Agricultural, Situation. 9 d 



an acre of land is just as large in Rhode Island as in Texas. As 

 a matter of fact, the value of produce per acre is greater in the 

 Eastern States than in the Western States, even with all their new- 

 fertility. In New York we are so accustomed to thinking of pub- 

 lic affairs in terms of commerce, transportation, merchandizing, 

 stocks and bonds that we have overlooked the value of land, and 

 have ceased to have faith in it. Wherever there is a thrifty agri- 

 cultural population there is also faith in the value of land, nol 

 only on the part of farmers but on the part of bankers, store- 

 keepers, and all other classes of the population. In the great agri- 

 cultural West, the large yields and the successful farms are always 

 emphasized and placed before the public. In New York State 

 the tendency is too often just the reverse. 



(2) At the same time we need to develop pride in our oppor- 

 tunities, our heritage, and our resources. The natural resources 

 of the Empire State, in an agricultural way, are as great as those 

 of other similar areas. One difficulty is that wo have not been 

 developing them nor even utilizing them properly. We have been 

 trying to cultivate remote and infertile hills, when these hills ought 

 to be in productive forests. A movement should immediately be 

 set on foot in New York State to enable towns and counties to 

 secure the remote hill lands and to put them into forests, not only 

 as a means of developing the country in general, but of providing 

 revenue for municipalities, towns and counties in years to come. 



(3) We need to develop a regular campaign of publicity in 

 respect to the agricultural possibilities of New York State, We 

 must cease to dwell on the discouraging features, and we must 

 put before the people the good side of New York farming. I have 

 a concrete suggestion to make, as follows: I suggest that every 

 agricultural society in New York State for the next twelve months 

 discuss at every meeting the agricultural successes in the State. 

 If the attention of all our people were focused for one year on 

 our agricultural possibilities, on the discussion of suca ssful farm-, 

 and good practices, it would result in such an encouragement to 

 the situation as would revolutionize the popular outlook. I sug- 

 gest that every grange in the State, every farmers' club, every 

 horticultural society, every poultry association, every live-stock 

 organization, every florist club, and every other kind of organiza- 



