No. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 793 



annually about $200,000,000 of products, and have bought from her 

 only $100,000,000. With a reasonable and just modification of our 

 tariff rates, which can be made without detriment or loss to our own 

 people, our trade with Germany and other Continental nations could 

 be very 7 largely increased. 



Because of decreased supply, beef and pork in Germany are sell- 

 ing at fabulous prices, while in the United States there is a surplus 

 seeking market at very low prices. Speaking of this situation, Hon. 

 \V. A. Harris, former Senator from Kansas, said "Never was the 

 time so opportune for effecting a commercial treaty with our Ger- 

 man friends as the present. The situation in the empire is most 

 critical, the country being involved in a meat famine, the propor- 

 tions of which have astounded the whole world. Records show that 

 in one year 12,000 horses were slaughtered in Berlin alone for food, 

 and 79,000 were consumed in Prussia for the same year. These 

 horses were not young animals, but old harness ridden beasts, in 

 practically all cases discarded tramway horses." With trade restric- 

 tions, it seems the acme of folly to refuse to make a reasonable con- 

 cession and so lose what trade we have. Senator Cullom, chairman 

 of the Committee on Foreign Relations, in the House of Representa- 

 tives, has publicly advocated the modification of our tariff rates so 

 as to provide for a maximum and minimum tariff. He gives coun- 

 sel which should be heeded by our Congress in considering this grave 

 crisis. He says, "We must not go about this matter in the spirit 

 of retaliation. Germany and other countries have the right to ad- 

 just their tariff systems to suit their own individual interests. We 

 never have hesitated to exercise that right for ourselves. The tariff 

 is necessarially a selfish affair. We should fix our duties in such a 

 wa} r as to further our own interests both at home and abroad. We 

 want to build up American industries in America, but we cannot do 

 that successfully unless we also build up American trade abroad. 

 There is not the slightest prospect of the adoption of any arbitrary 

 system of reciprocity or the successful negotiation and ratification 

 of any general reciprocity treaties at the present time. If we are 

 not in a position to give Germany or other countries some conces- 

 sions in return for concessions we demand from them, we shall get the 

 worst of the bargain. Germany can force us to pay maximum rates 

 on goods we send into that country, but Germany will continue to 

 pay our regular rates all the time. We have no weapon to com- 

 pel her to give us the minimum rate." 



The Pioneer Breed. 



The topic, "Profitable Cattle," assigned me by your program gives 

 field for wide discussion. The necessity of crop rotation to conserve 

 the fertility of the soil was learned long ago'by those who were wise 

 enough to learn from experience, and that necessity has been strong- 

 ly emphasized by our agricultural colleges. Coupled with crop rota- 

 tion, is an agricultural axiom that has not been sufficiently under- 

 stood by some grain growing sections of our country, viz., no system 

 of agriculture can be permanently successful unless it is founded 

 on the production of live stock. And while there are several breeds 

 of both dairy and beef cattle that can justly lay claim to being profit- 

 able cattle, I shall, in this discussion, consider only the beef cattle. 



The pioneer breed of beef cattle, and the one most widely dis- 

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