The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-09-28

in libraries, but very little is taught in
school or practiced on the farm. Droughts
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 II not very singu-.
lar that more attention is not given to II
by scholars? II one college would make
the movement 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 bases less cotton
on account OF droughts, Kansas Will have
900 bushels less of corn because OF
drought. and yet the south has from 80
to 60 inches OF rainfall, while Kansas has
tve times as much as a fun com 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 10J,OlOO OJ or
more bushels of wheat less than en 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 study OF this
condition of Affairs Will lead us to get
correct estimate Of our standing compared
with other countries. While we sold 1892,
Sll,133 worth of domestic products from
the United States in 1893 we bought $685.
5l4,SSl worth of agricultural products dur
ing the same year We paid $4,000 90 for
sugar SG5 600 900 for coffee, $ilO0O,OO0 Tor
hides and skins $50, 900 900 for silk, S25. Co.,,
900 for fbers, 600 for fruits and nuts,
100000 for tobacco, SO, 900 900 for tea, and
&,OO,0OO 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 fibers we buy and much
of the fruits and nuts that we import. |
think II is only a 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,
II there are some delicatey- Favored va
rieties which we cannot produce we will
help our brown men In the Pacific ocean
TO prepare them for us. l 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 ten
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
THE great activity now existing In all
departments of Industry IN the CTited
States has had a most berc VI eject on
the prices OF farm animals.
1.-THE total increase in the value of the
farm animals OF the United States from
January l, 1897. TO January l. 1900 Is S5I2,
0s,522 The decrease In the number Of
horses during the last three years has
been pronounced, although 1t is becoming
less and less every year. During 1896 the
decrease was 1884, POI. In 1897 II was 759, $780,
In 1895 II was 403 756, In 1899 II was 295 COL and
In 1900 the decrease in the number of horses
in the United States was l2I,7S3 This de-
crease was brought about by the discour-
agement to the breeding Of horses result
ing from low prices. Now that prices are
remuneratve the decrease is fading out
and II Is only a question of time when an
increase viii begin again. We sold Ga 700
horses last year TO foreign countries and
received S,6l2, 05G for them There Is an
active demand In foreign countries for
horses OF all kinds, especially the more val
liable ones.
1.-THE principal reason for the better
prices for domestic animals Is that our
people are at work everywhere. Good
wages are being paid. We are sending con-
signments 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
and pays such good prices that 1t really