The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1890-05-02

less than 800 per cent. This h all the more
remarkable when taken in conjunction with
the fact that this 10 pre-eminently an agricul-
tural country. opening up year after year,
with . rapidity that has alarmed the pro-
ducers of the Old World, immense tracts of
country to be devoted exclusively to tlllage;
all tho more remarkable when we realize,
furthermore, that over 20 per cent of our to-
tai exports are the direct product of the soil
Accompanying this extraordinary move
ment there has been during the past decade,
in which the greatest increase of such i'm
ports has taken place, steady decrease in
the prices of homegrown products. To any
reasonable man the conclusion must be OBJ
vious. namely. that in the line of products,
with the exception of cotton, upon which our
farmers chiefly depend. there has grown up q
well-nigh ruinous competition in which the
labor of the peasant of Europe, of the miser-
able fellah Of Egypt, and Of the unfortunate
half starved Indian ryot, workingfor pauper
wages, nsglecting all the amenities Of
life in order that women and children as we'll
a. men may work in the fields, is pitted
against that of the American farmer, relying
upon his own and his sons labor, or where
he employs hired help, paying them fair
rate OF wages according to our American
standard, besides providing them with the
same food and shelter as no gives to his own
family.
Growing q surplus Of wheat, that surplus,
whose price is forced down by the competi-
ton Of Russia and India, regulates the price
OF the entire crop. The product of our vast
corn fields, for which a comparatively insig-
nifcant foreign demand exists. must be uti-
lized largely by the farmers for the raising of
cattle and hogs. The foreign market for live
n0% IN H. s.c
hampered by the oppressive regulations re-
curing slaughter at point oflanding az to
exercise little or NO beneficial influence on the
price Ut his product, while the obstructive
measures adopted by several of the contin-
entail countries in regard to American pork
have reduced the exports of that product
sine 1881 over 40 per cent. annually Onder
such circumstances there can be but one
cause assignable for the neglect of American
farmers to. turn their attention to other
crops in the line of such agricultural pro-
ducts as We now import, and that is that in
this they would meet an even more overwhelm-
ing and disastrous competition than they are
now confronted With in the raising of cereals
and live stock. Obviously, then, the only
course possible to enlightened craftsmanship
is to assure the farmer adequate protection
in the Investigation of his crops and the
production of larger proportion of the ar
ticles which we now import.
These may be summarized as follows, the fig
ures given being for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1889, and the values those at the
ports of export:
Sugar and molasses. ............... $93, 3O1, 1914
Animals and their products, ex-
cept WOOL. AZ, 263, OLA
Fibers, animal and vegetable. So, 453, 936
Miscellaneous, including bread
stuffs, fruit, hay, hops, oils,
rice seed, tobacco, vegetables,
wines, II, 254, 1874
For obvious reasons omit any reference
here to the 500, 600 expended for tea,
coffee, and coca, but emitting these. we have
ports of agricultural products, the far great
er part of which. amounting probably to
$40, 900, 900 or $3.50, OOO. 900, could, with
proper encouragement be produced on our
own soil. The establish ment of our Agricul-
tural Experiment Stations, the energetic re-
search BY the Department of Agriculture
d atH the ssssas sections e their of .a a:
and climate. and the application, in
general. Of scientific principles to agriculture,
all combining. make this assurance doubly
sure, provided always that this diversified
ton be encouraged and fostered by the ap-
plication of the principle of production to the
development of new industrieson the farm.
1t is simply the extension to our agriculture
the past to our manufacturing industries.
In the days. when the farmers we're prosper
Gus, when good crops were accompanied with
high prices, and the value Of agricultural
land went up accordingly, the farmers, to a
man, stood by the principle of protection
urged on behalf of tho manufacturers, who,
burdened then with the heavy load of taxa
ton imposed upon them by the civil war,
were threatened with grave diaaster in the
face of European competition. Now. in the
face OF the severe competition which to-day
confronts the farmer in foreign markets,
duty, fairness. and in the long run self.inter-
est demand that we should afford him tho
may be able to produce on our own soil.
This includes all the sugar and molasses, all
animal products, wool, silk fax and other
fbers, all our breadstuffs, fruits, hay, hops,
rice, tobacco, vegetables, and wines, but
many of these things will never, can never
be produced on American soil in competition
with the labor Of European nations, especi-
ally when, as in the case of sugar, the indus
try abroad has been helped by liberal gov
ern ment bounties. It is worth while noting
that the price per pound Of the great bulk Of
the sugar imported was, at the point of ship.
ment, 2.91 cents. 1t should be borne in mind
that, while We estimate in our statistics the
value ofimports at the price in the foreign
port OF shipment, the value of the export is
the port ofehipment in our country, so that to
the former must be added transportation,
commissions, exchange, and dealers profits.
which without the duty, would add fully 25
to 80 per cent. more to arrive at it's value at
the point Of consumption; this would bring
up the COST to the consumer. of our agricul-
tural imports to nearly $500, 600, 900 or es-
timating solely such as could be, with prop
er encouragement, grown on our own soil,
We have value of not much less than $780,
0OO, 900 as the possible reward of diversified
agriculture, a sum almost equal to our agri-
cultural exports estimated at farmers prices
that s, less cost of transportation and
commissions or other shipping charges to
point of shipment
Before leaving this subject, glance at tho
competition which our farmers have hitherto
been compelled to meet, even on our own soils
viii be found most interesting. OF the 81
DOC, 900 or $S, 900. 900 worth Of live animals,
imported into this country, the greater pro-
portion were Of ordinarily marketable stock,
40 contra distinguished from pure bred stock
imported for breeding purposes and admitted
free. OF all animal producta includinU wn01