VOL. XXXII.
VO/-.
,.,uv/
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.. AUG.   7, 1897.
NO. 32
BROAD VIEW OP AGRICULTURE.
The Farmer of the Twentieth
Century,
[Governor   Mount's   Addreaa   at   Island   Park,
Indiana]
Farming antedates all other pursuits.—
Human life, as well as comfort, depends
upon the produots of the earth. The
proud monaroh upon his throne ls as dependent upon the soil as the farmer at
the plow. (Bo. 5 9): "The profits of the
earth are for all, the king himself is
served from the field." Abundant harvests give prosperity In peace, and in
danger fnrnish the sinews of war. Agricultural success has marked the rise and
determined the wealth and power of governments. Its neglect and decline has
hastened the downfall of kingdoms and
the ruin of empires.
PROMISED   TEMPORAL.   BLESSINGS.
So Important to man's welfare are the
fruits of the earth, that God's promises of
blessings and threatenings of evil, were
through the giving or witholding of the
harvest. Lev. 26 4-5): "Then I will give
you rain in due season, and the land
shall yield her Inorease, and the trees of
the field shall yield their fruit. And your
threshing shall last unto the vintage;
•nd the vintage shall reaoh into the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread to
the full, and dwell ln your land safely."
Again l_n>eut. 11, l_-_5.-"Then X will
give you the 'fain of your land ln due
season, and the first rain and the latter
rain; that thou mayest gather in tby
corn, and thy wine and thy oil. And I
will send grass In thy fields for thy oattle, that thou mayst eat and be full."
Sad disaster to follow the witholding of
the earth's fruitage. (Dent 11-17): "And
the Lord's wrath be kindled against you,
and he shut np the heavens, and there be
no rain, and lest ye perish quickly from
off the good land whioh the Lord give to
thee." Quickly would the world be depopulated, complete the disaster and
final the ruin that would follow in the
wake of this negleoted or abandoned vocation.
FARMING COEXISTANT WITH MAN.
Farming must continue as long as the
human family Inhabits the earth. I need
not discuss at greater length the need of
the farmer. The question of vital moment is what kind of a farmer? The
thought to be discussed in this topic, selected for my discussion by your leoture
committee, is not the farmer three years
and five months hence when we will be
ushered Into the twentieth century, but
the farmer of the fnture, able to adapt
himself to the changing conditions that
must come with the lapse of years. The
nineteenth century has achieved greater
success, made more progress, than all
the preceding six thousand years of tbe
world's history. The farmer, in these
oloslng years of the nineteenth century,
is not the farmer of the eighteenth century, nor like the farmer of any preceding period. Time will forbid my going
beyond this country ln a brief, practical
presentation of the changing conditions
and progress otthe past century in farming.
This is the greatest agricultural nation
of earth." One hundred years have
wrought wonders, both as to the products of the farm and the environments
of the farmer. I, herewith, present some
■tatlstical facts Illustrating the marvelous growth:
„ Wheat Corn.
"ear. Bnshels.
»» •84,-2S,27_ 1840 -77,511,878
lss* 1_7,684,J48 1898 2,288,876,-85
Horsea. Sheep.
I8'0. 4,285,597 1810 19,811.374.
**•• 15,124,027 189« «8,_9S,78S
Cattle.
Milch cowa. Swlne.
1?M 8,S8-,IM 18« 28^98,620
18** 18 117,586 1898 42 842,759
Other cattle. *    Hay.     tons.
1840 11,391,818 1840 11,838,842
3 82.t85,4C9 1898 69,_S?,158
Cotton. pounds.
1791 2,000,00,000
1840 795,479.278
)5     415,841,838
It Is said that in 1784 an American vessel, having seventy-one bags of cotton on
board,was seized at Liverpool on the plea
that so large an amonnt of cotton oonld
not have been produced in the United
States, and when an old planter obtained
15 bales from five acre., lt was not
thought strange that he exclaimed,"Well
well, I have done with cotton, here ls
enough to make stockings for all the people of America." In 18PG-7 the exports of
cotton were 6,172.583 bales, or 2,9.1,302,470
ponnds.
One hundred years ago Indiana had not
yet been organized as a Territory, yet the
census report for 1890 gives the following,
largely the development of one-half a
oentury.
