San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1890-05-01
OF INTEREST TO FARMERS.

OF INTEREST TO FARMERS.
Cause Of Depression In Agriculture, as
Stated by Statisticlan Dodge.
O Oyer.productiOn, Spectators Importing
Products that Can be Raised Here.
DEPRESSION IN AGRICULTURE
WASHINGTON, March 2l.-Mr. Dodge, .he
statistcan Of the Agricultural Department,
In the coming monthly crop report will have
paper on tho cause OF existing agricuitur-
al depression. He treats the subject in the
vigorous manner characteristic OF him. IL
appears from the advance sheets OF this pa
per that he finds the explanation IN over
production and the want OF diversity III az
ricultural products. His viows have the
merit In part of originality. Among other
things no says: II is difficult to force
market abroad for surplus OF any product
Every nation is succeeding In producing
its own food and as far as possible It's raw
materials for extension in oil forms OF in-
dustrial production. The instinct OF SELF
preservation compels the adoption OF such
n policy. This furnishes the motives for
other continental countries, and the laws OF
European nations prohibiting the introduc.
ton of our pork products. We cannot sell
our crops abroad, NJ q rule, except 10 MI
the gaps in supply that are made by oan
seasons or other results of the inevitable or
inc xorable, When Senator Sumner once
proposed to levy an export tax OF 2O oentS
Der pound on tobacco and compel tribute
ha xuaa
practical tobacco men that its only effect
would be to destroy our expectation, and
he at once abandoned the idoa. The amount
crown in Europe and the quantity imported
are both regulated by governmental control
there, and never by government or growers
here. and under the influence of this reg'i-
lation the proportion of our crop exported
ia declining, being reduced slightly below
one. half. and nothing that our government
or growers can do will change this fact. In
wheat, over-production has destroyed the
growers profit. Wheat growing hns be-
Come philanthropic mission for supplying
Cheap bread to Great Britain and encourag-
ing her manufacturers to keep wages on II
low plane. The Northwestern missionaries
are still diligently sowing their seed and
floating their bread across the waters ana
mourning that the profits do not return To
them after many days of weary transportn.
ton. The area of the crop of 1889 included
about 1O, 900, 600 acres moro than the home
consumption of the year will requires; and
the price In Liverpool has of late been the
lowest for century. We cannot force
foreigners to buy our bread, There has heoI
A mass of neffable nonsense regarding 'th'
markets of the world" for wheat Less thar
n fourth of the people of the world ea'
wheat. Half of the people of Europe scarce
Iy know its taste. while few of the nations
of Asia and Africa have any knowledge ol
IT, Elsewhere the statistician has thus pre-
sented the limitations of our distribution OF
the whent surplus: South America is now
no market for foui, as more whent Is grown
there than is required for domestic con
sumption aud IN annually enlarging outle
for wheat is now sought in the distribution
of the surplus. Australia makes more thar
O homo supply. India has surplus OF IL
TO Is per cent Eastern Europe always
has wheat to sell, leaving only Western
Europe to supplement its nearly full garner'
with the contributions of all other countries
those of Europe included. or the average
four bushels consumed by each inhabltan
of Europe. only half bushel comes from
other continents, and this Is practically tht
measure of the market for the wheat sur
ulus of the world, n market which neither
reciprocity nor the persuasion OF any IN
ternationnl committee can enlarge-nothint
hut war, famine. or pestilencc, nothing bu'
an act of God or change of crop distribu
tion utterly Mt variance with the long set
tied policy and practical sense can swell u
sudden importance the demand for whea
and -four that will relieve prevailing stag
nation and advance prices.
The production of meat has also I'D
yanced faster than population. In 1881 tn
cattle of nil kinds were returned as 9,670,
533. and the numbers as now estimated OF
farms and ranches are 81, SOL, S07. or ~
rer cent. more. Excluding COWS. the IN
crease of other cattle, which includes thu
beeves, il equivalent to about 40 por cent
The beeyes are brought to maturity mor'
rapidly than formerly, and more meat IL
made in proportion to population. Ih'
ratio of supply has been very greatly In
creased since 1850 Our exports OF beei
have grown up in the past thirteen years
and the export of cattle has not only IN
creased. but it's character has changed from
the sbipment of Texas or Florida long
horns to Cuba, TO the export of fat beeve'
TO Europe, one of which commands thu
price of five OF the original style OF Gull
coast cattle. This difference represents
not precisely the meat market capacity o
the cattle of 1850 and 1890 respectively. bu
II suggests the wide disparity between th'
ratio of meat TO numbers OF cattle at th'
two dates. The price Of beeves IN Chicago
shows that the present values are lowel
than in any year since the export OF oeei
was inaugurated, With the sale exception
Of 1879. Prices increased till 1884, wber
they were highest, and fell heavily in 1886
advancing in 1887 slightly, except as TO th'
extra grades, and recovering further IN 1883
only 10 continue a decline during the pas
two years. II is futile TO attempt to defy
the law Of supply aud demand
SO long ~ farmers insist on growing Only
the bread grains. cotton. tobacco, and cat
tie, and 10 neglect other products Fhich
are needed. which we import at cost o.
more than 500. .Oo0,t 20 annually, Ja>t 80
long will the lamentation over low pnee'
lco1t;nue. Dfversihcaiion is essential &c
ooricul,ural salvation. There are writers
and speakers Who are doing incaicuiable IN.
iurv by their influence in repression OF any
itsndencv 10 a wider raDge OF rural pro
dnetiou' encouraging indOlence aud idle1ess,
naraiyzinQ enterprise, intensifyIng rural
ipertia. and encouraging csPe3de1oe On
foreign production and the draining OF ths
resources Of the country to foreign lands
They eppear 30 deprecats any effort toward
.ipdependencs or TIE cultivation a sef
reliance. the stirnulation q inrentson. tn
sequisiiiou of r1anual skill OF TIE deEelop-
uent Of rural ta.fe. Their GdVire point.
IN tbs direcfio1 Of Ei1al1ss poverty AID
practical Fersdam-
The agricultural e<ports ~ TIE Oniisa