Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-09-20
FARMERSDOING WELL
Secretary Wilson Shows How the
Good Times Come.
Under the Mckinley Naturalization
the Agricultural Wealth Of the
Nation Increased En0r.
mOusly.

Secretary OF Agriculture 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 its 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 class during the past
four yearsand 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:
1.-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
rows there is nothing In the intellectual
table that will help him In the field or with
the herd We should know more Of the
Groughts that affect so seriously our staple
g~ops and how to fortify the soil against
them by keeping 1t full Of organic matter
that makes It retain moisture.
1.-THE movement of moisture In different
soils and lis conservation require much
more Study 10 thoroughly comprehend than
the o;..s......,.o. o. the United States or
he way c. ship IN the sea or ser
eent OF E -cck." Much has been observed,
ard q GOOD Seal written ard laid away
in libraries but very little Is taught in
schoo O. p-acticed on the farm. Droughts
shorten crops, CRY up pastures and destroy
the hopes of communities, while four or
five times as much rain falls during the
year as crops require. Is It not very Singh
lar that more attention Is not given to 1t
by scholars? If one college would make
the move ment of moisture In the soil
specially, and turn full faculty toward
its demonstration from every standpoint,
Ii would bless the country more than any
university under our flag. The south will
probably have 100000 bales less cotton
On account of droughts, Kansas will have
200, 090, 900 bushels less of corn because OF
drought, and yet the south has from 90
to 60 inches of rainfall, while Kansas has
five times as much as full corn crop can
use II evaporation could be controlled or
limited. Six inches of rainfall Is about
what the crop uses, the rest Is wasted.
The United States will have l0O,OOOOW or
more bushels of wheat less than an av-
erage crop because we do not conserve
moisture,
eve 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 la
Dor within our own land A study of this
condition of affairs will lead us to get 8
correct estimate of our standing compared
with other countries While we sold $780,
Sl1, 1888 worth of domestic products from
the United States In 1899, we bought $685.
5l4,SSl worth of agricultural products dur
ing the same year We paid $94. 100000 for
sugar 65OOO, 900 for coffee, $4l.00O,OOO for
hides and skins, So. 100000 for silk, $25, OOO,-
900 for fibers, SIS 100000 for fruits and nuts,
SIC, 900 for tobacco, 900 for tea, and
$4,000, 900 for wool which, however, Is only
half as much wool as we bought in 1898,
Several of these things we can produce
In the United States, Some of them we can
not on account of climatic prohibition. We
can 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 1t is only question of time when
we can produce as fine tobaccos In some
parts of the United States as are produced
anywhere in the world, or at any rate,
If there are some deicately- favored va
rieties which we cannot produce we Will
help 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
now, with the help of the United States
government, in South Carolina. The de-
partment of agriculture Is In cooperation
with the experiment stations Of all the
gulf states along this line. | need not tell
an Ohio audience that we can produce
our own wool of all kinds, and we are
getting pretty well along toward doing It,,
having cut the importation In two between
1898 and 1899
1.-THE great activity now existing In all
departments of industry In the United
States has had a most beneficial effect Oh
the prices Of farm animals.
1.-THE total increase In the value OF the
farm animals of the United States from
January /, 1897, to January |, 1900, Is $5i2,-
70S.522. The decrease In the number Of
horses during the last three years has
been pronounced although It is becoming
less and less every year. During 1896 the
decrease was 769, PSI. In 1897 1t was 759,SSO,
in 1898 It was 4O3, 1885, in 1899 1t was 2a564, and
in 1900 the decrease In the number OF horses
in the United States was l27,7 This de-
crease was brought about by the discour-
agement to the breeding Of horses result
ing from low prices Now that prices are
remunerative the decrease is fading out
and 1t Is only a question Of time when an
increase will. begin again. We sold 100
horses last year to foreign countries and
received y,6l2,O5G for them. Taere Is an
active demand In foreign countries for
horses OF all kinds. especially tce more val
liable ones.
1.-THE principal reason for the better
prices for domestic animals Is that oli
people are at work everywhere. Good
wages are being paid. We are sending con-
signments Of dairy products TO European
and Asiatic countries, A few years ago
shipments of that Kind would have bten
very profitable, but az the present time
the American workman uses our butter
and navs such rood Dricss that IL really