The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1896-11-28

The Secretary OF Agiicuitarc Tells OF the
Work of His Department.

from tho appropriations lot the tuEItNt ut~
cal year. there will have been covered back
into the treasury since March I. 1896. over
| t2.0OO.0O0 That this great economy was
effected without any loss OF efficiency he at
tributes In large degree 10 the improves
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 DO
extended 10 all animals Intended for human
iood. whether for consumption In the
United States or abroad. but he maintains
that the cost OF this inspection should DO
| paid by the packers. The total consump-
ton Of meat In Great Britain for the year
VAS i.0oO,OOo tons. "a per cent OF which was
produced at home. the remaining 25 per
cent. being produced abroad or the live
meat arriving In Great Britain during the
4 nrst half OF the year OF 1886, the United
states supplied rs per cent. OF the cattle
ana 10 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-
lion. The Glasgow market Is especially
commended 10 American shippers. as In
that city cattle from the United States COM
/ pete with tho 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 10 suit the British
| demand; on the other hand. Danish and
| 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.
The shipment OF American horses to Eng
land Is steadily increasing. In 1893 Great
! Britain took 1888 American horses. neurly
| 2SOVO In 1894 and $4,000 In 1896. but during the
| first nine months OF 1896 more American
! horses were shipped into England than In
| any previous II months.
The seed distributed gratuitousiy by tho
\ gov eminent during the present fiscal year
/ weighed $50 tons and occupied 30 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-congressmcn
| received enough To plant l63is acres. For
tho current year at present prices the
| amount required by congress to be ex-
| pended In the purchase OF seed will make
each congrcssmans quota double what
II was last year. The secretary regrets this
| unnecessary and Wusteful expenditure Of
public money and hopes congress may IN
good time put stop thereto.
Referring 10 the stress OF competition
! which the American farmer Is compelled TO
! endure, MIR, Morton calls attention TO near
! ly 2,000,OOU farms OF 10 acres each given
away by the government under the home
teod act OF 1866 during the past 30 years. and
| To the amount donated under the timber
culture Jaw equivalent 10 over $4,000 more
| farms OF the same size. Ii was impossible
| he says, Tor 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 iden pre-
| vailing that the farms or the west and
| south are more heavily burdcned with
! MORTGAGES than those OF the east ana
| northeast States along the north Allan
tic. he says. are quite heavily incumbered
with farm mortsases' ana New Jersey car
| ries debt OF this kind greater In proper
ton TO It's farm valuations than any state
| IN the union.
Referring TO the impression that greater
| rates OF interest are charged for money
lonned 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-tour hum
dredths OF one per cent. less than the rate or
interest charged upon farm loans. In AZ
states tho average ratio charged upon the
latter is less than that demanded Tor loans
upon other residential property. La 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
| rateg OF interest are less for money secured
by mortgages than Tor money secured w
! other reulty. In i've states. including kan
sas, the difference IN favor OF the farmer
is from one-fourth To one-haif or one per
cent, and IA Texas IL Is over one per cent.
II a western farmer pays a higher interest
than tho eastern. so does the western mer-
| chant. common carrier or manufactures.
/ During the fiscal year Just ended, the ex-
! ported products or American farms ag-
Eresated sS7c. 100 ey1. an inorSase Of al. UUU-
UOO over the preceding year. In spite OF this,
there was "A falling or Ia the percentage or
agricultural products exported To the total
| exports, tut this was due 10 the unprece-
dented sale abroad OF American manufac-
tLred goods The principal market for
American products ~ iound In the united
Kingdom or Great Britain md her col
onies. These :nglish-speaking people
bought IS per cent. OF exports from the
United states during the nscal year 1870.
Together with Germany, France, Holland.
and Belgium, they purchased Sl.9 per cent.
OF our entire output. haying Isl per cent.
Tor the rest OF the world.
Secretary Morton asks II 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 monopollze the
marketA.of the globe With the most ia
vorablok Conditions for varied and success
fui agriculture ana the lightest burden OF
national taxation. what country. he asks,
can compete with this Ina developing the
best resources OF human toll with mini
mum OF human effort. With our wonderful
labor-saving contrivances applied TO nearly
every avenue OF production, the wages paid
|
wheat and cotton. for Instance. are ~ TO ~,
per cent. higher than IN countries with
which We compete. so the wages paid IN
manufactures from metal are from rs "a
100 per cent. higher than the wages paid
| workers In the same industries by other
nations. And I'm this contest for feeding
| and furnishing mnnkind-notw viii stundina
tho fierce competition which II meets all
| over the giobc-American agriculture. man.
ufacture and commerce are steadily gain.
ing more trade. and thus furnishing an en-.
iarged 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 ant
their families largely depend for employ.
ment and comfort
Prof Willis l.. Moore. chief OF the wealth.
err bureau. has submitted 10 the secretary
OF agriculture his report OF the operation,
| OF the bureau during the fiscal year or hi
| administration. Among other things 10
refers Co the kite experiments. On one
OCCASION no says, an altitude OF 1000 foe
| was obtained. The use OF kites u always
limited by the condition OF the winds
There appears 10 remain but one othel
means OF exposing meteorological instfu