The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-21
Prospective Profits in Produce.

EIOcPCCLANO AOAAso 49, -O4NOO-
Optimistic theorists in the science Of agri
culture have been at work ciphering out g
delightfully."- rosy future for the farmer.
Basing their conjecture upon the Increase
of population during the past ten years they
estimate an increase of 10000, 900 within
the ensuing ten years, which is quite con
servative and safe estimate. But taeir APP
plication Of theory to practice is only too
plain in the incsDgruity Of supposing that
our population could increase TO that extent
without q proportionate increase in the
cultivated area, which would keep US on
pretty much the same independent footing
we occupy at present, so far as food prod
| ucts are concerned.
This rather impractical calculator seems
! to readily assume that our agricultural prod
ucts are decreasing in the same ratio as the
reports show New England farms 10 be sue
! cessively abandoned, without taking into
account that a large poportion of those hardy
and practiced agriculturists simply change
their abiding place, but pursue the same
calling on a much larger scale further west
where the returns for their labor are
more satisfactory. With the contracted
vision of the true New England theorist he
cannot sec beyond his own environment.
Therefore he seems to think that this CONT
nent is relapsing into bowling wilderness
because Massachusetts has to-day as much
wooded land as when it was first settled,
and far more than a century ago.
From statistics issued from the American
department of agriculture for the year
1889 he gathers the impression that there
has been great decline in the yield Of
crops as well as prices in the United States
during the past ten years. But he seems
graciously disposed TO admit that prices are
gradually recovering, and values have
somewhat enhanced Of late. That induces
him to think the farmer has a good chance
20 sell on a short market at pretty much his
own figures, which is altogether too good
for the farmer) TO be true. At the same
time it would be a sorry day for the general
public if the farmer or any other producer
really had the power and privilege of fixing
his own price upon his own products. Train
robbing would then be too trivial to attract
attention. Keeping production close to the
regular consumption creates healthy de-
mand. But dearth brings with it distress
more or less direful.
Assuming that the population of this
country will. in 1894, be 72,0OO, 900. this
buoyant calculator goes ahead to cipher
that the staple crops will require an area Of
226, 800, 900 acres. Then he presupposes that
only IL, 100000 acres will in that time be
added to the cultivated area and he prompt
ly fuds deficiency of 100000 acres,
which he thinks will increase year by year
until the farmer has things pretty much
his own way.
About that time be thinks we shall begin
to import cereals to feed our people.
But before we do anything Of that sort
we had better stop feeding our cereals to
the farm stock and exporting the surplus.
Beside, we might stop burning them and
allowing them to go to waste in the field
because there is no demand for them.
If our population should SO increase as to
consume what is now wasted on the farm
that alone would add greatly to the wealth
of the country.
Though our population may increase ever
so fast within the next ten years, there is
no good reason to fear that the farm prod
ucts will not keep up with the procession, +"
SO to speak.