Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-03-05

The United States, in respect of the
great industries in which it's people are
engaged IS essentially food producer,
writes H. W. Wiley, chiet OF me
United states department of aGricul-
ture. In this term, however, must Ne
Included the production of the raw ma
terals for clothing. since the prouhc-
tion of food and clothing are the two
great branches of agricultural indus
Try.
1t is true that oar country during he
last decades has made wonderful
progress in manufactu1 but this
nroa,r,-s has been made possible be
cause agricultural products are album
dant and cheap. While therefore, we
pay our laborerS more per man per day
than is paid III any other country, we
ret a higher return for the investment.
It is Il truth universally conceded that
the hest paid. lest fed and best clothed
laborer gives the best work, so thai IN
reality il is doubtful whether. meas
ured by the amount of work produced.
American labor is any higher PAID
than the labor Of any other country.
our rapid growth in population and
the continued demands made upon us
from other countries for agricultural
products have naturally raised the
question whether this country in the
future will be able to meet the demand
made upon il from the agricultural
side. we are feeding now nearly eighty
millions of people within the bound
.,1iee of our own country. ana sending
enough material abroad TO clothe and
feed almost an equal number. our
foreign markets for agricultural prod
ucts are the great source Of wealth
ana preserve for US the favorable pal
ance Of trade which determines
whether n nation is growing richer or
poorer. The economic question. there
fore. Of preserving these foreign i1ir-
kets appears to be one OF the highest
import.
The statistician looks forward few
wears and sees our population doubled.
If during that time no great advance is
made in agriculture. it is evident that
all the products of our fields Will be
needed at home. and we shall no longer
be receiving the tribute from foreign
countries for these products which has
made us such a wealthy nation. II is
the best part of wisdom, therefore. to
forecast the possibilities of American
agriculture and see what relation il
win hear to the progress of our country
in population and industries.
In the first place. attention should be
called to the fact that no country in
the world has 50 richly endowed agr-
cultural research IS the United Sta-c.
For the support OF agricultural expert
ment stations in the various states
and territories d the United States
ana for Hawaii and Porto Rico, the
Congress Of the United States appro-
PIRATES annually $1s9, 900 IN addition
to this Congress has endowed agric.Il-
tufal colleges in every state and terri
tory. and these endowmcntS, together
with tac buildings, apparatus, ma
chinery, libraries and miscellaneous
equipment, represent Il total of 500
323, Sj:,.2l. The total income Of these
institutions annually is So COS $40. % of
which amount there is given annually
10y direct grant Of Congress 81 Jos 6ln.3S
These colleges contained at the end Of
last year 3l.t5S students, Of whom ISL
were taking the Special courses III
agriculture.
These statistics show that the United
States, 50 far as agricultural education
and research can go, is providing fol
the future in the most abundant way.
1t is true that when people speak of
agricultural research and agricultural
education they are accustomed to refer
Sttll To what Europe has accomplished.
There is no denying the fact that in the
past Europe took the lead in agricul-
tural education and research.
but Europe has already been
overtaken and far outstripped
by this country. The practi-
cal effects OF this educational work
are already shown. The establish
ment Of so many centres of expert
mental agriculture shows the road
to an increased production by an actual
demonstration or object lesson point
ing out the methods not only in a
theoretical way. but also in a practical
way.
1t is evident that practically all the
lands suitable for agriculture in the
United States have been taken up.
Hence the increase in agricultural pro-
duction will no longer be secure as
heretofore. by extending the area I'M
der cultivation. The only extension of
this kind Of any considerab bile magni-
tude which the future gives promise of
is in the reclamation of the arid lands
bl our country. w men by the best en-
gineering skill all the available water
Of the arid regions is placed under
tribute and conducted over the areas
where il can be profitably employed
we may see many millions of acres of
very fertile soils added 70 the areas
now available for agricultural rur-
poses. But even the utmost possible
expansion in this direction will not be
able to keep pace with our growth in
popuia ton and our Industrial effort.
Where. then. we may ask. is the in
creased eyre lltu:ai production to be
found? In answer to this question if
may be said first. that our system Of
agriculture will then be radically
changed. Heretofore we have devoied
vast areas 10 grazing. and thus our
production of homestead ted animals has
neen larger IN proportion to our popula-
tlon than that of any other country
tut II Is evident that where two or
three acres are necessary for the graz
lrS OF a single animal. the number of
larm animals must diminish wien the
lahd IS occupied for other purponcs.
1t ma" been demonstrated BY careful
experiments in agricultural stations