Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1857-10-30
From the N. Y. Tribunc.l
Decline in Agriculture

| ifTom tne ~ 1. IriDune.J
Decline in Agriculture.
1t is not to be disguised that the high
price of provisions which has everywher,
prevailed for several years, and which ever
now continues, notwithstanding an enor
nous reduction Of the currency, the discharge
OF thousands of operatives and their con.
sequent inability to purchase as largely a.
they did year ago, is primarily owing tc
the failure of production to keep pace with
the increase of population. All employment.
have been engaged In to excess, but agricul
ture alone has shown no signs of advance
ment. 1t is not an inflated currency nor the
combination of speculators that has put uy
the price of food. In isolated articles, such
as sugar, SPECTATORS may have combined
successfully to forestall the market, and in
the cattle market it is doubtless possible thai
such concert of action among the dealers
there may have produced an occasional but
temporary rise. But even here their success
in maintaining high prices has been owing
to the same general cause, n widespread fall.
ing off in the production of cattle-and
herein is the reasoa why provisions of all
kinds are dear. No fact can be more con-
clusively established than this. The figures
of the last census afford melancholy evidence
that it is even so.
In lS4O the United States produced 81 800,
0O0 bushels of wheat l0S 900 900 bush, Is
ot potatoes; 600 head of CATTLE
Now had agriculture remained absolutely
stationary; that is, had its processes under
gone no improvement by which larger
yield could have been gathered from the same
acre, the products, increasing pro rata with
the population, sh ould have amounted in
1890 to l5 2i0 900 bushels of wheat l46,
W~ bushels OF potatoes 90 ,3i9 900 head Of
cattle. But instead of doing this, the pro-
duction in 1880 was actually less than in
lSlo by l4,610,O bushels Of wheat ; A.
ooo,WD bushels Of potatoes ; ,97l 200
head Of cattle
1t is impossible that this enormous dim
mutton of the supply of provisions could have
any other effect than to make bread and meat
excessively dear. But to aggravatc prices,
1t happens that while agriculture proved
itself unable to keep pace with population,
there was heavy expectation of bre,ldstuffs
which reacted on the home market. These
expectations have been increasing in value
every year. Their average ann ual value has
been ; From 1880 to 1910. $4,000 900 ::
from lsl0 to lSo0, S27 900 900 and from
1880 to 1855, Sal ,0o0,0 This rate of
NV l'so Is very rapid more thah doubling
'"i' " i''"' anu mciriy uou1tihg IN
W: 'oNe" years resent INDICATIONS
rt,' ~ 'n 'u''i'e''Te rsPor'a''on oi the oonn-
J,;op - i,oon'iy h'u':n very proo'o!y
r." r7 '"e r''t ~ sef'shn'''' a'efaSe'
~ II; po.'ef u 'oe "oSer'lhrh', originating
perp,tuated NV wbo tav.r ib,moldss
It may find necessary to secure the craft.
fcati6n of that onnatito has ,,Irn,aJ tho
nation 50 hon,lessIt :, don't that an E. o1t
ton. tobacco stocks and ,ola aL,,J,,t az
,hev nro in d,ont;,,. AL - -.
unohl. tc knen ,,rp ,ba LoIa,,,,o ,,,,;at ~,
Trad is onps,rn,l,, ,lI;rl, -. 49,,
The c,oJ or ,bn an, ;tI;7 "r ,,' . 81
hence having f,rr;gn cnn,r;cs as ~ f,d % as @ o"r
own il il .,ss +, .,,i,,. ,t, ,,',';,.
of n f,,niI,. 49,, i'' 10y Wy Wv p'o.i'' 49,.
cost five ysars a,, T rro,I ,'i''n ',s, W. W t
isfy. not hnn,er hnt deh, IA d,n,sronsl,
has the corn7r, Jaa,, dr,';,oI .ad IS -
inp il tho nai,,, :, -, - ~, -,
has nr,i,co ~, IL ''e' c
of wb..,, A.. ;s ''''''n' .,' ". "
ccntsr nr ,ho w., NV ~ t"o So sA;,' =.
il no, ,r,n,aJ ,a'n.'.', - ~ ~
cv mo-, craI;t -. :, - = .''''ui ..i''.
il ~ ''i0' ""'i' IL
Tb,s w haro .o, a :; ,
nr1dnc,, ia Sc ca d' ".'oai ue'i.''s III 'e
oh a,,,t .h I,...er'm W
otan,, anu 'ue uo"''la'i ol p''nks anu 'her-
-, t,o '',n''H u ~" years oAlclie"o'
b,d snnnah W IS :, ~ ,;,i ''e ,Ss, '.s ''p'' yu'
wears longer?
Axvc,ors ., No Ncn,,.,. !, : s,;J
that Mr.. McDufi. was vcrvn n,lit, oven when
a boy. Que evening he was holding a little
calf'b the ears, while his mother MIXED
the COW, and "A gentleman. passing bv, said.
"Good evening, nv little son. u
Good evening. sir" returned George.
with such polite bow that the gentleman
continued and said
nWhy don't YOU null off your hat. nv
little man ?"
.If YOU will hold NV calf for me, answer
ed (;corpr II will mil off nv hat to
you"
GEORGES politcnes. and shrewd remarks
were the making of him. The gentleman
said to his mother.
"Your son is a smart bow, and. if properly
trained will make a crcat man some day.-
If YOU will permit me | will give George a
g1oi education, and give him start in tn ,
"a .