River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-11-26
MORTON'S REPORT.
The Secretary of Agriculture Tells of the
Work of His Departmeut

a
that with the $4,000 that may be saved
from tho appropriations for the current fis-
cal year. there will have been covered back
into the treasury since March Z, 1895, over
100000 That this great economy was
erected 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.
The inspection of animals intended for
food is treated at length. Mr. Morton urges
that the government inspection should be
extended TO all animals intended for human
food, whether for consumption In the
United States or abroad. but he MAR tains
that the cost of this inspection should DO
paid by the packers. The total consump-
ton of meat in Great Britain for the year
was l.OOO.OOO tons. Is per cent of which was
produced at home. the remaining rs per
cent. being produced abroad. OF the live
meat arriving In Great Britain during the
first half of the year of 1896. the United
states supplied rs per cent of the cattle
and IS per cent. of the sheep. The testi-
mony of the department representatives
abroad is that cattle from the United States
arrive In English ports in excellent condi-
ton. The Glasgow market is especially
commended to American shippers, as In
that city cattle from the United States COM
pete with the very highest qualities of
British animals.
American packers are not participating In
the profits of the growth in consumption
of swine flesh and hog products in Great
Britain as much as they ought to. because
they do not cure meats to suit the British
demand; on the other hand, Danish aud
Canadian packers are increasing their
shipments every year. American bacon
averages about two cents per pound below
continental and Irish bacon. and about
three cents below English.
TIE shipment of American horses to Eng
land is steadily increasing. In 1893 Great
Britain took 1858 American horses, nearly
In md in b1nf he
first nine months of 1896 more American
horses were shipped into England than in
any previous IL months.
The seed distributed gratuitously by the
government during the present fiscal year
weighed 230 tons and occupied 80 mail cars
in transit. The cost Of carrying them
through the mails was over $4,000. Enough
seed was sent out gratitously to plant ll5
square miles of garden. Ex-congressmen
received enough to plant 1894 acres. For
the current year at present prices the
amount required by congress to be ex
pended In the purchase of seed VIII make
each congressman's quota double what
II was last year. TIE secretary regrets this
unnecessary and wasteful expenditure of
public money and hopes congress may in
good time put a stop thereto.
Referring to the stress of competition
which the American farmer Is compelled to
endure Mr.. Morton calls attention TO near
ly 100000 farms of so acres each given
away by the government under the home
tead act of 1866 during the past 30 years. and
TO the amount donated under the timber
culture law equivalent TO over b5O.OCO more
farms of the same size. 1t was impossible
he says, for farmers In the old states to
probably sell their products in competition
with those of the newer states. grown upon
lands which cost their owners nothing.
Secretary Morton refutes the idea pre-
vailing that the farms of the west and
south are more heavily burdened with
those eft
northeast States along the north Allan
tic, he says. are quite heavily incumbered
with farm mortgages, and New Jersey car
ries q debt of this kind greater in proper
tion to Its farm valuations than any state
in the union.
Referring to the impression that greater
rates of interest are charged for money
loaned upon farms than that loaned on
other kinds of real estate, Secretary Nor
ton states that the rate OF interest charged
upon mortgages on residential property
other than farms averages eighty-four hum
dredths Of one per cent. less than the rate OF
interest charged upon farm loans. In IL
states tho average rate charged upon the
latter is less than that demanded for loans
upon other residential property. In two
states the rates are the same upon urban
and rural real estate. In Pennsylvania,
Maryland, Virginia, kentucky. Wisconsin,
Kansas. Iowa, Texas and Alabama the
rates of interest are less for money secured
by mortgages than for money secured by
other realty. In five states. including Kan
sas, the difference In favcr OF the farmer
Is from one-fourth to one-half OF one per
cent, and In Texas 1t is over one per cent.
If western farmer pays higher interest
| than the eastern, SO does the western mer-
chant. common carrier or manufactures.
During the fiscal year just ended. the ex-
ported products of American farms ag-
gregated $3.50, 000, 600, an increase Of $1,000
coo over the preceding year. In spite OF this,
there was a falling off In the percentage of
agricultural products exported to the total
exports, but this was due to the unprece-
dented sale abroad of American manufac-
tured goods. The principal market for
American products is found in the united
kingdom of Great Britain Ind her col
onies. These ngiish-speaking people
bought SIS per cent of exports from the
United States during the fiscal year 1896.
Together with Germany, France, Holland
and Belgium. they purchased Sl.s per cent.
of our entire output. leaving Isl per cent.
for the rest OF the world.
Secretary Morton asks If nation which.
like the United States, possesses the great
est power and facilities for producing and
manufacturing things which the world de-
mands. is not destined to monopolize the
markets of the globe. With the most ia
Vorable conditions for varied and success
full agriculture and the lishtest burden of
national taxation, what country, he asks.
can compete with this in developing the
best resources of human toll with mini
mum Oh w lAi Oui
labor-saving contrivances applied to nearly
every avenue of production. the wages paid
in the United States in the production of
wheat and cotton. for instance, are so TO 100
per cent. higher than in countries with
which we compete, so the wages paid in
manufactures from metal are from 20 to
100 per cent. higher than the wages paid
workers I'm the same Industries by other
nations And in this contest for feeding
and furnishing NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ing
the fierce competition which 1t meets all
over the globe-American agriculture. man.
ufacture and commerce are steadily gain
ing more trade. and thus furnishing an en-
larged wage fund on a gold basis out of
which some millions of American labor
ers and skilled artisans draw their yearly
remuneration. and upon which they and
their families largely depend for employ
ment and comfort.
Prof Willis l.. Moore. chief of the wealth
or bureau. has submitted to the secretary
OF agriculture his report of the operations
of the bureau during the fiscal year OF MS
administration. Among other Things ne
refers to the kite experiments. on one
occasion, he says. an altitude of 1000 feet
was obtained The use of kites is always
limited by the condition of the winds
There appears to remain but one other
means OF exposing meteorological instru-
ments at approximately fixed points In
free air-namely. by the use of devices sus-
tafned by the action of propeiiers which
either lift the apparatus directly or give
Il a specially ascending or descending ma
ton.