The Washington herald., 1914-12-11
DEGREES
.DECREASENMEAT
Supply in U. S. Falling OFF
Rapidly. Agricultural Sec
retary Says.
DIFFICULTY NOT KNOWN
Annual Report Discusses Rural Credits,
Reserve Bank. and Methods of
SoutherP Farmers.

In his annual report. Secretary of
Agriculture Houston called attention
yesterday to the decrease in the meat
supply of the United States and ex-
pressed the opinion that the average
farmer in the settled areas can produce
without great expense a large number
OF beef animals II only as by-products to
the betterment of his farm economy.
But after all our efforts, while there
is an increased diversihcation of agricul-
ture and both a relative and absolute in
crease in important products, such as
wheat, forage crops, fruits, dairy prod
ucts. and poultry, We still note only q
decrease in a number Of our important
staple food products, such as corn and
meats" says Secretary Houston. In
the former, in the last eighteen years,
there has been no substantial advance.
Trouble Not known.
Just what the trouble is no one is
yet sufficiently informed to say. 1t
can scarcely be that the American
farmer has not as much intelligence as
the farmer of other nations. 1t is true
the American farmer does not produce
as much per acre as the farmer in a
number of civilized nations, but pro-
duction per acre is not the American
standard.
TT is evident we have been consider
ing the meat supply of the nation too
exclusively in terms of the big ranch
and of beef animals. Obviously ii is
important that we continue to help the
cattlemen and to assist in further de-
veloping the big ranch. But. unQues-
tionably, the largest hope for a con-
siderable increase in our meat supply
u, ofh First in
a more satisfactory handling OF the
public grazing lands: second, in syste-
matte attention to the production Of
beef animals in the settled farming
areas of the country. particularly in
the South; third, in increased attention
to the smaller animals, such as swine
and poultry, and fourth the control and
eradication of the cattle tick, hog
cholera, tuberculosis, and other animal
diseases and pests.
BIames Southerners.
mo Southern State is giving sufficient
attention to the production Of food stuf1s
either for human beings or for live stock.
A conservative estimate indicates that
Texas imports from other State annually
more than $50, 900, 900 worth of wheat, corn
and oats; Georgia more than S24oOo,OOO;
South Carolina more than S2o,oOo.oOo.
Twelve Southern States import more
than s175, 900 900 worth of these three COM
modities, and 900 worth Of meats,
dairy and poultry products"
Secretary Houston says that II farmers
in the South had heretofore practiced
diversification on a sufficiently large
scale, producing their own home supplies
that section would not be in its present
hard case"
OF rural credit. the report says:
There seems to be no emergency
assistance to the farmers directly
through the use of the governments
cash or credit. 1t is the judgment Of
the best students of economic conditions
here that there is need to supplement
exiting agencies by a proper land mort
gage banking system operating through
private funds"
Secretary Houston then points out that
the Federal reserve act makes paper aris-
ing out of agricultural transactions eligi-
BILE for discount under a longer maturing
period than other forms of paper, and
also permits national banks not situated
in central reserve cities to lend on i'm
proved and unencumbered farm lands for
any period up to five years.
The Federal reserve act" he says,
while not discriminating in favor of
them, takes just and particular knowl-
edge Of their requirements.
Concerning good roads," Secretary
Houston says Federal aid, II granted,
should favor community earth roads"
The cotton futures act is the first
definite, systematic. legal approach to the
solution of difficult problems in this field
of distribution the report says.