The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-01-03
EVENING SESSION.


| listen to the address of Hon. George B. Loring,
| of Massachusetts, United States Commissioner
| of Agriculture. On being introduced by Gov
| ernor Porter, DR.. Lorng said:
A prosperous State, increasing rapidly in
| wealth and population, would always he In
| Indiana could well afford to do this for the
| benefit of those who would study her
| growth, and for those also who within her own
borders are engaged in this great industrial
| work Not one of the oldest States of the Union
having been admitted less than seventy years
| ago, and at a time when this country had just
| passed through its second great struggle to
| tablish its power on sea and on land-this State
| has taken the foremost stand in all those arts
| and industries which have made our country
| rich and prosperous and educated. In all her
endeavors Indiana has kept pace with the rest
OF the States OF TINS Union, ana
| In institutions of education and religion
| and In the general diffusion of knowledge she
has done creditable work, and the exhibit
which she made at the close of the first century
of our national existence attracted great atten-
tion from all those nationalities represented at
| the great exposition.
INDIANAs WONDERFUL DEVELOPMENT.
| Seventy years ago she barely had population
enough to enter this Union-her industries were
small, her manufactures primitive. and her
agriculture cireumscribed and simple Now she
has two millions of people. In agricultural pro
ducts her wheat crop amounted, in 1880, to A.
/ 2S4,S bushels her corn crop to ll5, 4S2,3O0
bushels, her crOp or oats to 10, 599.51S bushels,
| her hay crop amounted to l,36l,0S3 tons. She
| raised 1,l35,770 bushels OF fax and nearly
| 100000 bushels of apples, while in all the
! smaller fruits her crop WAS enormous The total
value of her staple agricultural products for
| 1882 is 1925, 100000. The number OF cattle
| i'll this state in 1881 reached 1854 655, the
| number of horses 5S7,25S. number of swine
| 2S67,772, the number of sheep was l.
| 11l,ol6; the wool product reached the encOur-
| aging quantity of 4, 494 ,037 pounds. The nat
ural resources of TINS State also great, the
production of anthracite coal increasing from s.,
So, 900 tons in 1870 TO 42,714,764 tons in 1880
| In this industry alone there were employed
! nearly 100000 laborers wi h capital OF more
than S256,000,000. The growth of manufac-
| lures here has been quite surprising and rapid.
In 1879 the number of manufacturing esJab-
lshments in the state was 10000, the number
Of hands employed was SO, 402, the capital in
| vested was $116,462, 16l, the wages paid We're
nearly $35,500,00O. The cost of the material
was more than Oh, 100000, and the value of
the products 1901, 304,27l. In view of this
vast growth OF industries, it is peculiarly fit
| ting that we should cont mplate carefully, the
great enterprise which it represents, IN all it's
| social and civil relations.
The record of the crops of the United States,
during the past year, Will be Interesting to those
| who are engaged either in the work OF farming
or converting the raw material into mannfac-
| lures The crop of corn will reach ,624 ,917,-
| 800, as estimated to tine LIST of DecrInnrr and
! the immense crop of some of the Southern States
| will largely increase this amount. This crop is,
| next to grass, the great crop OF the country,
| grown everywhere except on the highest eieva-
| tions, and producing an aggregate IN comparison
| with which all the maize grown in the remainder
| OF the world Is quite lHSlgn3ncdnf Kansas pro
| duces more than Roumanla, Ohio more than
Hungary, Pennsylvania more than France and
| Michigan more than Italy Illinois, in 1879,
| produced nearly as much as the average crop of
| all Europe. The United States will. the present
| season, quadruple the European harvests. The
| area in maize has nearly douhed since 1870.
| The estimated annual average from S72, for
| years, is about 1.50O,000,000. The average
| consumption, for twelve years, is about 1,I5O,-
100000 annually. The average yield per
! for twelve years has been about tWeuty-six
| bushels. The CONSUMPTION of wheat for the
! present year requires 250.000,O00 bushels; for
| see ,57,0o0,000; leaving nearly 100000, 900 for
| expectation. The entire crop tor the year 1882
| is about SOP, $4,000 bushels. The crop of oats
has largely increased, and amounts this year TO
nearly 450,000,000 bushels The OF barley
has Increased until il has reached nearly 1900
900 acres, and the yield will be- about A. ,000,-
| 600 bushels. The cotton crop has covered TO-
276,69l acrrs; the average per acre is 1877
/ pounds, aud the p0unda of lint raised is $685.
/ S37 ,946, or cane sugar the crop in Louisiana is
ahoul 100000 hOgsheads, or not less than $780,
| 100000 pounds.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BOARD,
In referring to the Importance of the State
Board of Agriculture, Mr.. Lnring said:
| The board belongs that class of institutions
| which has heeome of the highest .partance IN
! the education of mankind III the duties of life.
Associate effort is in this age, indeed he
found everywhere. Societies are organized by
! every profession, every industry and every call
| ing, for the purpose of bringing about the best
results OF W hich mankind is capable. The assoc
! ca ed efforts OF those who are engaged in con
Quoting the great intellectual, and moral. and
material enterprises of our country, well
known that they need hut be referred to here
| Exhibitions of the fruits of associated industry
| multiply on every hand, and while those
| gagged in educational prses, and i'll the
| learned professions, meet together. for counsel
| and encourageme nt-while those who man
| age the great railroad system of our
country organize for mutual support aud
mutual advantage-whlle the great man
/ ufacruring interests of the country have
their organized sucettts it is esuecialiy the duty
! of those who are engaged in the great funtta-
npr hlr
in every form OF association to ascertain the best
| methOt of conducting their calling, and the
means by which thew can secure for thenISelve
the best methods for he fruits of their labor.
! have therefore always been in favor of assoeia-
lions like this, and it is on this account that l
| have undertaken to extend to you the encuurag-
ing hand of the government under which you
| live, aud TO represent here, not so much as Il
teacher, learner and as an associate, that de-
partment of the government which farmers
have special right to call their own. | con-
slider to be the duty of that department es-
privste eDdeavor with regard to the
industry represented here IL is in
this and in other countries for the farming
communities to gather together to educate and
enlighten themselves upon the occupation in
which they gaged, 1t IS these associations
| that have done SO much toward helping the ag-
| rieuturst to exercise that thought, that sound
Judgment, that prudence and careful considera-
| ton which exercising with much
profit to ourselves in the business of life. IL is
indeed true that in the older as well as in the
newer sections of the country agriculture has al
| ways been the frat business 10 engage the at
tenton of Intelligent and enterpri-ing people,
and such it Is entitled To universal care an Il
consideration. Farming Is largely experi-
| mental art in which new laws and facts
stantly discovered, and which is waiting
| on scientific investigation to fix the
principles by which iJ shOnld be conducted and
it is the duty of the department, therefore, by
couraglng societies, schools, experiment stations
and associations Of ever, description, to aid the
farmer in his calling and in his efforts TO develop
and perfect his business.
DR.. Loring said he was the more inclined TO do
this because he recognized the fact that agrieul
tufe lies at the foundation of state and society in
! every countryoand especially in our own, where
| TOR many years it was almost our only industry,
| supplying lis with our revenue, and feeding and
clothing the strong men who gave us nation-