The record-union., 1899-07-25
Agriculture
and
Horticulture.

Ine following news concerning agr1-
cultural and horticultural matters VIII
oouptiess prove of general interest;
FACTS FOR FARMERS.
Petaluma Argus: The fact is brought
out In a circular from the Department
oi agriculture that during the past 1ve
years. OF the total value of imports
INTO the United States. 81 per cent.
nave been of agricultural produce,
Wnlie our exports of agricultural pro,
ducts have been only SO per cent. OF
the total export. The average value
OF agricultural imports has been S3io,-
Oou,0OO yearly, of which nearly one-
third is sugar, followed in order of i'm
por&ance by coffee, WOOL hides and
skins, silk, vegetable fibers fruits, tea,
tobacco leaf, wines, vegetable oils, CO.
Goa, rice, breadstuffs, cattle, spices,
feathers. nuts, spirits and vegetables.
Except coffee, teas, silks and cocoa,
Practically all of this produce that is
now imported could be produced With
in these continental United States. 1t
is at once apparent how mucn the well
fare of the domestic farmers depends
upon the attitude of Congress toward
tropical produce. If it is to De ad-
cultural imports will vastly Increase,
to the detriment of our domestic falm-
ers' interests The exports of agrlcul-
turaI Jroduce have exceeded the farm
im;clts during the past five years py
an average of about $300,0OG.C0O an
nual,y, while other exports have
s amounted to $29O,000,0uU year
against other imports of S2t0O00,O0o.
It IS not complimentary 10 American
agriculture that more than half of the
imr.orts into the United States should
consist of farm products, the bulk of
which can, should and ought TO ae pro-
ducad III this co, ntry.
THE FRUIT SITUATION.i
San Jose Mercury If the prune
and other fruit growers of California
and the coast haven't the good sense To
ignore their petty differences and unite
in a common organization for the ad-
vancement of the fruit industry, they
cannot have just cause for complaint
if they fail to receive profitable prices
for their products, either fresh or
cured. The big commission and ship
ping firms have always been organ
ized against them, the refrigerator COM
panies are organized against them. Ihe
cannerieS have organized against them.
Now what do they propose to do? Ihere
is nothing in the world to prevent them
from organizing and forming combi-
nation among themselves. and the
moment they do that they will be IN
position to control prices. VIII they
do it, or will they continue to cut each
others throats and to play IN the
hands of the various combinations that
are opposed to them?
If the fruit growers of California or
of the coast were united this year they
would make more money than they
have made for any two successive
years in the past history of the fruit
industry of California. All kinds OF
fruit are short everywhere. The East
ern apple crop, while larger than last
year, is far below the average. The
Eastern peach crop is practically a
failure in every State, and, according
to Professor Smith of the Michigan
University, large proportion or the
peach trees in Michigan and other
Eastern States were killed by the ex-
cessively heavy frosts last winter. So
it is generally throughout the fruit
sections of the Union. with the ex-
eeptions of California. In Oregon and
Washington, the prune crop will be
only about one-third, and the majority
of prunes grown there are not French.
but Italian, and they will be shipped
fresh The California fruit growers
could "own the earth" if they would
only organize and work for themselves,
instead of for outsiders who are try
ing to rob them. Will they do it?
AGRICULTURAL LABORERS.
Scott Valley Advance: There is in
the fruit and producing counties
the usual harvest-time complaint of the
lack of labor while in all the larger
cities it is asserted that there are men
out of work, who want and need IT,
The usual expedients are being tried
and proposition was advanced short
time ago to import negroes from the
lower Mississippi to supply the de-
mand. The question is a>large one.
The fruit and grain seasons coming to-
cether create a demand for labor dur
ing two or three months that is alto
gether out of proportion to the rest OF
the wear. The result is that either the
land owners lose crops or if there is
enough labor to handle them, after the
temporary rush is over there is moth
ing for the fruit pickers and harvesters
10 do the balance of the year. Neither
horn of the dilemma presents whole
some condition for the State in gen.
eral. which cannot afford to lose con-
siderable proportion of its crops nor
support a large number of idle men
during the balance of the year to be
on hand at harvest time. TO prlng
in a large number of outside iaborers
would only increase the difficulty, for
these men would have to be supported
in some manner and after the temper
airy rush is over there would be no
steady employment for large number
of them, and IN consequence the ma
iority would tramp the highways, prey
ing upon the people at large in one
way or another.
BELGIAN HARES.
c. F. Burke, in Rural Californian
belgian hares have come to America
to stay. They are now revolutionizine
the fresh meat productions of the New
World, as they long ago did that OF
the Old World. They furnish us an ar
ticle of meat food that for whiteness
tenderness, juciness and delicacy OF
flavor is unequaled by anything in ex-
istence, except, perhaps, frogs legs
hence their great demand at the bes.
hotels in large cities, among expert ep-
ieures the world over, and at the lead
ing hospitals.
Now, to turn our attentlon Irom ene
ri II nn1nnn