The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-11
MARVELLOUS RESOURCES

Never before was there at this sea-
son, an exhibit SO wonderfully favor
able and reassuring al that put before
the country yesterday, in the depart
mental bulletin covering the farmers
reserves Of produce. Ordinarily when
one thinks Of wealth, his conception
runs to money or something close to
it. We are all likely to forget that
the farmer is the producer Of new
wealth, and that upon his success, in
greater measure than upon anything
else, depends the prosperity Of the
country. In December, when the har-
vests have all been gathered in and
the marketing process is on, and there
has been an interval of time sufficient
for the gathering Of statistics, the. gov
eminent gives to the public that sum-
mary OF production Of principal farm
crops which is SO widely read, and is
the basis TOR so much calculation as to
conditions, commercial and financial,
for the future. We are often amazed
at the figures. Only at such a time
do we understand how vast a country
is ours, how fertile our soil, how great
our resources.
Again on March 10 Of every year,
when tho produce has been very largely
moved to marker, and the pressure Of
selling Is over, the government submits
us estimate Of the unmarketed grain
on the farms. Then 1t is, that, having
passed thru money stringencies In the
financial center and having read az
much Of the doings in speculative mar.
kets, OF the organization Of great wa
ter-logged corporations, Of inflated Sc
curities and their rise and fall. Of tho
wrong doing in high finance and the
m d reports that are but of
the froth Of real things, we come back
again to consideration Of the farmer
as the basis Of all true prosperity. We
come again to think of wealth not AZ
represented by the men whose grasp
ing power or whose manipulation of the
pr1ce indicator has made them pronin-
ent, but Of the humble, but substantial
citizen who does his share towards
turning out the annual total that makes
for our subsistence and our general
commercial power. These men. tho
individually not Of great fortune ex-
cept IN some few cases, collectively
make the foundation Of our country.
and their wealth is the real thing.
whether It has been converted by them
into the currency Of the day and by
industry into the finished products Of
the age, or whether 1t still lies In nat
ural form in their barns or granaries.
a billion Is a great sum, vet upon
the farms Of the United States there
Is today, unso1d, j, 1O8 100000 bushels
OF scorn. There is. q total unmarketed
amount OF 4 S, 408, 00a bushels Of WI eat,
and 879, 100000 bushels 81 oats. There
is much other praduce not & included.
only the principe Items being taken ;
ALSO q wealth Of produce III ire coun.
try elevators and other storage places
Ia the: country that Is not included
here. The figures represent only The
wealth Of the farmers, not turned into
cash, and they make reserve strength
and reserve purchasing power that is
enormous.
1t is hard to see how our country can
go3Svery much to the bad under the cir.
cumstances. We cannot starye, nor can
w q gOOCOluc AulpONoIlSneQ. III Is true
that individual prosperity among the
producers in particular cases is not 50
1 great, for with larger crops come lower
prices, and nearly all prices, especially
in whest, are lower. But lower prices
with a year Of plenty and fair remun.
GRAFTON all around are better by fa1
for the country than crop losses and
subsequent high prices.
Wall street might go to smash but
there would be no famine, and high
finance might go to Jail without af.
fecting the country. We need an ex.
hibit Of this kind once in while to
bring us back to the farm.
A very fiattering condition Of the
country's business is reflected in the
weekly mercantile reviews. Seasonab1e
activity is found in nearly all lines
The railroads are reporting very salts
factory earnings and bank clearings are
heavy. Spring is opening with the prom
ise Of a good season ahead. Attention
is naturally turning more towards the
southwest where the first Of the i'm
portant new crops is getting under way
It is too early yet to draw conclusion.
as to winter wheat but there has beer
abundant moisture and everything in
dicates that the plant wintered well
Indeed the prospect has rarely beer
better at this season.