The St. Johns herald., 1890-08-28
Depression of Agriculture.

interesting article regarding the de pression of agriculture existing Il this country. Accompanying it wa a request from him that should publish through your columns short epitome of what I have late ly written upon this subject. in th' agricultural and daily press, anC which has been considered by then of some value to farmers. Want O. time has hitherto prevented mt from complying with his request and will not now admit of me go- ing into the subject very deeply, ol at great length, but if you think the following remarks will be of use to your agricultural subscribers you are welcome to publish them in youl columns.
 It seems to be settled beyond all dispute amongst reasonable men that no one cause IS sufficient to ac- count for the present depressed con dition of agriculture. The causes are many and varied, some being of semi-political and more or less con- trOversial character, others of an economic and direct character, the effects of which are beyond the realm of doubt.
 l will not enter into a discussion regarding the controversial causes, but will endeavor to show how a few of the economic causes can be met and fought, and even be con troverted into aids to the farmer in- stead of being a cause of loss to him.
 Itis an economic law, true beyond all doubt, that the price of any given crop which is produced in ex cess of immediate local consump- tion, is regulated by the price ob- tainable for the exported surplus 1; and that the greater such surplus be, the less the value of any given quantity of such crop. Corn and wheat have during the past few months presented striking illus tration of the truth of this law. Un- precedented crops of these cereals were raised last year, and an enor- nous surplus had to find market abroad. The result has been that the poverty stricken Nebraska farm CT has been receiving ten cents a bushel for his corn, and his Dakota brother barely existing upon the proceeds of his fifty cent wheat :; which sums represent the prices re- ceived in Liverpool or Berlin for these crops, less the cost of car riage there by land and water, com missions and other charges. If the condition had been exactly reversed and the United States had raised a crop of these cereals insufficient to meet her home demand, and had been obliged to import corn and wheat, say from Russia, to make good the deficiency, farmers here would have received for their grain the value of similar produce in Russia plus the cost of carriage from there to here, commissions and other charges. His corn would have been worth probably 75 cents or $1.O0, and his wheat $1.00 or $1.50 per. bushel.
 MT. Rusk shows, in the able March report of the Bureau of Agricul- ture, that the United States import ed from foreign lands during the last fiscal year, $34S,OO0,OO0 worth of agricultural produce. It seems strange indeed that with our un-
 
 equaled adaptability of soil and eli mate We should burn corn for fuel, sell wheat at fifty cents a bushel, and at the same time import this enormous volume of farm produc- tions from foreign nations.
 If 20 per cent of the land now devoted to the production of corn and wheat was to be utilized for
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