No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 619 



The next day I was at the Plymouth market, 16 miles away, and 

 one of the other gentlemen readily recognized me, and bowed very 

 courteously. Of course they all knew we were Americans, and every- 

 where they have a very kind feeling for us. Later on during the 

 afternoon of that day, my son called my attention to some American 

 officers on the leading thoroughfare of Plymouth. I at once rushed 

 toward them and started a conversation, both parties being glad 

 to meet some one from their own country. They were from the 

 United States training ship Alliance, which was then anchored in 

 the harbor. 



The farmer of that country seems to be on top. The markets are 

 of the best and I can best illustrate their condition in this w r ay: I 

 onl}' met one person in that country who was related to me on my 

 father's side, and that man was a second cousin, a man of 40 years, 

 whom I had never seen before. He was born and always lived on 

 the farm he now farms, about 10 miles from the city of Plymouth, 

 and when we called on him on a Saturday afternoon, I found him. 

 wife and five children, living cozy and well dressed, and when I asked 

 him how he was getting along, he said, "First rate, cousin. You can 

 see how we look." This man never knew of me and I met with him 

 unexpectedly. Need i say it was but a short time till there was a 

 good old English lunch on the table. 



The wagon roads of that country are in the finest condition. Even 

 the most unfrequented road or lane that I saw was so well macad- 

 amized that no wagon tire can penetrate at any season of the year. 

 The railroads are all secured and fenced in, and all traffic is taken 

 under or over the track. No person is allowed to cross it. I trav- 

 eled 287 miles over the London and Great Western and never saw 

 a solitary grade crossing. No matter how insignificant a way-sta- 

 tion, all passengers cross the tracks overhead. Railroads are numer 

 ous and with their good wagon roads make it convenient for the 

 farmer. 



I have told you of the good side of the farmer abroad. There is 

 one unfortunate thing for them which is, that their fields are too 

 small. The hedges, I presume, were built more than a thousand 

 years ago. They are at least six feet thick at the base and six feer 

 high, and would require a wonderful amount of work to eliminate 

 them. Those hedges destroy a great deal of good land and should 

 not be more than one field where there are four. In the natural 

 condition of things, farming is a very small affair in that country 

 in comparison to what it is here. We have a stretch of country 

 3,500 miles from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the lakes to 

 the gulf. The Mississippi Valley, which stretches from the Alle- 

 ghenies to the Rocky mountains, and from the Canadian line to the 

 Gulf, is the finest stretch of agricultural land the world can boast 

 of. In this country w r e have 5,000,000 farms. The earnings last 

 year from those farms according to the report of the Secretary of 

 Agriculture were 5,000,000,000 of dollars. When in England I could 

 always strike the ocean in 100 miles or less. I have traveled 

 through the length and breadth of England and walked through 

 the great city of London, have viewed the landscapes of Scotland 

 and traversed the streets of Glasgow, the cliffs of old Ireland and 

 the once besieged city of Londonderry, have seen the hills of France 

 and the cities of Xapoleon, yet nothing did I see that I would ex- 



