The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1912-07-19
ALL POLITICAL PARTIES
AFTER FARMERS VOTE
Will Be Deluged With Sop, Argument and
Political fIapdO0dle

In the campaign which is now fairly
launched for the presidency it is very
evident that all OF the political parties
in the field will make dead set" for
the farmer vote. Not that the me-
chanic, the laboring man, the business
man, the professional man, or any 9th
ers who might be properly included
under a class designation, will not be
looked after; but it seems that unusual
importance is attached to the rural
voter and his opinions.
1t is a refreshing thing for the far
mer that his interests are becoming so
dear to the men who shape the polit-
ical destinies of the country. Under
proper protection, with ordinary safe
guards, and with such governmental
assistance as is wise and proper, this
country can export potatoes instead OF
importing them. It can sell its pork,
and wheat and hops and butter to all
the nations of the world. 1t can ship
its apples, and pears, and oranges, and
figs and dates, to the very lands where
such things have had monopoly Of the
markets heretofore. 1t can sell its
wines in France, its beef in England,
its lemons in Spain and Sicily, its olive
oil in all the capitals of Europe, and
its beer on the Baltic and Danube.
But first it should cultivate the markets
right at the farm gates, and help the
producers to get into closer touch with
the ultimate consumer.
Did you ever stop to think how the
production of fruit has expanded9
The Census Bureau recently gave
the county some figures on this sub
ject which are most significant.
And perhaps the most significant
thing about the statistics was that the
apple is the king of fruits, bringing
more money than all other fruits put
together. New York State leads in
apple production. All the fruit pro-
duced in the United States in 1909
was worth the very tidy sum Of S140,-
867,3 ,347, and nuts were valued at $4,-
447 ct about half of this being cred
tied to the English walnut crop, grown
in California. The Census Bureau
shows that apples were produced in
this year to the value of $83,231, ,492
the production being put at 147, ,522,-
318 bushels. City folks who paid from
to 10 cents each for these same ap-
Piles might be excused if they thought
the crop was worth about five hundred
millions. Next to apples, the most
valuable fruit crop was peaches and
nectarines, worth $28,781, ,078, and
then came oranges to the number of
10, ,487, ,481 boxes, worth $17, 500, 464.
The lemon crop was worth $2,oo3,7 ,738.
Under improved methods the orange
and lemon crops are increasing rapidly,
and the fruit is said to be the finest
grown in the world. In fact, it is
gaining a ready market in Europe
where the fine valencias and seedless
naval oranges are highly esteemed, and
the smooth-skinned, juicy lemons are
considered beyond rivalry.
The Government does not think
that farming is overdone. In fact, it
belives that the unemployed should be
more generally distributed on the
farms, and, through the Department of
Commerce and Labor it has just issued
a publication entitled Agricultural
Opportunities" which can be had free
on application to the Department in
Washington. The bulletin discusses
briefly the climate, surface, soil, irriga-
ton and dry farming, (where prac-
ticed), principal crops, stock raising,
prices OF land and inducements to set
tiers, farm expenses and general in
ducements OF different sections, in
cluding the North Atlantic States, the
North Central states, the South Central
states, the Western states, including
Alaska, and the southern group oi
Western states including the Hawaiian
Islands. Those interested are told
where they can get fuller information.