Valne of live atock....'. 193,861,422
Value of farm products 894.7MI,262
Ponnda of bntter 48,477,765
Bushels of wheat 87,818,799
Bushels of corn 108,843,091
Bnshels of osts 81,491,661
Bushels of potatoes 9.(94.271
Gallons of milk 200,610,797
The corn crop of 1896 exceeded 140,000,00 bushels.
THE FABMER THE  PIONEER OF CIVILIZATION.
In order that we may better understand the farmer of the fnture, lt ls necessary that we take' a retrospective view,
noting the changing methods to suit conditions, and thus, from past history, or
the lamp of experience, we may In some
degree forestall the future. In the early
settlement of this country perilous dangers were to be met, obstacles overcome,
privations endured and toll performed.
Through heroio endurance and patient
struggle, a wilderness waste, the abode of
wild men and wild beasts was to be
transformed into prosperous homes. The
lone cabin in the wild woods, remote
from neighbors, destitute of schools,
without churches, was a dwelling place
where the solitude added sorrow to the
burden of toil and privation. The loneliness of these homes, the imminent dangers to life and health, the hardships to
be endured, required heroio sacrifice and
suffering before the dawn of hope could
arise. No banner under whioh to rally
in their struggle, floated over them. No
martial music cheered to vlotory. No
cannon's peel told where the conflict was
being waged. The rail-splitter's maul,
the woodman's axe, the olack of the loom
and the hum of the wheel, in solemn
tones blended Into labor's song that proclaimed the oncoming victory, the results of which were to be as grand as any
gained on the field of mortal combat.
With hearts o'erflowlng with gratitude,
we should recall the scenes of suffering
and danger, of loneliness and labor that
has wrought this wonderful change,—
that has given us these new conditions,
these improved opportunities.
Let us lift the broad mantle of charity
over any faults, or old-fashioned ways,
that remain as a result of the severe
school of adversity through whioh the pioneers passed and the trying circumstances Junder which their ohildren were
brought up, and let us honor these plain
country folk as their deeds merit. Tens
of thousands of log cabins and sod
houses have witnessed these scenes, and
the agony and toil which gave birth and
life to the glorious privileges of the present, I have at some length, reviewed the
past experience in farming that we may
better appreciate the present and forestall the futnre.
"New conditions tsach new duties
Time makes ancient rood uncouth."
The struggle is not so much one of annual labor, as when the heavy forests
were to be removed, logs rolled and heavy
log houses to be raised, rails split and
roads constructed through green woods.
The wheat Is no longer cut with   the
sickle, threshed with the flail, or tramped
out with horses and winnowed with
sheets. The farmer's wife does not take
the wool through the tedious process until converted into the fabric. With the
self binder and steam thresher on the
farm; instead of wheel and loom, musical
Instruments in neatly furnished homes
tell of the new conditions. Agricultural
oolleges, experimental stations, farm Institutes,) agricultural Journals, afford
abundant opportunities to prepare the
farmer for these new conditions.
MIND TIIE DOMINANT POWER.
This is an Intense age. Brisk competition ls found ln all the avenues of trade.
Close margins require tho adoption ot
striotest rules of business and the most
economical methods. The largest jleld
at minimum cost, the most eoonomlo utilization of the same; improvement of the
soil ln the feeding of crops, must be of
eqnal Importance to the fattening of
stook. He who markets the products of
his farm on the hoof or ln the fleece, or in
some condensed form ready for consumption, is in the wake of progress, not only
for the twentieth century, but for all
time. Adam Smith says: "The nation ls
wise that markets its wares nearest ready
tor consumption." Tbis is likewise true
of the farmer. The farmer who sustains
least waste of crops grown ls the husband"
man who keeps stock to consume all tbat
is grown. More grats, more stock, less
plowed,.larger crops, better utilization of
everything grown, must be the rule of
the farmer of the future. The highest
success will be attained by the man who
is able to grow the largest crops, and then
with the greatest skill convert these
crops into flne horses, into wool and mutton, beef and pork, or Into milk and butter, then returning to his soil, with the
least possible waste, the elements that
produce the crops. This,as the old darkey
puts it, profits at "boff" ends. He said,
"Massa, you beets dis darkey. You make
boff ends to help in de middle." The
farmer who can so wisely manage as to
grow large crops, obtain, through feeding,
the highest price, then return to the soil
the fertility extracted in produoing the
orops, is making both ends and middle,
all, serve his purpose.
FARMING A SCIEKCK.
The successful farmer of future years
must understand something of the laws
governing animal and vegetable life.
