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VOL. XXIX.
INDIANAPOLIS. IND , AUG. 25, 1804.
NO. 34
Written for the Itutitina Farmer.
The Farmers' Institute.
BT WM.  B. KORKI8.
Th. farmer, from near and fsr, will nwl to-day.
In goodly, lntellectutl, Institute array,
▲nd every ' son of toll" will bav. bis "say."
How best to raise tbe corn and wheat,
And whether"wheat ever turns to cheat,"
An*l whether or not lt does, or ever pays,
So much of tbe world's grain, wheat, to raise.
When we bave got tbe only land for maixe.
Had we not better torn our attention
To many otber things tbat we conld mention-
To horses, cattle, chickens, hogs and sheep.
And otber tilings that "don't git too durned cheap;"
To things ln which there's not a world wide competition,
To something that wUl pay and satisfy the farmers'
ambition.
And not oblige us all to annually act the fool.
By depending on the prices set by Liverpool.
How best tbe poverty of our land to care,
By doctoring It witn a liberal dose of rich manure,
That will the land from barrenness reclaim—fertility
restore,
And make lt with new vigor teem, as In tbe days of
yore.
TU every farm tbe eye shall charm
In many and divers ways—excite the liveliest praise,
And "Country Jake" no more a synonym will be.
For blm wbo follows agrlcnltural industry;
But "City Jack" will stand and gawk amazed
To behold . hat crops his cousin "Oountry Jake" has
raised.
THE   FUTURE    OF  AGRICULTURE    IN
THE UNITED STATES.
Imperatively Demands of Our Farmers
s Higher Standard of Intelligence.
[Address by Hon. Jas. A. Mount, before Chautauqua Assembly, on Farmers' Day, Aug. 16. ]
This is an intense age. The mind of
man is grasping and solving the great
problems of the day. Man is winning new
victories in the field of conflict. Thought
with lightning speed flies round the
world and communicates with man. Tbe
power of the mind annihilates space and
commands the forces in nature. We behold the marvelous progress in science,
literature and art. Inventive genius light
ens the burden of toil, and makes greater
success and comfort possible.
In this progressive age, and at this center of culture, of learning, and of eloquence, the "slow plodding farmer!' may
not be in touch with the spirit, and an
agricultural topic may be too "commonplace" for such an occasion.
AGRICULTURE THB FOUNDATION.
Bat let us not esteem too lightly the
souroe through which God's temporal
blessings flow to man. Food and raiment
are absolute necessities, and the farm
must supply them. Abundant harvests
are prime factors in national prosperity,
independence and power. Agriculture is
now, and ever has been the foundation of
prosperity in peace, and in war armies are
dependent on its products. The farmer
holds in his hand the rudder of all national success.
•'From his brown fnrrows waiting empire springs.
And genius plods nnhonored till bis band
Unbars the future and unbinds his wings
For flights he knows not of.   His tolls command
▲11 flags, all commerce; peace asserts his lower;
c.rim war devours Its vitals when he falls.
And stormy conquerors bide the suspicions honr
When far and wide the farmers' skill prevails "
"Laugh  at bis ploughman's gait and inn-browned
akin.
If laugh you mnst, but he langhs best »f all;
In debt to him all ranks and states are kin;
Let him but totter and your kingdoms fall;
Palsy his arm, and all tbe vibrant strings
Of thought and purpose Into discord break,
And art and song, distraught, on pulseless wings
Lie groveling where he bade them first awake."
Success in agriculture has marked the
rise, and determined the wealth and greatness of governments. Its neglect and decline has hastened the downfall of kingdoms and the ruin of empires.
CONDITIONED   UPON   OREI'IEN* E TO   DIVINE
LAW.
(I xl promised to his ancient people temporal mercies through fruitful seasons.
Lev. 26:4, 5.   "Then I will  give you rain
in due season, and the land shall yield her
increase, and the trees of the field shall
yield their fruit." "And your threshing
shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time;
and ye shall eat your bread to the full,
and dwell in your land safely."
Again in Deut. 11: 14, 15. "That I will
give you the rain of your land ln his due
season, the first rain and the latter rain,
that thou mayest gather in thy oorn, and
thy wine, and thine oil." "And I will send
grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou
mayest eat and be full "
The omniscient mind well understood
man's dependence upon the fruits of the
earth, and how abundant harvests would
bless the land.
