The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-12-07
WILSON'S FAREWELL
ANNUAL MESSAGE
Secretary of Agriculture Recounts the
Doings of Sixteen Years and More
Particularly That of Year

Washington. Dec After sixteen
met, Secretary of Agriculture Wilson
submitted to President Taft the last
annual report he will make as head Of
the United States department Of agri-
culture. The report is more than "a
review of the past years work; it con-
tains summary of the agrculturural adj
vance OF the country during the yencr
able seeretary's term of public scrcice.
The record of sixteen years has been
written he says. ut begins with
yearly farm production of 4,000000,000
and ends with 9.532 100000 Sixteen
years ago. tile farmer was a Joke Of
the caricaturist; now he is like the Stone
that was rejected by the builder and
has now become the head stone of the
corner The tillers of the soil were
burdened with debts he adds, shut pros
perity followed and grew with unex-
ampled speed Beginnings have been
made in production per acre increas-
ing faster than the natural increase of
population. There has been an uplift
OF agriculture and of country life.
During the past sixteen years the
farmer has steadily increased the wealth |
production year by year, with the ex-
ception of 1911. During the sixteen
years the farmers wealth production
increased l4l per cent.
Most productive of all agricultural
years in the country has been 1912. The
earth has produced its greatest annual
dividend. The sun and rain and the
fertility of the soil needed not the hu.
man controversies, but kept on working
in cooperation with the farmers ef-
forts to utilize them. The prices at
the farm are generally profitable and
will continue the prosperity that farm
ers have enjoyed in recent years. The
total production of farm wealth is the
highest yet reached by half billion
dollars. The grand total for 1912 is
estimated to be S9,532 900 900. This
is more than twice the value of the
farm wealth in 1899
More than Sl05000 100000 is the
grand total of farm wealth production,
the report says, during the past six
teen years. an amount equal to about
three-quarters of the present national
wealth.
The most effective move toward re-
duced cost of living is the production !
of greater crops. says the secretary,
ard this move. he declares, is due to
the work of the department of agricul- .
tural colleges and experiment stations
ard to the help of the press in publish ,,
ing every movement to help the farm
ers The nation, he adds, forgot its
farmers in the general scheme of edu- .
cation of past years and few philan- :
thropists thought of them when giving ,
for education, but they are waking up
and thinking for themselves and Con- :,
gress has been good TO them (
The secretary first takes up the work !,
of the various bureaus Of his depart. I
ment in the past year and then tells \
OF the growth in some instances from :
their foundation, of these bureaus dur
the time he has been head of the de- q
partment. He praises highly the ex- :
peTts who have worked under him. !,
The great and growing movement \
rarried on by the department for ag a
ricultTal betterment,r he declares. has !,
not been sustained solely by one man n
nor by a few men. A choice crop of \
experts in their special lines /,
pi endeavor has been growing in mem q
oership. in breadth of view. and in the )
practical application OF their efforts. ~
The department i prepared to con- a
'tHlt anu lhClcace Ai- PUBIC service. "a
During sixteen years il has progressed 81
rom the Kindergarten through the pri
nary. middle and upper grade OF de- N,
-elopment until now il has a thousand m
.oneues that speak with authority :
From a department with 2.i44 en- ),
,loyes in 1897 and an appropriation of /,
8 272. .9e2. il has increased TO 1855 u
employees at the beginning Of the present b,
iscal year with an appropriation this n
-ear Of almost S25. .0000e0 Whereas :
here are now 5000 requests every j,
reek for department publications. there m
rere but 500 in 1907; and during this n
'eriod 225.o0o. .ooO copies have been dis 4.
ributed. In soil investigation an area io
Z $4,000 square miles. equal o. that b
Z Germany. France. Great Britain. Ire i
md and Italy, has been covered 81