The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-11-23
ANNUAL TALE OF AGRICULTURE
SECRETARY MORTON's REPORT Ex-
CEPTIONALLY INTERESTING.

HRCCAAOA VI OOu W AStt-
full Extravaganza in the Distribu-
ton of Seeds-The Mortgage Debt
of Farms and the Interest Rate ON
Farm LOnns.
Washington, Nov. 22.-In his fourth an
nual report. the Secretary of Agriculture
shows that with $2SO,OOO which may be
saved from the appropriation for the cur
rent fiscal years, there will have been
covered back into the treasury since
March T. 1893 over 100000.
That this great economy was effected
without any loss of efficiency, he at
tributes in large degree to the improve
ment in the personnel of the force under
the civil service rules.
One more step Secretary Morton deems
necessary to complete the system of civil
service in his department. This is the APP
pointment of a permanent "director-in-
charge of bureaus and scientific investiga-
tions," who shall be designated to serve
as acting secretary, in case of the alb
sence, simultaneously, of the secretary
and assistant secretary.
He declares that the chiefs of the scien-
tihc bureaus and divisions and their as
sistants do the actual thinking and rea-
soning for the development of agricultural
science and add that these persons are
not adequately compensated. He states
that during the past few years no less
than thirty-one skilled experts in the de-
partment service have left to take posi-
tions in institutions of learning at sala-
ries averaging fully so per cent. higher
than they were getting from the govern
ment.
The inspection of animals intended for
food is treated at length Mr.. Morton
urges that government inspection should
be extended 20 all animals intended for
human food, whether for consumption In
the United States or abroad, but he main
tains that the cost of the inspection should
be paid by the packers.
The seeds distributed by the govern
ment during the present fiscal year,
weighed 230 tons, and occupied thirty mall
cars In transit The cost OF carrying
them through the mails was over 1000.
Enough seed was sent out gratuitously
to plant 115 square miles of garden. Each
congressman received enough to plant
1884 acres For the current year, at
present prices the amount required by con-
gress to be expended in the purchase of
seed, will make each congressman's quota
double what il was last year. The secre-
tary calls this an unnecessary and waste
full expenditure of the public money, and
hopes congress may In good time put a
stop thereto.
Secretary Morton refutes the idea pre-
vailing that the farms of the west and
south are more heavily burdened with
,.,n4sx Ilv Cf ha aagta ar,A
northeast. States along the North Allan
tic, he says, are quite heavily lncumbered
with farm mortgages, and New Jersey
carries debt of this kind greater in pro-
portion to it's farm valuations than any
state in the union.
Referring to the stress Of competition
which the American farmer is compelled
to endure, Mr. Morton calls attention to
nearly 100000 farms of eighty acres each
given away by the government under the
homestead act of 1856, during the past
thirty years, and 70 the amount donated
under the timber culture law equivalent
to over $4,000 more farms of the same
size. 1t is impossible, he says, for farm
ers in the old states to profitable sell their
products in competition with those of the
newer states, grown upon lands which
cost their owners nothing.
Referring to the impression that greater
rates of interest are charged for money
loaned upon farms than for that loaned
upon other kinds of real estate Secretary
Morton states that the rate of interest
charged on mortgages upon residential
property, other than farms, averages
eighty-four hundredths of one per cent.
less than the rate OF interest charged upon
farm loans. In seventeen states the aver
age rate charged on the latter is less
than that demanded for loans upon other
residential property. In two states they
are the same upon urban and rural es-
tates. In Pennsylvania, Maryland, Vir-
ginia, West Virginia, Kentucky. Michi-
gan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas, Texas and
Alabama the rates of interest are less
for money secured by farm mortgages
than for money secured by other realty.
In five states, including Kansas, .the diff
ference in favor Of the farmer is from
one-fourth to one-half of one per cent,
and In Texas 1t is over / per cent IL a
western farmer pays a higher interest
than the eastern, so also does the western
merchant common carrier, or manufac-
turer.
During the fiscal year Just ended the
exported products Of American farms ag-
gregated $570,0OOO 900, an Increase Of ST. :
10000 over the preceding year. In spite
Of this there was a falling off In the per-
centage OF agricultural products export
ed TO the total exports, but this was due
to the unprecedented sales abroad of
American manufactured goods.
The principal market for American pro-
ducts Is found in the United Kingdom Of
Great Britain and her colonies The Eng
lish people bought So per cent. of all the
exports from the United States In the is-
cal year 1895. Together with Germany.
France Holland and Belgium, they pur-
chased S1.9 per cent Of our entire output
With our wonderful labor-saving con-
trivances, supplied to nearly every ave-
nue. OF production, the wages paid In the
United States. In the production of wheat
and cotton, for instance, are 20 TO 100 per
cent. higher than In the countries with
which we compete. so the wages paid in
manufactures from metals, are from Is
to 100 per cent. higher than the wages
paid workers in the same industries by
other nations.
And Ia this contest for feeding and fur
nishlng mankind-notwithstand the
fierce competition which II meets all over
the globe, American agriculture. manu-
facture and commerce, are steadily gain
Ing more trade. and thus furnishing an
enlarged wages fund, on a gold basis, out
Of which some millions Of American labor
ers and skilled artisans draw their year
tv rQfnunarafion and uUOn which they and