Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1910-02-11
GREATEST ITEM IN EXPORT
TRADE is FARM PRODUCTS
ALL KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Good Roads Are Great Factor I'm
Successful Agricultural In
dustries.

One of the great factors In the
worlds progress Is the farmer and
his Importance as the basis of sue
cessful commercial and manufacture
ing pursuits are seen every day.
Secretary Wilson, who has greater
opportunities than others to investi-
gate these things, says that the ex-
port of farm products is vastly In
excess Of all other exports combined;
that a million agricultural debtors
have been transformed during the
last ten years into the same number
of surplus depositors.
The reason for the growing i'm
portance of farm industries In this
country must be attributed to the
agricultural college, which has drill
ed an army OF practical workers to
successfully manipulate farm crops
and make farm life more desirable
than in previous decades. Time was
when the farmer worked independ-
emily, sold his products to meet in
terest on his farm mortgage or pay
his store bill and, consequently, took
what he could get for his wheat, corn
and other product. Now he and his
neighbors organize themselves into
a trust, as 1t were, and hold their
produce for top prices. A few years
Of this management has paid off the
old mortgages and created bank
account which takes care Of the store
bills. Verify knowledge Is power"
It is claimed by men who make
such subjects a careful study that the
most successful farmers are those
who live In districts where good
roads abound. New Jersey is the
good roads state and by and through
Its most excellent roads the farmers
have grown rich. New Jersey through
its state commissioner of highways
and Its beneficient laws has been en-
abled, at moderate expense, to give
every farmer good road over which
he can haul to market two tons OF
farm produce at load where twenty
years ago half ton would hardly
have been possible. II is found In
that state that only men of brains
and experience can be chosen to plan
and carry out road construction.
Good highways in that common
wealth now command the most ad-
vanced thought OF men educated and
experienced along these lines. The
legislature OF the state, county
boards and municipal bodies all rec
ognize the Importance Of the good
roads movement which has done so
much for the state OF New Jersey.
The state OF Oregon, especially
the people OF the county OF Jose
phlne, should sit up and take notice.
No people anywhere have greater
need OF good roads than those OF our
own county, and no country has bet
ter material out OF which TO construct
such highways than we have, and yet
we maintain the mud holes, hub deep
or more, on many of our roads. IL
Ia true that we have many miles OF
most excellent highways made so by
nature, and we even have few miles
OF good roads which have been con-
structed by the taxpayers, but the
chain is never stronger than It's
weakest link and so one mud hole
long drawn out like the one south
OF the steel bridge recently was and
to some extent still gauges the capa-
city OF the loads that can be hauled
TO or from Grants Pass, II Is too bad
that these nusances must be endured
in spite OF the fact that the taxpayers
demand that these bad places In the
roads be permanently Improved No
man should be appointed road over
seer OF district who lacks the abll'
ity to repair road In the very best
possible manner and no man should
be elected county judge or codntS
commissioners who IL not thoroughly
experienced in road building. W.
have had too much mediocre ant
e really Indifferent ability along thes'
lines.