TOPICS OF THE TIME. 



105 



as a matter of fact it has injured the farm- 

 er, and the manufacturer as well. Here 

 are some official figures: During the first 

 nine months of the Wilson law in 1895, 

 the imports of agricultural products, includ- 

 ing live stock, breadstuffs, eggs, flax, feath- 

 ers, fruits, hay, hides, hops, provisions, 

 rice, seeds, tobacco, vegetables and wool 

 amounted to $85,256,219 against an im- 

 portation of the same products of $55,- 

 840,848 during a like period of the last 

 year of the McKinley tariff, showing a 

 direct loss to American farmers of 

 $29,415,371. On the other hand, the ex- 

 ports of the chief agricultural products 

 showed a decline of $23,787,180. 



Irrigation A.t the close of a calendar 

 and year the agricultural, com- 

 Mining. mercial and industrial prog- 

 ress of a section can be figured up. The 

 live and aggressive press of Western 

 America has done its figuring for 1895, 

 and the results are astonishing. Irriga- 

 tion has done wonders, these wonders 

 have attracted attention to the West 

 generally and to the hidden wealth of the 

 earth in particular. Investors have been 

 attracted to the mining properties, and 

 they are to be worked during 1896 as never 

 before. There will be armies of immigrants 

 in the spring, and the development of the 

 mining and agricultural resources will go 

 forward with a rush. Now is the time for 

 the various States and Territories to let 

 this country and Eiirope know fully the 

 merits of their agricultural lands. The 

 Northwest Immigration convention at St. 

 Paul, and the Washington and South 

 Dakota State Immigration convention were 

 most timely, and cannot fail of good re- 

 sults. Each State and Territory, however, 

 should have an immigration bureau East, 

 with branches at the seaports and also in 

 the great central cities. 



I'rosperity The first, last and best indi- 

 and cation of a country's pros- 



Advance. perity and advancement is 

 the appearance of its newspapers. On 

 Christmas and on New Year's Day all the 

 Western and Pacific coast papers issued 

 specially prepared numbers, which were 

 models of excellence and beauty; but it is 

 the common every- day issues that are 

 alluded to here. They are full of local news, 

 have copious telegraph dispatches from all 



quarters in this country and abroad, are 

 ably edited and, in typographical appear- 

 ance, are the peers of the press anywhere 

 in Christendom. Western America also 

 has its own magazines, illustrated to per- 

 fection. There is no longer any "rowdyism" 

 in Western literature. Rare good taste is 

 displayed by the editorial management, 

 and the manners of this literature are the 

 most metropolitan. 



The immense corn crop 

 Bitter and the consequent, low 



Experience, value, and the hog cholera 

 with its great losses, will doubtless force 

 upon the minds of central Western farmers 

 the urgent necessity of diversifying their 

 operations. One or two specialties cannot 

 be depended upon. With, at least, a small 

 patch of orchard and garden irrigated (to 

 be dead sure on), and a diversification of 

 operations generally, giving some atten- 

 tion to dairy and poultry, no farmer can 

 be wholly stranded, as thousands have 

 been the past season. Many men who 

 have heretofore paid their whole attention 

 to stock raising will do something in agri- 

 culture on the side during the coming 

 season. If the affairs of the State granges 

 were systematized and reports required 

 from each member, it would seem within the 

 range of possibilities for each farmer to be 

 notified before planting time of the total 

 average contemplated for at least corn and 

 wheat. The extension of the corn belt and 

 the advent of cotton seed must be taken 

 into all calculations. It seems likely that 

 Mr. P. D. Armour will rake in millions of 

 dollars through the mistakes and disasters 

 of 1895. 



Investigating Notwithstanding the re- 

 the cent " iron-clad" ruling by 



Department. fa e Department of Agri- 

 culture that packers could no longer use 

 any name for their oleomargarine that is 

 "suggestive of the dairy," it is alleged 

 that a permit has been obtained from 

 the department by the Kansas City Ar- 

 mours which will allow them to continue 

 to stamp and label their bogus stuff 

 "Silver Churn.' The dairy interests are 

 asking' what such conduct on the part 

 of Secretary Morton means, and urge 

 that, with this permit the recent ruling 

 cannot be consistently enforced against 

 other packers who stamp a milch cow or a 

 churn on their bull butter. 