Likewise, how quickly would be felt
the chastening hand In the withholding of
these temporal blessings. In Deut. 11, 17
we read: "And then the Lord's wrath be
kindled against you, and he shut up the
heaven, and there be no rain, and lest ye
perish quickly from off the good land
which the Lord giveth you."
May I not with confidence, then, present
a theme or discuss a vocation, that is so
closely allied to man's existence and the
country's welfare?
"The profit of the earth Is for all; the
king himself Is served from the field."
Ecol. 6:'.).
Not rank nor caste, position, wealth nor
power can render anyone independent of
the farm. Let the farmer abandon his vocation, let the plow stand idle in the furrow the lislds be untllled, the herds unleaded, the flocks unshorn, the fruits of
the fields ungathered, and who can measure the universal suffering that would follow In the path of calamity bo dire?
The wheels of commerce would cease to
revolve; the fires on the forge and In the
furnace would go out, while an ominous
silence would settle down on factory and
shop. The busy hum of industry would
relapse into a silence as portentous as the
grave. The gaunt spectre of hunger would
haunt tbe door of the mansion and the palace as well as of the hovel and the hut.
The farmer has ever been
THB PIONEER OF CIVILIZATION.
Upon the settlers of a country are incumbent the privations incident to pioneer
life. We too lightly esteem the service
rendered and the sacrifice made by the
brave men and women, who endun d the
privation and lonliness, who patiently
met the hardships and performed the burden of toll incumbent upon the pioneers
of our country. Here in their seclusion
and danger the physical life was over-burdened; the social and mental life were
trammeled, but with heroic courage the
task of subduing the wilderness was carried forward. No floating banners waved
above them as ensigns of the cause ln
which they fought. No martial music Inspired them to deeds of noble daring or
patient endurance.
"No glittering bayonets, nor flashing swords,
Nor cannon's peal nor clash of arms,**
told where their conflict raged. Out on
the early sunl'ght lUshed the woodman's
axe. Its resounding strokes and the crash
of falling timber pointed ont the battlefield. In answer to the notes of victory
from the forest there was borne on the
fresh morning breeze, and wafted on the
evening zephyrs, from the log cabin, not
the melody ot sweet song, nor the piano's
thrilling note, but the music of the wheel
and loom blending in sweet concord and
harmony into labor's song that proclaimed
a wilderness transformed Into blooming
beauty and profuse abundance. As a rich
legacy they bequeath to us the haunts of
wild animals and savage men, transformed
into fruitful fields and happy houses.
Their heroism, their endurance, their
labors achieved for us results as worthy of
praise as the victories gained on the fields
of mortal combat.
I would pluck no laurel from the brow
of the soldier, nor would I lightly esteem
their priceless service. God bless the patriot soldiers, who have ever been leady
in the country's peril to throw themselves
Into the breach and do and die for her. I
have seen them ln the fierceness of the
battle storm
"Kail like autumn leave.
Or grass before tb. sickle keen "
No man with a love and friendship
forged In the furnace of battle can ever
forget the soldiers, tied bless the living
comrade to day. May Ills richest bene
dictions rest upon the widows and orphans of our fallen patriots. The historian
has recorded their deeds of valor; the poet
sings their praise.
In gratitude my heart also turns to the
field of conflict endured by the pioneer
farmers. I see strong men and noble women going into this life of lonliness and
deprivation. I see them patiently enduring the privations, faithfully performing
the duties, bravely confronting the dangers and the toil, with which they are surrounded. I see beautiful forms, the pictures of health and hopefulness, subjected
to exposure, sullering from malaria,
racked with fever and ague, until their
wasted forms are laid to rest.
Tens of thousands of log cabins and sod
houses have wltneesed these scenes. It
was In these humble houses where were
endured the toll and agony that gave birth
and life to this glorious prosperity which
we now enjoy.
I search for enduring monuments to
the memory of thee, and my search Is not
tn vain. I look over their battle fields and
I see
"In fruitful farms, and happy homes.
In turret spi.es and city domes,
In churches, Bchools and college halls.
In flaming forge and flying wheels"
monuments erected, which shall endure
as long as the raoe for which they fought.
I have reviewed past experience in
farming, that we may better appreciate
our great attainments, and by the searchlight of the lamp of experience, we may
be more safely guided in future responsibility.
PRESENT ATTAINMENTS IN FARMING.
