The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-07-09

typical farmer statesman, and he would
not be out Of place in any crowd of gen.
tlemen in New York or Chicago. When |
called upon him he was dressed in we'll
cut business suit Of light gray, and pair
of fashionable yellow shoes shone out be-
low his well-creased pantaloons. A dia-
m0nd as large as the end of my thumb
spanked in a ring on one of the fingers of
his left hand and costly scarfpin had a
place in his necktie. The contrast between
MIN and Uncle Jerrv Rusk, whom l saw
just before be left Washington. was strik-
ing, and as | said "Good-day" | thought
his appearance gave the lie to the state
ment that there is no money in farming
in Nebraska" and asked:
mir. Secretary, is it true that the farm
ers are ruined in the West and the days
of money making for them have gone for
ever q"
think not" replied the Secretary of
Agriculture with smile. ''Of all classes
in the United States to-day it seems TO me
that the farmers have the best outlook.
They are not half so badly off as they
have been painted. and many Of them are
making money. Of course there are fail
ureS, but of all the businesses of the United
States farming is the least liable TO fail,
AMI there are more successes in it than in
almost any other business. Take the dry
goods business; 81 per cent of the linen
prOport on Of failures in all mercantile
pursuits is very large. AS to farming. | know
hundreds OF instances of success around
me in Nebraska One of my Heigi bors came
out West with only IS cents. He bought his
land on time, and he now owns 1900 acres.
He is the president of a bank and is rich,
and all of his possessions came out of the
soil. Around him you will find many poor
farmers. They came to the same place
with more money and better prospects,
but they were shiftless. They have not
stuck TO their work. They have left their
farms 10 sell patent rights and have been
| lnveIgled into schemes to make money fast
without work. No business can succeed
without thrift, energy and brains. Pure
| muscle will not make good farmer or a
good farm. The land has got to be
MANFRED with the brains of the owner in
| order to make it pay. The average farmer
is better off now than he has ever been,
| and believe he will continue to i'm prove"
Why do you think SOP" l asked.
sit is only logical conclusion" was the
reply. 'The Government lands are nearly
all taken UP. Slovenly farming is wearing
out some of the best farms Of the country.
and the limit OF cultivable farm lands has
been nearly reached. We double our pop
ulaton every twenty-five years. In a
quarter of century we will have 130, 900,
600 to feed instead of 65,000.000 and their
food is all to come from the soil of the
| farmer. The result is that lands must rise
and farm products will increase in price.
The law of supply and demand makes il
certain that farm property will be the most
valuable of all property in the future, and
the farmers will be the nab0bs."
viii we have large farms or small
farms in the future. Mi. Secretary"
asked.
Il think the tendency is toward small
for IN will Go Il tt,o
of France. Tue land will be better titled
and the deserted farms will be bought up.
Take the abandoned farms of New Eng
land. | believe that the next great emf
grafton Of our farmers will be t. the New
England States. Land has dropped down
in certain parts of these States so that you
can buy tracts which were once cultivated
for from S. to ST per acre. The lands
have been abandoned by their owners
going to the West. They have lain idle
for 3years. Mand nature has been re-
fertlliZing them. They are now covered
with underground and they will have to be
cleared again. But, well farmed, they
Will produce profitably, and within the
past few years capitalists and others have
been buying them. | know number of
rich men who have large tracts in New
England. Austin Corbin recently bought
5000 acres and Morrison, the famous
5rldge-bulder, has just purchased large
tract. Yes" concluded the Secretary, en-
phatically, Il look for the resurrection of
New England and it will again blossom as
the rose"
How about the lands of the South? l
suppose many of them have been killed by
bad farming"
mo. they are not killed." replied Score.
tary Morton, "and proper fertilization and
work will again bring them into bearing.
Speaking about killing the soil makes me
think of an old Missourlan who came up
into Nebraska to buy some land. He
looked about with doubling eyes on the
different farms of my neighborhood until
some Of the agents wondered whether he
knew anything about land. and they asked
him whether he had ever farmed. He re-
Piled. Yes, hev aggravated the soil for