The yield of crops in large measures determines the profits. The fertility of the
soil ls an important faotor in the abundance of the crop. It is, therefore, mani.
festly important that the soil be fertile
to insure profitabte farming.
In order that the farmer be fully
equipped, he must know something of
elements of plant food required to produce the crops he grows. He must study
how to restore these elements to the
soil. Chemical analysis reveals to ns the
kind, the amount and value of these elements required ln producing crops. It
tells ns the amount and value of the ni-
trogen,'potash and phosphate*, required
to produce a bnshel of corn or a bushel
of wheat or oats, and the prices of those
in the market. These faots demonstrate
that we cannot depend upon the purchase of fertilizers as a means of keeping up the fertility of our land.
SOIL. FERTILITY A OREAT PROBLEM.
Hundreds of thousands of acres of exhausted and abandoned land are found
all over the southern States. Thousands
of abandoned farms are found in the
New England States. The note of alarm
ls being sounded, and none too soon, all
over the middle and western States. I
have heard intelligent farmers estimate
in southern counties in this State the
amount of worn out and abandoned land
—the estimate reaching thousands of
acres. I have seen many acres once fairly fertile, now sterile and no longer cultivated. This ls a sad commentary on the
farming of the nineteenth century. Land
brought into cultivation, worn out and
abandoned, all in one hundred years.
The great task for tbe nineteenth century farmer has been, in this State, to
clear the land, construct roadr, drain the
swampB and marshes, endure hardships
and privation, shake with the ague, and
meet the dangers of frontier life. This
required physical endurance and the
exercise of muscle.
The 20th century farmer must be able to
solve scientiflo problems, to master economic questions. He must, of all men, be
resourcefnl. He must be a general, able
to command the forces ln the great laboratory of nature. He must watch this
vast store with the eye of a discoverer,
and with versatilo mind turn wherever
wisdom directs.
MUST HE A STUDENT (IK MARKETS.
The law of supply and demand must
control prices. Statistical information ls
now obtainable that will enable the student of marketr, wiih some degree of certainty, to forestall prices. Instead of
studying these wise economio principles
farmers, as a rule aot ln concert, prompted by the Impulse of existing conditions,
wholly oblivious to tho supply of existing conditions, wholly oblivious to the
laws of supply and demand and ignoring
factors that are likely to revolutionize
immediate environments. It ls a safer
rule to go counter to, than, the current ln
farming. Mrs. Hettle Green, the richest
woman in America and one of the most
noted financiers, in reply to a reporter's interrogatory, said: "It is true
I am rich. I have been blessed ln my
Investments and that Is all. I don't know
that my fortune is due to any fixed principles. I only nse common sense. I buy
when things are low and nobody wants
them. I keep them until tbey go up
and people are crazy to get them.
This sir, I believe the secret to all successful business."
I have noted theprevalentdlsposltionon
the part of the farmers to seek to sell out
and quit any branch of stock raising that
for tho time is low and unprofitable,then
"stock" at high prices, with that which is
in demand. This class of farmers are
usually found with but little to sell at
low prices.
I trust you will pardon personal reference, for I desire, ln a practical way to Illustrate this important loeson of the study
of the markets.
During the fall of 1873, while the panio
was causing temporary depression, the
cattle market became over-stocked and
there as a stampede. The lower the price,
the more determined seemed the farmers
to force their cattle on the already overcrowded market. I was a renter at the
time and without money. I expressed to
my neighbors my faith ln the opportuneness of tho time for buying and feeding
cattle. I had a large crop of corn but no
money. My neighbor referred me to his
friend who was anxious to sell two carloads of cattle and wonld let me pay for
the cattle when fed out. I bought the 32
steers and eight more besides, making 40
head ln all. These cattle cost me three
cents a pound in November, and I sold
them the next April at 5>_ cents a pound.
In the fall and winter of 1891 hogs were
selling at or near three cents a pound.
During the early spring and summer of
that year corn ranged from 50 to 75 cents
per bushel. While attending farm institutes in the winter of 1891, I often heard
farmers express their purpose to raise
fewer hogs. Some said they would better
have given away their hogs or killed
them than to have fed high-priced corn
to cheap hogs, aud declared their purpose
to quit hog raising. From the swine
breeders I learned that this was the prevailing sentiment. This was an Illustration of farmers going one way, impelled
by existing conditions and blind to future proepeots. I took occasion to say in
many farm institutes that Indications all
Concluded on oth page.