The San Francisco call., 1897-03-07
THE AGRICULTURAL OUTLOOK.

At no time during the history OF Calf
tornla has the agricultural outlook OF the
State been so completely dependent upon
the action of Congress. Several years OF
free trade in some lines of produce and OF
a tariff so low on others that it is almost
equivalent to free trade have served to un-
duly depress these lines, not only In Cali
fornia. but throughout the United States.
The wooi-growers of the country have
been practically ruined, barley is away be-
low what it ought to be selling for to-day,
dried fruits are too cheap for profitable
production, and so on down through
list OF prod uctions. all OF which are di-
rectly or indirectly affected by the present
tariff.
There never was q better outlook for the
farmer, as far as abundance OF crops Is
concerned, than at this moment. The
winter has been remarkably propitious.
1t has been neither too wet nor too dry,
neither too cold nor too warm. The
farmer has had exceptional opportunities
for getting in his crops to the best acvan-
tage. AS the result vast acreage has
been sown to hay and grain and the plant
looks we'll everywhere. Fruit-growers
buds in their orchards.
II no unforeseen disaster occurs the out
put of the great grain and fruit staples
this year will be enormous. Nature is do
ing her part, and it only remains for Con-
gress to perform its own in the matter to
bless the State with one of the most pros
porous years in its history. If Congress
places a reasonable tariff on those prod
ucts that need it the work is accom-
plished.
An additional import duty OF, say, Q
cents per pound on prunes makes no diff
ference to the average consumer, but it
means great rewards for the grower. Two
cents per pound means the payment of
his labor bills, material, taxes and inter-
est. 1t represents the difference between
profit and loss. 1t means that he will sell
his prunes at Az cents per pound instead
OF ~ cents, and that at the end of the year
he Will find satisfactory profit to show
for his investment. With the wool
grower the case is even more pronounced.
A suitable tariff on wool means to him
the difference between independence and
bankruptcy or between financial life and
death. 1t means the resuscitation of a
paralyzed industry. And so on down the
list.
The indications are that Congress will
revise the tariff on these lines. If it does,
prosperity Immediately smiles on the
California agricuturist. True, he is better
off to-day than his fellow-farmer of the
Eastern States, but times are not as good
with him as they were under protective
tariff, and he knows it. Accordingly his
voice is heard in the land demanding pro-
lection, and the chances are that he will
get it. Ii he does hs again becomes the
most prosperous farmer in the world.
AS for wheat, the outlook for this chief
staple is good. While no leading operator
will hazard an opinion as to future prices,
the general opinion among the best posted
men in the trade is that while quotations
may be lower during the harvest season
than they are now, nobody expects that
they will fall to the low level of several
years ago. In other words, no intelligent
man in the trade expects to see wheat
again down to the cost of production for
some time to come. As to future quota
tions, it is merely a question as to per-
centage OF profit. At present values wheat
is profitable crop.
Hence, as far as present indications go,
the agricultural outlook for California this
year is good. If Congress gives the farmer
his tariff it will he much better.