1890.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 4. 191 



the decline, even in grain, has not been great. Using only 

 round numbers, the hundreds of thousands of bushels, the 

 decline has been from 41 (hundred thousand bushels) in 

 1840 and 29 in 1845, to 28 in 1880 and 31 in 1885. On 

 the other hand, there has been an enormous increase in many 

 productions. For example, eggs, from less than $26,000 in 

 1845 to over one and one-half millions in 1885, — an increase 

 of sixty-two fold. Hay has doubled in value ; milk has 

 increased from less than $305,000 in 1845 to ten and one- 

 third millions in 1885. 



I cite these fi<>:ures more to show the chanofes in our aorri- 

 culture than to show that there is not a relative decline ; 

 because I wish to impress the fact of the actual change going 

 on in our New England firming, and also the fact that, even 

 rapid and great as it has been, it has not been fast enough 

 to keep up with the changing conditions. 



Farming is certainly changing here, but the change in New 

 England is not so great as it is in Old England, nor is it, 

 after all, attended with so much distress. 



In the re-adjustment of values that is going on, many indi- 

 vidual formers have suffered because of the decreased value 

 of their capital ; but such decrease may take place in any 

 business. With some kinds of business the industry would 

 be destroyed; farming cannot be destroyed, it only suffers. 

 It can change, but just now it cannot change as fast as the 

 external conditions are changing. That is why so many 

 suffer. It is changing in obedience to laws as imperious as 

 the law of gravitation, but just now the pressure is greater 

 than ever before. Greater changes have been demanded of 

 it in the last forty years than in the whole preceding four 

 thousand years, and more in the last twenty years than any 

 two centuries ever asked of it before. This most conserva- 

 tive of industries has not been able to change as rapidly as 

 the business of the world has asked it. Hence the distress ; 

 and here is the real explanation of what seems a most anom- 

 alous fact. 



Civilization is going on, the population of Christendom is 

 actually increasing ; people must eat, there is no loss of 

 market as a whole ; and yet this industry which supplies the 

 food for the increasing population and developing civiliza- 



