Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1901-07-20
AN INDIE PENDENT NATION
Secretary Wilson's Prediction of
American Agriculture.
CAN RAISE ALL We CONSUME.

Every Food Product Can BE Grown
In the states or Our New Possess
sions.
/ Secretary of Agriculture Wilson at
Washington said recently to reporter
Of the New York Sun that the coming
fiscal year promised to be the most
successful one yet recorded for the ag-
ricultural interests Of the United
States and that by the end of the u
months the United States, In connec-
1 ton with Its new possessions, would be
raising almost every agricultural prod
uct 1t used When that condition was
reached, Mr.. Wilson continued, any or
! all the foreign nations of the world
might form a commercial combination
with impunity, for If the United States
elected they might famish almost any
nation on the globe.
"One of the principal objects which
this government has In view," the sec
rotary said "is to enable the people
of the United States to produce the ag-
ricultural products we are now pur-
/ CHASING llOlb iOitiEi 1OulltliGS. lt
principal product purchased is sugar,
which comprises nearly one-fourth of
the total Of products imported The
department in the past has been max
ing experiments to ascertain in just
what sections of the country sugar can
be raised to such an advantage as to
obviate the necessity of going to for
| Dion Yna ry of tn LOFT attf
We want to raise beets. as therein lies
the principal source of the sugar prod
uct. Within the United States there
will be over 40 beet sugar factories In
operation by next fall. They will be
situated in almost every state along the
northern border from New York to
California.
Il believe that within few years we
will produce all the sugar we require,
and we will then be in a position to ig
more the foreign product. Our expert
ments have shown that the sugar pro-
duced from our quality of beet is much
richer than that manufactured In for
eign countries. Our product, therefore,
will be much more desirable. When
this result shall be attained. the sugar
trust WILL in my opinion, vanish, for
the reason that the trust refines i'm
ported brown sugar. while all the
American factories will finish the prod
uct and place 1t in entire readiness for
sale on the markets.
"We are now succeeding admirably
in the production of tea in the United
States. 1t is only question of a short
time when we will be able to raise all
the tea demanded for use in this coun-
try.
Three years ago the department be-
gan consideration of the success of rice
cultivation in the United States. At
that time we produced out % per
cent of what we consumed, and when
we examined the situation we found
that there was a demand for a much
4 better grade of the product than was
being grown here. We sent an expert
TO Japan to look over the field and this
man found just what we We're looking
for. The result Is that next year we Will
grow an excellent grade of rice. class.
In fact which will equal that of any
other nation producing the grain.
Coffee Is one product which we are
looking after. Our scientists are inyes-
tigating the coffee outlook in our insu-
lar possessions, and we expect to ac-
complish something during this fiscal
year which will greatly encourage the
industry.
Several years ago this department
began to collect specimens of rubber.
At present the United States buys an
nually $30000,000 worth of rubber, but
the outlook is that we will now be
able to raise in our new possessions
every bit of the product needed. II
will be produced In Porto Rico, Hawaii
and the Philippines. and the result will
be that people using the commodity
will be able to save thousands of dol
lars in its purchase
"Then there is the success of maca-
ron wheats to be considered. The
macaroni which we have been manu-
featuring here In the past is not quite
: equal to the Italian product, but we
are on the right track, and it will not
, be long before we will be able to pro-
duce a grade that win be superior to
that imported from Europe. The semi
arid regions of our country are adapted
to the growth of macaroni wheat, and
all of the 10000 900 pounds of the prod
uct which we now consume and which
comes mainly from Italy will be short
ly grown upon home ground
J GAS for spices our new possessions
will furnish us with an abundant guam
fifty as soon as we can get the machin-
cry Of their production in full opera
ton.
There IS no doubt that this country
within a few months will be in po-
sition to ignore every other nation on
the globe in the matter of food prod
ucts. We viii produce within our own
| domain everything that goes upon our
table and urop our backs. We will
then be, commercially and industrially,
almost Independent of the other ma
tons of the world. Herce any trade
| L. .x,bf No