58 The Tariff and the Farmer. 



puting the position explain why, with nearly four times 

 the farms of fifty years ago (indicating an equal increase 

 in number of farmers), the value of agricultural products, 

 according to Mr. Xorth, in the same article above referred 

 to, has been increased less than two-fold. By the same 

 census authority a four and a half fold increase of wage- 

 earners in the same time in manufacture produced about 

 a twelve-fold greater value. There has been a large 

 artificial advance in the price of manufactured goods, but 

 not to such an extent as this. If there has been such a 

 great general increase in efficiency of labor on the farms 

 as agricultural writers and as state boards of agricul- 

 ture would have us believe, let them solve the riddle why 

 the total value of such products is now so small. To help 

 them we throw in two more items. The number of 

 acres of land per farm in 1850 was 202.6 ; in 1900, 146.2. 

 The other item is, in 1900 the total value of all farm 

 property was five-fold greater than in 1850. Xow why, 

 with nearly four times the number of persons engaged, 

 and five times the value of capital invested, was the value 

 of products less than two-fold what it was in the former 

 time // there has been a great increase in efflcienci/ 

 throughout the industry? 



If in one industry, because of improved methods and 

 the greater use of machinery, one man can turn out a 

 13roduct several times greater than formerly, while in 

 another industrial conditions are such that science has 

 made far less progress, it certainly would be unreason- 

 able to expect that as the prices of the first fall, those of 

 the other should fall in equal measure. 



In closing the chapter careful consideration is called 

 to the significance of large agricultural exports at a time 

 when ''articles manufactured, ready for consumption," 



