The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-12-01
LOSS ON CROPS.
Secretary Dye Places the
Figure for the State
at $4,000, 900.
CAUSED By DROUGHT
Agriculturists Have Not Yet
Felt the mckinley Pros
perity Boom"
CAUSED BY DROUGHT

OF the STATE 6OdEo VI
in the hands of the State Printing Boaiu.
According to the Secretary, the FARMERS
of the State are improving IN the Alo"i-
edge Of their diversified interests, put tney
have not reaped any especial penent Iron,
the unusually prosperous conditions thal
have supposedly been prevailing durlhs
tho mast wear. He says the armer IN
st,t,,tes have been arranged for this rail
and the report says that an increase u
81. 600 in the annual appropriation "ouio
enable the board to arrange fifty meet
ings. three in zach of the larger countles
and two In the smaller ones. Ihe annual
meeting of the State Board of Agrlcui-
tr1re. held at the State House in January
tbe report says, is becoming more popular
each year.
There are IN New Jersey, according to
the report. over 5000 dairy cattle ana
the dairy business is becoming more ana
more a special branch of agriculture As
to the product of the dairies, it is inpossi-
Bile to more thar guess at its volume, the
Secretary says.
TT would be a highly valuable contrfpu-
ton says Mr.. Dye, 80 our knowledge OF
the resources and annual earnings or our
farms, market gardens, green mousse
crops. orchards, dairy cows, poultry. etc.,
could we give from correct dterniized re-
turns such a statement. I earnestly hope
the Legislature will give he State Board
Of Agriculture authority to collect,
through the assessors, such
annually. the returns to be tabulated by
this office and presented to the Governor
n Legislature"
Continuing the report says:-'No state
has a greater diversity OF products tnan
New Jersey. Climatic conditions that are
favorable to some of these may not be TO
others. so that it Is rarely possible to re-
port equal prosperity to all IN any sineie
wear. The year 1899 has not given our
farmers that degree of increasing prosper
ity or profits from their work that otner
industries seem to be favored with, anu
for the reason chiefly that farm duo
have not advanced in price In a proper
tionate ratio to the advance IN Others
s,,ch products as milk and butter nave
na+ advanced in proportion to the price OF
beef and the necessary advance IN miicn
COWS owing to their scarcity. Other 1000
nroducts such as eggs and poultry, nave
not increased in price in proportion 70 ele
nriee of meats. Wheat Is also $40" -
leaving the low prices received PRIOR 70
1897 Dollar wheat means an adoieaon 70
the wheat growers income IN Ne" Jef-
SOW over that of the present to h amount
Of 10000 700
mn liz Fruits were so low in price as
70 scarcely pay for gathering and market
ing. The winter varieties yield a proh..
Ths severe and widespread drought OF
aar,v s,,mmer reduced the hay crop 10 Az
per cent. Of a good yield and potatoes ~
about 50 per e The loss to the Iarmeis
of New Jersey on these TWO crops a0
will exceed s2,00o,oO0
Referring to the work OF the Iupercuio-
sis Commission, the Secretary says tnal
Investigations for the eradication OIL tu-
berculosis have been carried on under the
law and as far as the appropriation woulo
allow. The law does not permit the CON-
mission to make examinations unless re-
ouested to do so by the State Board OF
Health, the State Dairy Commissioner or
the owner of cattle supposed to be anect-
ed. This restriction" says the report,
..preyents a uniform and general inspec-
ton. More than half the appropriation Is
expended n the inspection of small nerds
frequently from one to six or seven In
number, while commercial diaries from
which milk is sold are not all examined.
1t is thought by some that the chief pur-
pose of the law was intended to cover.
or should do so. commercial dairies, thus
guaranteeing to purchasers of milk q
supply from cows regularly Inspected.
The appropriation of 1880 for h year
ending October 81 was practically expend-
ed by June. Applications received since
that date and prior to November ! were
placed on file"
In speaking of the law OF last winter,
intended to prevent the importation OF in
fected cattle into New Jersey, Mr.. Dye
says that importers and transportation
companies seem disposed to comply with
its requirements and cooperate with
While at first the law may seem to cause
some inconvenience, those in a position te
know believe it will work good results tc
the dairy interests and help the farmers
in the wayof procuring fewer cows affect
ed with the disease 1t is intended to guard
against.
The report says that the farmers gener
ally Of New Jersey during the past year
have made a comfortable living profit fol
themselves and families. To the question
sent out by the Secretary of the State
Board of Agriculture: Has the past veal
been more or less prosperous than 1898 fol-
the farmer?r the answers are about equal
ly divided. Should the profits in other in
dustries continue, Mr. Dye says thu
farmers profits will undoubtedly increase
next year.