The Forrest City times., 1891-01-09
TWO VIEWS ON CROPS.
SECRETARY RUSK AND STATS
 TICIAN DODGE.

eanguine Uncle Jerry Congratulates the Country--Hc Thinks Protection Has Dis pslled the Agricultural c oud-statis- tician Dodge Reports Poor Crops.
 In his second annual report Secretary Rusk congratulates the President "and the country at large upon the generally Improved outlook in agricultural mat ters" He calls attention to agricultural depression in 1889 when the present ad- ministration went into power. But when he looks at the present condition of agri- culture, Uncle Jerry imagines that he secs vast improvement He says: @The cloud which seemed to rest gloomily upon American agriculture has been frightened, while the wise, economic legislation already secured holds out still brighter promise for the future :"
 Uncle Jerry seems honestly to fancy that the "tin-whistle duties, as Butter worth called them, on wheat, corn, barley, eggs, etc, are really going to im- prove the condition of the farmers. He gives tables to show the increase in price of number of agricultural prod ncts, which increase the old gentleman magines to be the result largely of the higher duties on these articles.
 But how the Mckinley duty-or any duty, for that matter-on corn can raise the price of corn he does not undertake to show. As we imported only 1,626 bushels of corn for the fiscal year 1890, against l01 900, 900 exported, 1t would tax the sanguine genius of even Uncle Jerry to show how the corn duty has helped our farmers or can help them.
 About the same time the Secretary's report was issued another publication was sent forth from the Department of Agriculture, This was the statistician's "report on the yield of crops per acre" On the very first page of this report it is stated that the yield of corn periacre for the current year is the lowest ever re- ported, except the year 1881. The re- port also states that the yield per acre in 1889 was nearly one-half larger. Sec fetary Rusk is gratifed at the improved outlook for agriculture, but our farmers will hesitate to accept his rosy anticipa- lion, as they know very we'll that the higher prices of the present time are rn-sad by short crops No sensible farmeTr iswIi1lng to have higher prices at the expense of booF crops, nc pre1ers father large crops at low prices Th The arggsel part of the co,s.:. grown by our Taifners is tensa11ned on the farm as food
 
 of the corn crop is concerned, high prices avail nothing, and low production is disastrous. It is stated that many farm CTS in Illinois are actually buying corn at existing high prices to feed to their stock so low was their yield.
 Returning to the statistician's report, he says that the corn shortage this year Is principally ''in the corn-surplus States. That shortage is explained in detail in several pages of the report. Some of the causes of the failure of the crop are as follows: "Worms," "hot winds" "hail-storms in August" mid summer drought" excessive rains. ," "frosts," and "all possible drawbacks. , The farmers usually look upon all these things as evils.to be deplored.
 The report on the yield of potatoes is of 8 similar nature The average yield is stated to be the lowest, with two eXcep- tions ever reported. The acreage was smaller than usual, and this fact, together with the failure of the crop makes the supply per capita smaller than in any recent year" The statis- tician thinks that these facts amply warrant the advance in prices now rul- ing in al markets" When our own crop is skort there is usually consider able importation of potatoes; but the statistician is of the opinion that the re- cent increase in the duty to 25 cents a bushel may check the large importation which our own scarcity would seem to make necessary. In other words, when our farmers have hardly any potatoes to sell, the duty comes into play to add greatly to the cost of the potatoes con- sumed by the poor in cities; but when our crop Is abundant we supply our own market and the duty then cannot pes- sibly benefit our farmers On the other hand, many of our farmers will be cem- pelled to buy seed pota toes next spring with the Mckinley duty added
 Fruit is aa important product of many of our farmers. The statistician reports that "the season has been the worst for fruit that the department has ever re- ported" Mckinley raised the duties on all kinds af fruit. but it is difficult to see how this will affect our farmers except to increase the prices of the few demons and oranges, nuts, raisins and prunes which they buy for their children.
 The OKly crop that the statistician re- ports very favorahly on is sugar, saving, ~the crop will be large one" Hlt what do'the farmers in general think of the Mckinley bounty of ? cents a pound on sugar The larger the cr9p of sugar the greater the sum taken out or the treasury to pay the sugar growers for doing their own work. The prospect is that, with the introduction of the sugar beet, our sugar production will increase enormously in the next fifteen wears, and in proportion as this sugar bounty grows in volume so much the more clear Iy will all other farmers be convinced ,at the injustice of the whole bounty sys- tenn. Why shoNld the grower of sugar have a bounty while the growers of wheat and corn and cotton are neglected? Is the grower of sugar public benefactor in any higher sense than is the grower of other farm products?
 The fact is that the high tariff IF akers are so accustomed to treating the farm GIT as dhe common burden bearer of the entiRe country that when they dc ma lQe show Of giving him some of the '-bene fits of Rroteotien" 1t is half h umbug and pretensc and half undisguised paternal- ism, tor which there is no warrant in the Constituti0E.
 Case of Mckinleyfsnn.
 Why the tariff is increasing prices may be seen from a case recently re- ported by the Boston Hert,d This was