The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1900-10-05
FARM Frs DOING WELL
Secretary Wilson Shows How the
Good Times Come.
Under the Mckinley AdministratiOn
the Agricultural Wealth OF the
Nation Increased Enor-
uOusly.


uously.
Secretary OF > ,r'ouiture Wilson, of
President McKinley's cabinet, ad-
dressed the crowd at the Stark county
fair on Thursday, September 6. and
spoke at length on the advantages of
scientific farming. He urged instruc-
ton, especially on the soil and it's prod
ucts, in the schools and colleges, and
said none who are learned in such
branches ever want lucrative employ
ment. He also spoke of the prosperity
of farmers as a class during the past
four years and of their bright prospects
for the future dwelling at length on
what products of this country the peo-
pie of our new possessions can consume
and what they can furnish to this coun-
try. He said:
''The college and university OF our day
make ample provision and spread ample
repasts for everybody but the farmer. II
the young man is to cultivate the soil he
knows there is nothing in the intellectual
table that will help him in the field or with
the herd. We should know more of the
droughts that affect so seriously our staple
crops and how to fortify the soil against
them by keeping II full of organic matter
that makes it retain moisture.
1.-THE movement of moisture in different
soils and its conservation require much
more study to thoroughly comprehend than
the constitution of the United States or
the way of a ship In the sea or q SER
pent on a rock" Much has been observed.
and good deal written and laid away
In libraries, but very little is taught in
school or practiced on the farm. Drougbts
shorten crops, dry up pastures and destroy
the hopes of communities. while four or
five times as much rain falls during the
year as crops require. Is IL not very singu-
lar that more attention is not given to II
by scholars? If one college would make
the movement of moisture in the soil a
speciality, and turn full faculty toward
its demonstrate ton from every standpoint,
ii would bless the country more than any
university under our flag. The south will
probably have 1000, 900 bales less cotton
on account of droughts, Kansas will have
30. 000, 900 bushels less of corn because of
drought and yet the south has from 30
to 60 inches of rainfall while Kansas has
five times az much as a full corn crop can
use. II evaporation could he controlled or
limited. Six inches of rainfall is about
what the crop uses, the rest Is wasted.
The United States will have 100. 900 900 or
more bushels of wheat less than an av-
erage crop because We do not conserve
moisture.
1--WE buy the products of skill from other
countries, and we buy raw material, the
product of cheap labor. We sell the prod
ucts of skill to other countries, and we
sell raw material, the product OF cheap Ia
Dor within our own land. A study of this
condition of affairs will lead us to get a
correct estimate of our standing compared
with other countries. While we sold $792, :
611,733 worth of domestic products from
the United States In 1899, we bought $3.50,
5l4.SS1 worth of agricultural products dur
ing the same year. We paid $9i, 900 for
sugar. s65. 00o, 90 for coffee. Sal 600 900 for
hides and skins $32, O00,0 900 for silk, SIS, 0O0 .
900 for fibers $4,000, OOO for fruits and nuts,
$40 100000 for tobacco. 10000, 600 for tea. and
IS. 900. 900 for WOO. which. however. is only
half as much wool as we bought I'm 1898.
Several of these things we can produce
In the United States Some of them we cam
not on account of climatic prohibition. We
ca produce our own sugar, we can pro-
duce Some of the fbers we buy. and much
of the fruits and nuts that we import.
think il Us only question of time when
We can produce as fine tobaccos in some
PARIS OF the United States as are produced
anywhere in the world: or at any rate,
IL there are some delicately-fiavored va
ristits which we cannot produce we VIII
heIr our brown men in the Pacific ocean
to prepare them for us ] have no doubt
that we can produce our own tea. EXten-
sive experimentation Is being conducted
nov y,i,h the help of the United States
government In South Carolina. The de-
partmen. OF agriculture Is in coopo ton
with The experiment stations of ali the
gull states &!ung this line l need not tell
an ohio audience that we can produce
our own wool of all kinds. and we are
Cett.ng pretty well along toward doing It,
having cut the importation in two between
1895 and 1899.
1.-THE great activity now existing in all
departments of industry in the United
States has had a most benz fetal effect on
the prices of farm animals.
The total increase In the value OF the
farm animals of the United States from
January /, 1897. to January l. 1900. is $572.-
70S 522 The decrease In the number OF
horses during the last three years has
been pronounced although IL is becoming
less and less every year. During 1896 the
decrease was 7G9,261. In 1897 IL was 759. $780,
in 1898 ii 4O3 756, In 1899 1t 295 604, and
In 1900 the decrease In the number of horses
in the United States was 1918 This de-
crease was brought about by the discour-
agement to the breeding of horses result
ing from low prices. Now that prices are
remuneratlve the decrease is fading out
and IL is only a question of time when an
Increase will begin again. We sold "a. 700
horses last year to foreign countries and
received S.6l2.056 for them There is an
active demand in foreign countries for
horses of all kinds, especially the more val
liable ones.
THE principal reason for the better
prices for domestic animals Is that our
peor'~ are at work everywhere. Good
VIZ are being paid. We are sending con-
signf.lents Of dairy products TO European
and Asiatic countries. few years ago
shipments of that kind would have been
very profitable. but at the present time
the American workman uses our butter
end navs such good prices that II really