The San Francisco call., 1897-06-27
SECRETARY WILSON'S WORK.

The farmers OF this country have reason
TO be proud of the fact that there is a Sec
retary of Agriculture under the present
administration who truly represents their
I interests, ana whose efforts in their behalf
give promise of bearing fruit without any
unnecessary delay.
Unlike his predecessor in the depart
ment, Secretary Wilson Is not occupying
his time in delivering lectures and writing
pamphlets on matters that have no direct
relation to the duties of his position and
that properly belong to other branches of
the administration. He has simply taken
of his coat and gone TO WORK with a COM
mendable vigor to assist the agriculturlsts
OF the United States in the most practical
and praiseworthy way. There are no
frilis or foibles bout his WORK; he is a
plain, hard headed man of business prin-
! clples, who knows what lhe farmers want
and how to so about the task OF obtain
ing for them what they want.
Mr.. Wilson has discovered that the
United States has been importing from
foreign countries annually millions of dol
lars worth of farm products. while there
Is no excuse for a reason why our own
farmers should not be supplying ali those
products and reaping the big benefits
therefrom.
In the last fiscal year the United States
imported $65S, $50 worth OF beans and
/ peas. During the same time our people
paid $500, ,644 for foreign cabbage, $l27, $50
for foreign potatoes, 81, ia, 535 for foreign
grown haY and $500, 600 for imported hops.
Surely our own country ought TO supply
all these things. OF course many of these
products come from across the American
boundaries, and an application of the
tariff will have good effect in such cases
We should keep all that big amount of
money at home, as far as it is possible. in
stead OF building up the farming industr-
of foreign countries.
America imported $4,000 900 worth of
goat skins last year. Mr.. Wilson is not at
all astray in his belief that there was no
need for this, and that goats can be raised
as well and as cheaply in ;his country as
anywhere. Foreign farmers are thus en-
joying profits which ought to be kept
here at home. The foreign ompetition in
farm products seems to have been over
looked while the discussion about
competition Of foreign manufacturers
has been going on. There is cer-
tainly a remedy for the case of the agri-
culturists of the United States, and Mr..
Wilson will shortly give to the country
the benefit of his findings in the matter.
The American farmer should secure all
this business.
The Secretary some months since ex-
ported two large consignments OF butter
With the object in view of finding out how
this great staple should be prepared for
the English market. 1t was found first
that one quarter of an ounce of salt to a
pound OF butter is about the right thing
in that respect, and second that the pack
age should weigh at least fifty-six pounds.
With an English butter-dealer hundred
weight is the unit of measurement and
that means I'D pounds. Hali-huDdred-
weight "long" measure is the regulation
size of the package. There is marked
preference for cubical boxes instead OF the
regular American firkin. This it appears
is point of very considerable importance.
1t made the difference of a cent a pound
in the price paid.
All this serves to show that Secretary
Wilson, man of ideas, practical farm
er deeply interested in tha welfare of the
agricultural industry, is the right man in
the light place, and that the farmers of
the United States have reason to expect
many boons as result of his official
efforts in their behalf