48 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



were. Some of these State farms should be abandoned; others 

 should be enlarged and made more productive. In. order to 

 accomplish this to the best advantage, these farms should be 

 gone over carefully by some one who knows or by a small group 

 of persons, and they should then be rated and a general plan 

 for their future adopted. 



As a first step in the general development, the Department 

 of Mental Diseases has already started a system of oversight, 

 which, no doubt, has many points of merit, particularly in the 

 buying and disposition of supplies and crops. This should, 

 however, be carried still further and all the State farms be 

 brought under the Department of Agriculture on a similar basis 

 to that adopted in New York State. 



Looking Ahead. 



Agriculture will undoubtedly meet its obligations in peace as 

 it did in war. The wastage of material brought about during 

 the war is made daily evident in the price of food. Increased 

 production alone will remedy this condition. We fought and 

 sacrificed as a nation. We now face this reconstruction period, 

 each carrying his share of the burden as before. The true test 

 of our patriotism is now being made. Not only agricultural 

 production but industrial production must be increased. Our 

 farmers no longer have the tangible crying appeal that they had 

 during those trying days to spur them on to greater effort. 

 Our appeal must rely upon the prospect of a profitable enter- 

 prise to call forth an adequate response. 



Two factors will inevitably operate against this program, — 

 cost of material and cost of labor. With regard to the former, 

 it must not be forgotten that the farmer is a buyer as well as a 

 seller, and the cost of cattle feed, farm machinery and other 

 farm necessities determine in considerable measure the extent 

 of his operations. The supply of adequate farm labor is vital 

 in quantity production of farm products. The abnormal high 

 wages in other industries are reducing materially the available 

 labor supply for the farms. The expected surplus on the labor 

 market, predicted on return of our demobilized army, has not 

 occurred. Every indication points to retrenchment and not to 

 an increase in acreage to be planted during the next year; 



