Daily Kennebec journal., 1896-12-18
Report Of Committee on Agriculture.

Report Of Committee on Agriculture.
Worthy Master, Brothers and Sisters Of
the Maine State Grange:
With y reports of agricultural commit
tees, submitted as they have been by ed
ucated and thinking members of our or
der. preceding us, your committee are
led to wonder what they In this capacity
can present anew that Win be worthy the
consideration of this august organization
of the tillers of the soil.
But we are reminded that this is pc
culiarly an age of progression and i'm
provement; new conditions are constant
ly encountered, and new and hitherto
unknown REQUISITES to success are found.
Hence we feel that a new field Of Ob1er-
walton and operation Is ever open. and
those who keep pace with the onward
march will not be confined to old issues
or hampered by stale environments, but
Will devote themselves to the duties and
needs of the hour.
In nothing Is improvement more ap-
parent than in the pursuit of agriculture.
BY means of advanced knowledge In the
requirements of the SOIL for successful
crop production. together with improved
implements and facilities for enIarging
our operations and reducing the cost of
production, aided by the mills of Ma
ture,' we have been able to produce. in
such abundance. of nearly all the neces-
saries Of life. that. In some instances at
least, 1t would seem that We must look In
vain for an outlet for our surplus at any
thing like satisfactory prices. While this
Is true in regard to only part of our
products at the present time and others
are bringing fairly remunerative
prices. Yet the fact Is apparent that agri-
culture has been for a series of years suf-
fering from depression, the extent of
which has hardly a parallel in our his
tory. Not only have prices of farm prod
ucts gradually but steadily declined. until
the producer figures in vain for a profit
above production. but the market value
of our farms has also declined to an
alarming extent. But it is useless to go
into details, and there is no need of ar
gument or evidence to substantiate the
above facts. These unfavorable cpn-
ditions concerning our agriculture are
only too apparent to all. The great
questions before the agricultural mind,
today. are: What cause or causes has
brought about the present condition of
agriculture in these respects" and How
long are these conditions to continue?'
Various causes are assigned for the de-
cline in agriculture depending upon the
standpoint from which the view is taken
and corresponding remedies prescribed.
While your committee hope and believe
the crisis is past, and the worst has been
realized. and that future prosperity is.
at length. Immediately before us, yet be-
lieving that the great mission of our or
der is to benefit agriculture. elevate the
agricultural class, dignity labor and
make it more honorable and remuner-
ative. We consider 1t a part of the legiti-
mate business of this body to carefully
consider the matter of agricultural de-
preston from an unbiased and non-parti-
san standpoint. and If possible determine
the cause thereof and devise means for
alleviatng the same. If. as ii is averred
by some. this condition is brought about
by adverse or discriminating legislation
this order has, through its organizations
the means of rectifying the whole mat
ter: If the cause Is over-production then
some means may. through organized ef-
fort be devised to secure more extern
the cause is found to be, as many feel
quite sure it is. .'underconsumpton.
then our efforts and influences should be
exerted in the direction of furnishing, by
legislation or otherwise. every laborer
with employment at such wages as shall
enable him to supply himself and family
with all the necessities. and some of the
luxuries of life. thus stimulating home
consumption to the fullest extent. salts
flying the wants of the consumer and re-
lieving the embarrassment of the pro-
ducer.
Much has been and is being done by
the board of agriculture and our expert
ment station. aided materially by our
several organizations in the line of i'm
provement of the farm and rendering II
more productive; and these efforts have
been crowned with marked success.
This is evidenced by the vastly i'm
proved appearance of our fields. our farm
buildings and our environments gener-
ally. as also by the better mechanical
preparation of the soil for our crops
their increased acreage and the resulting
abundant harvests. Our farm stock. too |
in consequence of these teachings has
been wonderfully improved upon both |
upon blood lines. and as regards care and |
feeding. until q specimen of the stock of |
our fathers would be considered IA curl |
oSity.
But while these facts. and this great |
Improvement has been made and is still |
going on. if the condition of the farmer |
in "A financial point of view has¬ kept |
pace herewith, but. as remarked above, |
grading. and the outlet for the surplus |
productions of his soil. his ilocks and his |
herds. is such that the price will hardly |
pay for their production. the question |
may well arise, as it frequently does: J
Why stimulate to increase production |
when it is impossible to dispose of what |
We already produce at anything like sat
isfactory prices?
We thus briefly present the matter of |
agricultural depression to the attention
of this honorable body. believing it to be
a subject of sufficient magnitude and i'm
portance to have place in their deliber-
ations. to be carefully considered in all
its phases. to the end that relief if pos
sible may be afforded, and the present
by period of agricultural
in every sense of the word.
Though the grange as an educational
medium has already made a wonderful
mer. yet we claim great possibilities for
1t in this direction in the future.
The future of agricultural prosperity
depends upon the education of the farm
er. Notwithstanding much has been
done in this direction. much remains to
be done. In view of these facts is it too
much to ask and expect of this. the far
mers organization. upon which he has
relied in the past, upon which centers his
fondest hopes for the future and which
has done so much in developing him into
4 higher and nobler manhood thereby
Identifying his labor and making it more
honorable. that it will by continued and
still more vigorous effort, solve this great
problem now confronting him. thus max
ng his labor more remunerative.
Chairman w. J. Corthell of the COM
nittee on education reported as fol-
owS:
Education.
Education is fitting the individual for
lis surroundings. SO as to enable him to
ret the most out of life. In this broad
ense it involves all those agencies which
influence man from birth to death-the
lome the school, society, the church.
n this report the question will be mar
owed to the consideration of the school
IS factor i'm training the pupil for his
ife conditions. What should the school !
i've him?
l,:. |