The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1890-05-02
Advice for Farmers.
SECRETARY RUsK TALKS ON AoRIcULTU-
RAJ DEPRESSION.

l
RAJ DEPRESSION.
Secretary Rusk, of the Department
of Agriculture, is preparing an address
to the farmers of the country in which
he will endeavor to explain how the
present depression in agriculture can be
remedied. In enumerating the causes
of the depression Che says: "On many
farms, / regret to saw, 1--WE find a de.
probation of the productive power of
the land due to careless culture. We
find a want too ofteu OF busness-like
methods, due to the fact that in earlier
times business training was not re-
garded as an essential preparation for
the farmers work, whereas to-day,
with altered conditions, when every
penny and, | may say every moment
of time has to be profitably accounted
for, and in the face of worldwide
competition, successful farmer must
be as well trained and careful in busi
ness as the store-keeper and his equal
in intelligence and general education.
Nor are the important questions of
supply and demand and of market
prices studied with the vigilance which
characterizes the methods of our mer-
chants and manufacturers. These last,
moreover, have the advantage of trans
acting their business IN immediate
proximity to trade centers, where the
widest Information in reference thereto
is readily obtainable. Our farmers
a,,sv
supplement- this want for the farmer;
the agricultural press is earnestly
working in the same direction and one
Of the most important duties devolving
upon this Department consists in
gathering and promptly distributing
reliable information on all those sub.
iects which are essentially interesting
to the farmer. 1t remains for him TO
avail himself of the information thus
supplied as his chief protection not
only against over supply of certain
products but against possible over
reaching on the part of purchasers.
The farmer must look with suspicion
upon any attempts to abridge the
source Of his information. His advau-
tage will always be in the fullest
knowledge of the facts. He must
carefully study the character and quail
ity of bis products rather than mere
quantity, and always bear in mind
that, whether prices are high or low, it
is always the best goods at the best
obtainable prices that are the most
readily sold. Many of our farmers
have been land-greedy and find them
selves the owners of more land than
they can properly care for in view of
the comparatively high price of labor in
the rural districts, and in view of the
fact that but small portion of man.
kind, comparatively, can pro6tably
control the labor of others. The prud-
ent farmer will limit his efforts to that
which he can efficiently perform.
Again. more attention must be given,
especially on our Western farms, to
the raising by the farmer for his own
use of everything that may be utilized
by himself and household as far as
soil and climate will permit"
The Secretary then discusses at
length the question of farm mortgages,
transportation, the middle man, gamb-
ling in farm products and combina-
tions to control the market and goes
on to say: 81 now come to the con-
sideration of one of the gravest causes
in my opinion of the present agricultu-
raj depression, but which | am happy
to state can be effectually and directly
dealt with through National legisla-
ton. Few people realize that our i'm
ports of agricultural products, estimat-
ed at prices paid by the consumers, are
about equal to our agricultural ex-
ports estimated at prices paid to the
farmer, yet such is the case. Our i'm
ports of products sold in competition
with those actually produced on our
own soil amount to nearly $ll5,OOO,
900, and as much more could be pro-
duced on our own soil under favorable
conditions. Growing a surplus of wheat,
that surplus, whose price is forced
down by the competition of Russia
and India, regulates the price of
the entire crop. The product of
our vast cornfelds, for which COM
paratively Insignificant foreign demand
exists, must be utilized largely by the
farmer for the raising of cattle and
hogs. The foreign market for live
cattle which exists in Great Britain is
80 hampered by the oppressive regula.
tions requiring slaughter at point of
landing as to exercise little or no bene-
fetal influence in the price of his pro-
duct, while the obstructive meas ures
adopted by several of the Continental
countries in regard to American pork
has reduced the exports of that pro-
duct since 1881 over 40 per cent. an
nually. Under such circumstances
there can be brt one cause assignable
for neglect by American farmers to
turn their attention to other crops In
the line of such agricultural products
as we now import, and that is that in
this they would meet an even more
overwhelming and disastrous compe-
tition than they are now confronted
with in the raising of cereals and live
stock. Obviously then, the only
course possible to enlightened states
manship is to assure to the farmer ade-
quate protection in the diversitication
OF his crops and the production of a
larger proportion of the articles which
we now import.
These may be summarized as follows,
the figures given being for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1889, and the
values those at the ports of export:
Sugar and molasses, S93,30l, 1894,
| Animals and their products, except
wool, 42,263,0l4.
| Fibres, animal and vegetable, $780,
453,936.
| Miscellaneous, including bread-stuffs,
fruits, hay, hops, oils, rice, seed, tobac.
co, vegetables and wines, go, ,S7l 1854,
1874.
| For obvious reasons I omit any ref
erence here to the ninety millions ex'
pended for tea, coffee and cocoa, but
omittiGg those we have still the enor,