INTERNATIONAL CONSOLIDATION 

 OF AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS 

 AND THE AMERICAN FARMER. 



By Eugene Matrosow, D. C. L. 



While the terrible agricultural depression of 1893- 1897 is 

 fresh as yet in the memory of the American people, opinions 

 widely differ as to the present state of American agriculture. 

 Though, by some people, the general agricultural condition of 

 the United States is considered as not only satisfactory but 

 even indicative of increased prosperity, there are many con- 

 servative and well-informed persons concurring in the opinion 

 that American agriculture is still in the state of depression, 

 although, of course, not in such a terrible degree as it was 

 several years ago. 



It is very remarkable indeed that in all these discussions of 

 the general condition of farming throughout the United States 

 an accurate analysis of the farmer's income was not under- 

 taken. Meanwhile, in order to grasp the true condition of the 

 American farmer of to-day, his income must be properly 

 analyzed. We must go to the bottom and present the facts 

 in their true significance. 



Reports of Twelfth Census of the United States, published 

 last year, contain no information as to the number of persons 

 to a farm. Thus, we have to find out this number for our- 

 selves. According to the Reports on Population, rural popu- 

 lation of the United States in 1900 was 39,528,398 (vol. T, p. 

 LXXXIX). The number of farms reported by the division of 

 agriculture, 5,739,657 (vol. V, p. LXIX), is 0.7 per cent, greater 

 than the number of farm families reported by the division of 

 population. 5.700,341 (vol. II, p. CLXXXV1TT). This varia- 

 tion is explained in the reports as being unquestionably the re- 

 sult of incomplete agricultural reports, mainly among the 



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