28 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



fruits from the tropics, sugar from the West Indies, tea, toys 

 and "gimcracks" from China, silks from Franco and Japan, 

 hides from South America, iron from England, Norway and 

 Russia ; and in fact a thousand other articles which we can 

 and should produce if we use them. To such an extent has 

 this mania to covet, buy and consume foreign articles been 

 carried, that in a majority of years the balance of trade has 

 been against us ; and but for our production of gold and sil- 

 ver, Ave should have been compelled, for aught I know, 

 to go into an assignment, and have our national estate set- 

 tled in a bankrupt court. Bad as the case now is, it would 

 be immeasurably worse but for our farm-products. In this 

 emergency it is not the manufacturer, the miner or the 

 fisherman, but the farmer Avho supplies the exportable com- 

 modities to liquidate the foreign claim. For eight months 

 ending the first of March, 1872, we imported commodities of 

 foreign production to the value of $391,670,674, and if the 

 trade continues at that rate for the remainder of the year it 

 will amount to $587,506,011. For eight months ending at 

 the same time, we exported domestic products to the value of 

 $352,123,115. If the exportation continued in the same pro- 

 portion to the end of the fiscal year, it would aggregate 

 $529,184,672, — an enormous sum; but Ave should still have 

 a foreign indebtedness of $59,321,339. But let us analyze 

 this domestic exportation, AA'hich paid $528,184,672 of our 

 debt, and see Avho contributed it, — by Avhose labor it Avas pro- 

 duced. The custom-house returns for the period named, show 

 that our mining and fishing interests, our manufactures of 

 cottons, Avoollens, boots and shoes, of iron and steel of every 

 description, clothing, of silver and gold, gold and silver coin, 

 — manufactures of every kind and grade in the country all 

 combined, — furnished for exportation Avitli Avhich to pay the 

 foreign debt, products to the value of $134,625,087. And 

 the farmers furnished corn, Avheat, flour, cotton, beef, pork, 

 lard, live-stock, fruits, butter, cheese, and other products of 

 the soil, to the aggregate value of $393,559,585. Thus it 

 appears that so far as our trade, exchanges and indebtedness 

 to foreign nations are concerned, so far as our ability to pay, 

 our solvency and credit are concerned, the farmers contribute 

 more to discharge the one and uphold the other than all other 



