The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1905-01-28
THE PROGRESS OF
AGRICULTURE
THE ENORMOUS VALUES OF
STAPLE CROPS
Abstract of Ex-Gov. Hoard's Address
to New York Dairymen-The Cost
of Protein in Dairy Goods-Farm-
ers Urged to Read and Think.

The magnificent crops produced by
the farmers of the country and their
Importance in the prosperity of the
country were prominently stated in
the recent report of Secretary VIII
son. The corn crop of 1904 yiel led
far greater value than ever before.
The farmers could from the proceeds
OF this single crop pay the national
debt, the interest for one year, and
still have enough to pay a consider
able portion of the governments
yearly expenses. The cotton crop,
valued at six hundred million dollars,
comes second, while hay and wheat
contend for the third place. Com
bined, these two crops will about
equal in value the corn crop. Not
withstanding the wheat crop shows
a lower production than any year
since 1900, the farm value is the high
est since 1881. Potatoes and barley
reached their highest production in
1904 Save in 1902 the oat crop was
never SO large by sixty million bush
els.
But it is not the abundant crops to
which we desire to call attention,
but to the progress made in other
directions during the past twenty
years. Duri7 G the period the nat
ional department of agriculture has
been developed from a comparatively
small bureau to the dignity of a great
national department., with repre-
sentative in the presidents cabinet.
The law regulating the manufacture
and sale of imitatio dairy products
has been enacted, which affords pro-
lection to the honest producer and
causes no hardship or expense to the
consumer The delivery of mail in
rural districts has been established
and brings the postoffice and the
farm close together Remedies for
fungus diseases and insect pests have
been discovered and they are now
under the complete control of the
intelligent and up-to-date farmer.
The Babcock test has been invented
for measuring the fat in milk, and
this product can now be bought and
sold at it's true value, which the pro-
ducer can ascertain upon the farm.
Experiment stations are now main
tanned at enormous expense to the
government for Investigating agri-
cultural problems, and farmers in
stitutes have developed in practical
and valuable schools of agriculture.
The improvement of country roads
has been reduced to a science, and
the relative value of different mat
erials for road construction ascer-
tanned.
In addition to these things the
farm telephone and trolley lines
have been extended into the country
towns, and the distribution of papers
of all kinds increased many fold.
Farming has not only been made
more profitable by these changes,
but farm~lif more attractive, so that
now we find residents of the cities in
quiring for farm homes in which to
live a portion or all the year. A per-
son need no longer apologize for liv-
ing upon farm or being engaged in
tilling the soil, for with improved
methods and the use of improved
machinery it has become one, of the
desirable occupations open to man.
It requires hard work to succeed, but
the rewards in addition to the fnan-
cial returns are beyond those offered
in any other occupation or any pro-
fession in the world.