As we look upon our marvelous growth,
our brilliant achievements, we are filled
with wonder and admiration. Although
the pioneer work Is not yet done, hundreds of millions of acres of land not yet
ln cultivation, yet we are far in advance of
all other ooun tries in agricultural greatness.
We produce four-fifths of all the oorn or
maize grown in the world and 80 per oent
of all the cotton. Our wheat crop Is double
that of any other country, averaging more
than 500,000,000 bnshels annually. Oats
about 700,000,000 bushels. The value of
the hay crop averages near 1600,000,000.
We will send to market this year from
our farms 50,000,000 head of hegs, 15,000,000
head of sheep. We have over 50,000,000
head of cattle, lti.OOO.OOO head of horses and
4ivkhi,000 heal of sheep on our farms.
For the year ending June 30th, 1892, our
foreign trade aggregated $ 1,857,679,603. Of
this great sum $1,1130,278,030 represented
our exports. Near 80 par cent or 1793,717,-
676 were agricultural products.
This showing is of great significance and
should exalt our farming interests before
the people and magnify before our legislative bodies the prime source of the nation's
wealth and independence.
I ITIRE OF AGRICULTURE.
It is possible for us to produce the fiber
for all our cordage and fabrics. Experimentation has fully demonstrated the possibility and indicated the feasibility of
producing our own sugar. This would
diversify farming by building up a new
agricultural industry, which would in the
I near future, pay to American farmers and
American lab irthef 100,000,000 that g_.es to
foreign countries for sugar.
Kind, McNally A ('<>., in their atlas, p.
316, claim that In I860 there were in the
United States 500,000,000 acres of land
suited to agriculture not yet surveyed or
oovered by private title of any kind.
This is an area more than twice as large
as the total amount planted or sown to
grain in the United States this year.
When we contemplate our diversified soil,
seasons and climate, the vast area not yet
In cultivation and the ability of intelligent
tillage to largely augment the yield of the
acreage cultivated, we see indicated the
possibility of agricultural greatness far
excelling present attainments. These possibilities can never be attained until the
mind revolutionizes the methods that now
Impoverish and then abandon the exhausted soil. The East has her worn out
and abanboned farms; the South a vast
acreage no longer yielding profitable crops,
and the fertile West is fast traveling In
the same ruinous course.
Here Is a condition that calls for better
system; that demands Intelligent study to
avert imminent danger.
A    HIGHER   STANDARD    OF   INTELLIGENCE
DEMANDED.
"New conditions teach new duties.
Time makes ancient good uncouth."
With the departure of primitive conditions which required the exercise of physical power, came new environments, involving complicated scientific and economic problems calling into action mental
power in their solution. Competition and
small profits require keenness of perception in farm management.
Adam Smith commends the wisdom of
the country that markets its surplus ready
for consumption.
The farmer who manufactures the crops
of his farm Into the finished products of
the dairy, or Into beef, mutton, wool,
poultry, pork, etc, Instead of hauling
them to market, Is pursuing the methods
dictated by the highest intelligence and is
thereby enlarging the sphere of mental
activity and multiplying the opportunities
for greater success on the farm both in
cash for the bank and fertility for the soil.
Physical endurance or physical power will
not be the test by which the success of the
future farmer is to be measured. Brawn
and muscle are no longer the dominant
factors of success on the farm. Intelligence and dilligence will measure the reward.
FARMING IS A SCIENCE.
The farmer must have some knowledge
of the laws governing animal and vegetable life. He must know something ot
the elements of plant food in the soil; how
to utilize, to oonservo and to restore these
elements to the soil. Ho must study the
science of breeding and feeding stock.
The quality of the animal decides the
profits.
Farming is also an art. Here he can apply the scientific principles and note the
results. It is also a profession, calling
into activity his mental powers and affording opportunity to freely exercise and enforce bis conclusions.
The farmer must be an economist for he
has to meet and determine economic questions at every stage of his business. He
must study markets, the law of supply
and demand, for this is the controlling
factor in trade.
He should be sufficiently conversant
with the laws of transportation, commerce
and finance to safely guide him in all his
business transactions and in the exercise
of all his high rights and privileges as a
citizen. When all our fanners attain this
high standard the professional demagogue
will have been divested of much of his
power, and our farmers will be on the road
to better success
When on our broad prairies the extensive shall give place to the intensive sys-
COHtiMMasd M MM IS.