world empires. Neither the geographical area of the United States nor the numerical importance of its people justifies its present world position. The country, with 8 per cent of the area and 6 per cent of the population of the world, looms large in the world's economic affairs,--how large will appear from an examination of certain features that are considered essential to economic success, such as resources, capital, products, shipping, and national wealth and income. 2. _The Resources of the United States_ The most important resource of any country is the fertile, agricultural land. Figures given in the Department of Agriculture Year Book for 1918 (Table 319) show the amount of productive land,--including, beside cultivated land, natural meadows, pastures, forests, woodlots, etc., of the various countries according to pre-war boundary lines. The total of such productive land for the 36 leading countries of the world was 4,591.7 million acres. Russia, including Siberia, had almost a third of this total (1,414.7 million acres). The United States came second with 878.8 million acres, or 19 per cent of the total available productive land. Third in the list was Argentine with 537.8 million acres. British India came fourth with 465.7 million acres. Then there followed in order Austria-Hungary, Germany, France, Australia, Spain and Japan. Austria-Hungary, Germany and France combined had almost exactly four hundred million acres of productive land or less than half the productive area of the United States.