The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1903-12-08
SECRETARY
p, -...
Of Agriculture M axe S
Annual Report. 6
THE BALANCE OF TRADE
DUE ENTIRELY TO FARMS
OF THE COUNTRY.

The seventh Annual Report of the
present Secretary of Agriculture has
been submitted to the president. 1t
opens with discussion of the educa-
tional requirements of the research
work of the department. Although
the department has, availed itself to
the fullest extent of graduates of the
agriculture colleges, 1t has been neces-
saiy, in view of the rapid deve. )pment
of the work, to secure competent men
wherever they could be found In the
training of specialists for it's various
lines of work, the department has be-
come practically postgraduate insti-
tuition. Mr.. Wilson, in illustration of
this fact, reports the admission to the
department since 1897 of 496 students:
2f9 of these are still in the department.
not less than 1872 having passed into
the classified service.
The report covers a wide field. Some
Of the subjects treated upon are of es-
pecial interest to the farmers CT this
section. and a resume is given. II
shows that the agricultural interests
BILE than the manufacturing and the
balance of trade is due entirely to
shipments of farm products.
Secretary Wilson reviews at length
the production and exports of Ameri-
can agricultural products. The increase
in the exports of farm products for the
half century ended 1901 was from 147
MILLION to 952 million .dollars-550 per
cent. The exports OF farm products
for the closing decade of the last CEN
tury was over 700 million dollars, and
for 1903 over S7S million dollars, an
amount second only to that of 1901.
Although the consumption of cotton
is greater than that of any other coun-
try in the world, yet. in addition
to suppling the home market, the
South exported last year over 12
billion pounds of cotton. worth 317
million dollars.
OF grain and grain products. the ex-
port exceeded in value 221 million dol
lars, and in the supply of animals,
meats, and meat products, the value of
expectation was 221 million dollars.
Discussing the balance of trade, the
Secretary shows that the favorable bal
ance to the credit of this country is
due entirely to the farmers. The bal
ance Of trade in favor of farm products
during the last IA years, no year eX-
ceptcd, aggregated 1906 million dol
lars In products. other than those of
the farm, during the same period, the
balance of trade was adverse TO this
country to the extent of S65 million
collars. Our farmers not only cancel
ed this immense obligation, but placed
3.9i0 million dollars to the credit of the
Nation when the books of inter nation
al exchange were balanced He con-
cludes that. TT Is the farmers who
have paid the foreign bondholders."
Reviewing the magnitude of agricul-
tlire production. after giving the fig
ules OF the most important crops. Mr..
Wilson states that the value of all
farm products, not fed to live stock.
for 1903 considerably exceeded their
value in the Census year, when it was
given as 3,742 million dollars.
Important work is reported from the
Office of Public Road Inquiries, espec-
tally in its cooperative work. most of
which has been undertaken with local
or State authorities, agricultural ex-
pertinent stations, and some of the
good roads associations. In this CO.
operation the department furnishes
only tho services of its road experts. |
being supplied and other ex-
penscs paid by the other factors in the
work. The Secretary points out the
intimate relation which exists between |
good country roads and the rural free
delivery, and argues that communities |
which would enjoy the latter must |
make and maintain the former.