The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-09

city life and of other occupations has
added to urban population and it has
grown muh more rapidly than rural
population so that some have a gloomy
view of the future Of our agriculture.
Here he said:
L am not one of those who fear
that the United States will fall behind
as an agriculture country. The day is
far off when we shall be unable to
produce, and at prices which Will en-
able US to compete in the markets OF
the world, our share of the grains, the
fruits and the meats needed to feed
mankind. We are steadily advancing
to that time when all our soils shall
be properly cared for and their fer
tility retained, to a time when our
average yields will double and treble,
and when old lands now neglected and
new lands in every section shall come
under profitable cultivation. The
widely circulated theory that is now
or soon will be necessary for farmers
and settlers to go beyond our borders,
either to Canada or Cuba or to any
other country, to secure advantageous
conditions, or to find opportunities,
should be cOmbatted. Within an
hours ride OF this city you will find
nelds which this year produced over
~ bushels Of wheat per acre, while
there were like yields of other pro-
ducts. These yields were on lands
common to this section, and common
to the South, and there is no reason
Why such production should not be
the rule rather than the exception"
The relation Of the agriculture Of
h country to all its other interests
is SO close that without prosperity on
the farms there is no prosperity in
the country. The transportation Sys-
} TENS naturally bear just as close re-
l~ationship to other lines of industry.
They at once are the promoters of
industry and development and depend
~ rs~ - <Io~ ~-~~~ $500
development and depend upon other
forms Of industry, and their business
is an index of conditions in the coun-
try. What the rail and steamer routes
mean to agriculture and agriculture
{ means to them may be realized by the
figures if American railroads. Either
directly or indirectly our farmers
afford at least one-half Of all the ton
mage of American railroads.. This
} means that the farms of the country
do their full share towards supporting
our transportation systems and with
out them the transportation
tons would not be able to pay divi-
dends, much less to develop the facili-
: ties they now give travellers and ship
pers.
{ "On the other hand. the railroads
have it to their credit that their work
has developed American agriculture
to its present enviable position, and
that in whatever future development
may come they will play their part
1t is true that with every advance in
methods of handling the traffic and in
traffic facilities and with every facOr-
able condition affecting the cost OF
traffic the tendency has always been to
reduce rates, and transportation rates
have always been affected more by re
ductiOns than hav the commodities
consumed by the people or which have
had a place in developing industries
or building homes or towns. Time and
again railroad lines AVE lowered rates
from n locality or another to the
chief markets Of the country in order
to develop new markets for the farm
products in their territory or to en-
courage and make profitable the rails
ing Of new crops, expecting their re-
turns from increased or more regular
traffic. In the same way they have
encouraged n made possible the in
creased use Of farm machinery.
Here the speakers told of the I'm
petus given the fruit and true: INDUS
try by the Introduction of the re-
frigerator car; that it created new
fruit and trucking sections in the
South and in every part Of the land,
aided also live stock, dairy and poul-
rying perishable freight, run on fast
schedules, has aided agricultural de-
velopment.
In the active promotion work. car
ried on by railroad corporations af-
fecting the ~country's agricultural in
terests very many methods have been
used and many different lines under
taken. The railroads nave been active
instruments in the settling of new sec
tons and in the special development
Of the agricultural lands which the
serve. The immigration work they
have done is familiar to all. Not
only have they made studies of the
crops for which their respective terri
tories are suitable and the field for
home making which lies along their
lines, but they have carried on great
campaigns of publicity, kept special
lists to aid intending settlers, given
low rates of fares to home seekers.