Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1912-11-22
CHANGING CONDITIONS.
Advantages Which Come to the
Farmer and Farm Owner.

city worker to purchase farm lands,
but it just as effectively points out
the advantages Of retaining farm
lands and devoting ones attention to
it's Improvement. The article follows: !:
The following is the increase in
population as compared with farm
products in the United States for the
80 years, beginning with 1903 and
ending with 1910.
For the 20 years from 1903 to 1900
the increase in population of the
United States was So per cent.
During this period the increase in
meat cattle was 20. 5 per cent.
The number of mich COWS eventu-
ally used for food increased 35 per
| cent. ........
The number of hogs increased &c
per cent.
The number of sheep actually de-
creased 5 per cent.
/ During the same period the acreage
of corn increased only 1875 per cent.
Wheat, lis per cent.
Potatoes, Al per cent.
Buckwheat actually decreased %. 5
| per cent.
Aud while during these 20 years
! the increase in population was So per
cent, the increase in farm products
was only about 19 per cent, and if
you leave out buckwheat and sheep.
which actually made decrease, the
total increas9 of the balance of farm
products was only about 26 per cent,
or one-half the increase in population.
During the same period the percent
age of increase of land put under
cultivation was much less than the
percentage of increase of the popula-
tion. and the average yield per acre
actually decreased.
BEEF CATTLE DECREASE.
During the 10 years following. from
1900 to 1910, the figures are even
more startling. The population in
creased 20 per cent. and the number
of beef cattle actually decreased, and
there was no year during that period
that the number of cattle was as large
as in 1900, excepting the year 1907.
The number of hogs also actually de-
creased, and the failure to increase
the production of farm products in an
amount equal to the increase in popu-
lation, has become so alarming that
Mr.. Wilson, Secretary of Agriculture.
called attention to it in a recent an.
nual report.
| The price of farm products has in
creased much more rapidly during
this period than anything else in the
wholesale trade.
In 1884 we we're raising in the
United States approximately 45O,
900, 900 bushels of wheat and consum-
ing about one-half of it. In 1905
we raised approximately $50. 600, O0C
bushels and consumed it all. The pro-
duction of wheat is now only about
one and one-half times. while tht
cons )mption is three times the amount
it was 26 years ago. We are today
consuming all the corn, oats ant
barley that we produce, and we art
not producing as much fruit as WI
! consume. Cottun is about the only
farm product of which we produce
more than we consume, and the ex
port of this is rapidly decreasing.
:, FIFTY PER CENT TOO SMALL.
] In the last 26 years we have pu
} under cultivation in the United State
! approximately $50. .OOO,0 600 acres o
! new land, and under the present mod
{ of farming, in order to have KEEP
pace with the population, we shouIt
] have put under cultivation abou
300, 100000 acres. At our presen
rate of increase in population, we viii
increase very nearly as much in tn
next IL years as we did in the las
26, and under the present mode O
farming. to keep pace with the in
crease in population, we should de
velop about 300. 100000 acres, an
to gain what we have lost in the las
rs years. we should put under cult
: vat:on about $50, 900, 900 more, max
ing total of $50, 900, 600 acres "a
amount equal to about one-half tn
land IN the Mississippi Valley, be
tween the west line of Nebraska an
e the east line of Ohio. and Canada o
t the north and Old Mexico on the south
$ that should be developed in the next i
< wears to reduce the price of land an
farm products to what they were j
1884. this is utterly impossible. @
course, these figures will be reduce
s somewhat by more scientific farmin
t and obtaining of greater results pc
acre than we have obtained in th
past. but this will have greater ter