Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-09-13
A CHAT ON FARMING.
SUGGESTIONS FROM THE SEC
RETARY OEsAGRIUULTURE
His Views About Potato Patches for
the Poor ON Vacant Lots-In
Favor of Farm Villages
Horses Doomed.
T CALLED on the Hon. j. Sterling
Morton, tue Secretary of Agri.
culture, and asked him to civ

Morton, Tue secretary OF Agri-
culture, aud asked him to give
mo some points for tho cities
which nre turning their vacant lots
into potato gardens for tho poor. The
Secretary of Agriculture believes that
thore is money In farming. He is
man of much wealth, and great part
of his fortune has como out of tho
soil.
Said tho Secretary: "Thoro is no
doubt that thero will DO largo dc.
mand for all tho potatoes that these
cities will raise this year and for years
to come. Wo raised last year moro
than ITO, 600, 900 bushels of potatoes
in tho United States, and these brought
about S91, 100000. Tho crop was,
however, not enough by millions of
bushels to supply our demand. aud
potatoes always bring high price.
This is especially so III tho cities, and
if these people will work there is no
doubt TINT they can mako some money
out of their crop. Tho great objoc-
ton have to tho method being ON
ployed is that tho land is givon to tho
poor for nothing. 1t ought to DO
ronted to them Mt worry low rate, and
you would then find ten men engaged
in tho cultivation of tho soil where
ono is doing it now. Pooplo don't
want what they can got for nothing,
and measures like this tend to tho
education of paupcrs.
what do you think of tho way our
farmers live, MIR. Secictnry?" l asked.
"Would it not be better if thoy livod
in villages and not on their farms?"
In many respects, yes" was tho
reply. "Tho turner's wifo has n
drcary lot. Sho is in most cases little
better than slave to hor work and
her house. Sho drags out sad exist
cncc, scrubbing and cooking, with
fow resources outside of herself. 1
can't imagine anything much worse
than her condition, and it soems TO
mo that the European system of farm
villages is bottor than ours. Aud still,
tho most of our farmers wives aro
bright women. They arc, us rule,
industrious and good business women,
but they get little for it. bcllovo i'll
making women to lnrgo extent tho
business partners of their husbands.
They aro not SO in tho cnso of most
men. Take, for instance, story 1
heard the other day about the family
oil m old farmer i'll Indiana. Tho man
and his wife had lived together for
fifty years. Their children hnd grown
up and left them, and now, Mt seventy,
tho farmer found the burden of his
work too much for him, and he ducid-
sd to sell his farm and 1.-Two of of tho
interest. 1t was worth SO, 1000, but
when tho decd camo to be mado tho
farmers wifo objected. She said sho
had helped to pay for tho farm. Sho
had worked oil her lifo for it, and she
was bound to huvo como of tho money
which it brought before she signed tho
decd. The lawyer and tho husband
were dumbfounded. Thoy had not nm
ticipnted such IL complication, and Mt
last ono of them asked tho old lady
how much she thought sho ought to
hive. Sho hcsitatcd moment, and
then said that sho believed shc was
really entitled to nsk for rs much rs
So"
Tho conversation hero again turned
to eggs, md Secretary Morton told mo
how tho dealers sometimes attempted
to put up corners Oh eggs. "'rhe
eggs" said he, "arc bought from tho
farmers ut from nine to ten cents per
dozen, and they aro put into cold
storage. Before packing each egg
is tested by placing it between tho
eye and n candle. Tho good eggs are
laid on their ends in boxes, llttlo
compartment being devoted to cnch
fHhn Of IN
storage is about forty degrees Fahron-
heit, and ut this temperature tho oggs
will keep for months. There are mill
ions OF eggs sold MS fresh which arc
many weeks old, and they nro bought
when cheap and sold when dear. 1t
will surprise You to know that there
are tub oggs, just ms there are tub oys-
tiers. These nro the eggs which arc
broken in packing. Tho dealers throw
them into bucket, tho shells are
picked out, and they arc sold in bulk.
Many of the big hotels buy them, and
they uso them for omelcts md scram-
hled eggs. usually cat my oggs in
tho shells at hotels.
GLOW about tho great American
horse, Secretary Morton? 1t is said
his days arc numbered.
81 fear that is true" replied tho
Secretary. "rhe electric car md tho
bicycle have taken away his occupa-
tion, and I expect to SEQ the day when
our cnrriagcs will DO run by electricity.
The bicycle of the future may have q
storage battery, and the day OF high
priced horse flesh. outside of tho
sporting and racing stock, has gono
forever"
81 seo that ono of our Consuls in
Germany advises the raising of horse
meat for export to that country. What
do you think of thnt?"
81 believe moro money can be made
in raising other kinds of meat" re-
Piled Secretary Morton, "and do not
believe in these stories about tho
money which Americans cnn make in
shipping horse sausage to Germany.
Tho Germans liaye tariff ON horse
meat of moro than two cents pcr