Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-03-28
Farmers Institutes.

In conversation on the subject of State
appropriation for Farmers Institutes, Mr..
Powell said: "As soon as Prof. Sylvester,
the president of the Maryla land Agricultural
College, offered the resolution at the Belts
vile Institute, favoring State aid for hold
ing Farmers Institutes in all the counties,
l Immediately recognized that such meet
ings would be productive OF great good,
and it is but just that the farmers should
have some of the money back which they
so literally pay to the State in taxes, tor
dissemination of information which would
assist them in learning how to make their
burdens as citizens less heavy, and their
comforts as individuals greater
III quote correctly the report of the
State Bureau Of Statistics, recently publish
ed, says: In the State we have, approx
mately, Z 500 manufactures, using capital
of $l19,OOO,OOO, employing 1O7, 900 people
who earn s41 600 900, working up material
costing $92,0O0,OO0, whose products have q
value of $l72 100000. If you will add the
wages and material together you will have
Sl33 100000. Deducting this sum from
the products ($172, O00.O OOO you will have
left $37 $780, 900, or about 80 per cent gross
/ profits on the capital invested On the
same basis, when we look into agricultural
matters, it will be found that we have about
10000 farms, or over five times as many
farms as factories. These farms, including
live stock and implements, all of which pay
taxes Uhere being no exemptions az there
| are for certain causes in the stocks Of cor
| porations,l are valued at $201 .0O0, 900 and
| they only produce sec, 10000 in values of
all kinds. And to make this insignificant
amount it takes the enormous capital of
over two hundred million dollars, and the
| combined work OF over two hundred and
two thousand families, or with double the
capital and at least five times the people
the agricultural classes are only making
about one-sixth as much 4i5ney as the
manufacturing classes. This stupendous
difference in favor of the latter over the
former can not be traced TO over .produc-
ton, because, with the exception of few
trucking crops and fruits, Maryland con.
sumcs more than she produces. Then
what is the cause? 1 frankly believe it is
legislation. Amy intelligent man looking
at the work of our Legislatures for the
past twenty years will find that all their
efforts have been towards fostering the cor.
porate and manufacturing interests, and
comparatively nothing has been done 70.
the farmers who pay most of the taxes.
Nor is this TO be wondered at when we
look at the composition Of our legislative
bodies. How few intelligent farmers they
contain; mostly composed of professional
men an9 others directly interested in what
is known as business" The farmers in
terests must naturally, under these condi-
tons, Suffer. Why, this is the case is
largely due to the apathy of the farmers,
because the average farmer avows he has
not time to bother with politics, read, or do
anything but follow in the same old ruts
of his forefathers. forgetting that the scien-
ces and true agriculture is u science,) are
going forward, and he must know what
they are doing or the ruts will grow Deep
er, the work harder. and the pay less.
at is the object of these Farmers Insti.
tutes, after bringing neighbors together in
social conclaye, through intelligent, studi-
assembled of Improvements in fertilization,