Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-10

country py appealing 70 the passion TOT
gambling.
Tn public il impressed by the state
ment that the Increase IN the value OF
farm products in the eight years from 1899
to 1907 was from sL.uT.OOO.OOO TO fI.E1 900 900.
or 81 per cent; and that from 1897 to 1907
the strictly agricultural ~crops-corn, hay,
wheat, cotton, oats, potatoes, barley and
rye-increased in value nearly 100000 600,
or 95 per cent. These are facts that strike
the Imagination, and the increase last year
alone OF $3.50, 200, 0Oe in the value Of farm
products Is encouraging. Yet Il Is only
ordinary business sense and sanity to
analyze the returns and see where we
stand with reference to the future.
There are ten states in the union in
which the wheat crop was less In 1908 than
1t was In 1888. Twenty years have cut this
staple food product, in many cases, more
than one-half. The yield per acre. with
%slngulsrly few exceptions, is falling in
ordinary years. Consumption per capita
tends to increase, and new ~portsations adds
from 100000 to 15,OOO.0O0 bushels every
year to the demand. This is not a
prophecy OF disaster. but a plain state
ment Of fact that any man can verify for
himself. The situation Il In no sense des-
perate. because we know exactly how It
can be met; but II we are intelligent mon
we will face IL fairly and inquire intelll-
gently what we ought to do.
Live stock Compositions.
There are no available statistics Of live
stock raised for food purposes in this
country. The exports, however, coupled
with an increase Of CAS- per cent in popu-
lation, an increase in the number Of
swine on the farms Of only 1871 per
cent. The fInnh ~ the har a,tavr t.ta
the daily food of a larger number Of peo-
pie than any other animal, and is, there
fore, the best test Of how far these sec
ondary products of the soil that supply
the meat ration Of the national diet are
falling behind. The only comparison Of
any value to be made here shows that
increase OF production has been much less
than increase Of population in the last
twenty years. And while In the five years
ending with 1909 there were exported from
this country over 1892, 7s4 pounds Of hides
and skins, the imports in the same time
were nearly 1861. Ss7. 1O2 pounds. Nobody
Is surprised, therefore, to learn that in
these five years there has been an increase
In the price Of hides of every variety at
Chicago, ranging from 14.29 per cent to 81. Il
per cent, according to grade.
The official government figures show
that the percentage Of exports of aRri-
cultural products from the United States
has been falling for thirty years. It was
1919 per cent for the five years 1s76-1sSO and
bL4 for the five years ~1SO1-1sO6, and every
hve-year period between the two showed a
decline from the preceding. OF course the
rapid disappearance OF the national food
surplus is also reflected in high prices at
home. The average price Of beefsteak
in 1907 was S.4 per cent higher than it was
ten years before; bacon was 61.5 per cent
higheri butter, 81 per cent; eggs, 5O.7 per
cent, and mutton! S0.6 per cent. Since then
every housekeeper has had painful proof
that the upward slant OF prices continues.
That this is due rather to decreased
supply than to increased demand appears
to be indicated by the fact that oommodi-
Ties obtained from abroad show no such
striking changes, The price Of sugar IN
1907 was but Al per cent more than in
1897; that Of tea SO per cent, and of coffee
but four-tenths OF one per cent.
summarizing the lesson of all these
.coincident factstit seems clear that some.
thing must be d6te to advance the sgri.
cultural interest, The country, unless there
shall be a change, is approaching the time
when 1t must import wheat to meet home
needs. Other food products also lag be.
hind the constant new demand Since that
demand can not be escaped, and since no,
to meet 1T means want or a lowering az
the standard OF life and comfort in this
countryIs which no American would Wish
to see, there is but one course before the
nation. That Is to increase the productivs-
ness of the farm 80 that the earth's gifts
may year by year equal or exceed the
peoples requirements.
All that is needed to turr. an impending
national food deficit into a surplus. 10
support In plenty $50 or more persons to
the square mile in the United States, is
the use instead OF the abuse Of the soil;
the practice Of that knowledge which aRri.
cultural schools and experiment stations
have already formulated and are daily
putting before the people. It is almost
as much an exact science as the bulldina
OF a railroad or a skyscraper or any other
bit of engineering. To double the volume
OF the products Of the soil, at present zen.
resenting an, income Of over SS,OOOOOO an.
nualiy, becomes, in the light of ascertain "a
Iaet and repeated experience. as simple as
building a house,
Men on h Platform.
On the platform with Mr.. Hill were a.
w. "atIies' president National Corn ex-
Eugene Funk, president National
Corn association; Willet M, Hays, assist
secretary of agriculture; william
George vice president American Breeders
G. g. Rosewater, chairman ex-
eoutive committee National Corn exposi-
tlon; G. Q. Belden, vice president National
association; C. f, McGrew, treasurer
National Corn exposition; F. L. Haller.
Rome Miller, u. Buckingham, Emil Bran.
deis' d. b. Fuller, David Cole, W.NF. Bax-
executive committee National Corn ex-
7. #. sturgess, secretary ana
general manager corn show; VIII A. Camp-
bell Commercial club of Omaha. viea
National Corn association: v
M shoesmith' Columbus. o.; G.-L Chris
tie' Lafayette, Ind; o, e. Young. De-
troit' Mich; W. II. Young, Athens nj
A. Moore Madison. Wisconsin; @. p
bull' Anthony Park, Mimi; w. A. Wheeler
s. D.; A. M. Ten Eyck. Manhat.
Kan; John Fields, Oklahoma civ
1kl'; A. NJ Ferguson, sherman. Tex; w
DIN, Fort Cohfns, Colo: r. W
HhnHnham DnVN-AA- 49, 80