Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-06-25
RlCHESFOR FARMERS
Secretary Wilson Promises Contin-
ued Mississippi Valley Prosperity.
HIGH PRICES ARE HERE TO STAY
Sees Vast Wealth for Western TiIIers
of the Soil in Beef, Hogs, Corn and
Horses-Hungry World Looks at
Them.

Washington, June 24.-Secretary of
Agriculture Wilson has some good
news for the farmers of the Mississip-
pa valley. AS result of series of
investigations which he has made the
secretary is prepared to say that in his
opinion the present high prices of beef
and hogs will continue for several
years. There may be and doubtless
will be slight fluctuations of prices, up
ward or downward, but the average is
pretty sire to rule high.
At the present time farmers who
live, for instance, in Iowa. two or three
hundred miles beyond the Mississippi
are able to get little more than 5
cents for their hogs and cattle on the
hoof. If they have something partic-
ularly fine in the beef line they may
get still higher price. To what an
extent these good prices stand as a
OASIS OF the extraordinary prosperity
which the farmers of the Mississippi
valley are now enjoying is well known
to every one who has looked into the
matter, and the news that this whole
some condition is likely to continue
Tor several years, perhaps, must be
very welcome to the millions who are
directly or indirectly interested.
If Secretary Wilson is right, and he
is ninety-nine times out of a hundred,
the present prosperity of the Mississ.
ippi valley has come to stay for a good
long while.
I'VE have now reached an era in
which the farmer of the Mississippi
valley is decidedly at the 'front.'" said
Secretary Wilson last week. Never
before was he so prosperous, and
am satisfied that his prosperity is mo-
ephemeral. Investigations made un
der my direction show that the corn
feeding farmer of the Mississippi val
ley must for long time to come beal
the brunt of the burden of feeding the
world its meats and meat products
rms task, | assume, the farmer of the
Mississippi valley is quite willing te
undertake at fair prices.
To begin with, our Inquiries SHOW
that the world over the consumption
of meat is increasing faster than tn,
supply. While Argentina, Australi;
and South Africa are coming into tn
market with their supplies of beef an,
mutton, even their rapid development
does not keep pace with the growin
demand for meats. AS the wor5in
2. people of the world rise to better cor
: ditions, earn higher wages and gain
larger share of the good things of lif
l as a reward for their toll, they wan
and get a larger amount of meat 70
t their tables. All over the world tn
4 great industrial development which i
such marked feature of the begir
8 ming of the twentieth century is bring
1 ing into existence race of meat ea
0 ers. Millions upon millions of peopl
r who have hitherto lived with very Iii
tie meat or none at all are now eatin
v it daily and crying for more.
! In the United States the quantitie
s Of meat consumed are something a!
r tonishing. In the good times ,whic
n now prevail we are a nation of bee
] steak eaters. The best is none to
! good for the humblest. No other pei
. pie in the world eat as much meat an
as good meat as the people of thes
United States.
! Inquiries made by agents of the d,
partment of agriculture show conch
!. sively that the western ranges are gil
a ing out. The figures show that in w,
: oming and Nevada only about one-ha
!. as many meat-bearing animals are O
> the ranges as were there a few yeal
ago. This is due to the fact that tn
grasses of that country will endure Of
ly about so much feeding and tram
n ling. When they are eaten out clos
=, to the roots, as by sheep, or trample
a. by too close feeding, they die out an
c. never come back. To restore tt
e ranges it is necessary to introduce