Defenseless Trade Position of Agriculture. 93 



to 4,000,000 of people, who have connected themselves 

 with the industry since 1860, have been built and filled 

 with machinery. Iron ore enough to provide steel rails 

 for more than 170,000 miles of new track has been welded 

 into shape, and with the immense number of cars and 

 locomotives required, is now a part of our huge trans- 

 portation system. The enumeration of services required 

 and rendered for the welfare of the 45,000,000 people who 

 have come on the stage since 1860, is far from complete. 

 Meanwhile, the work of caring for the wants of the 31,- 

 000,000 who made up the population in 1860 must not be 

 left out. If all the magnificent opportunities of the man- 

 ufacturing field could be spread out before the eye, the 

 great world would be astonished at the sight ; and if the 

 sum total paid for performance could be written out, that 

 paid to a far greater number of workers in the agricul- 

 tural field would be found quite insignificant. Between 

 the price received where there is a large surplus of prod- 

 ucts and that obtained where supply is not equal to 

 demand, the margin is wide. 



In agriculture cost of products cannot be ascertained. 

 In rare cases, no doubt, a close approximation can be 

 made, but it is safe to assert that the exact cost of no 

 product of the field can be ascertained. In many cases, 

 close calculation, joined to long-continued observation, 

 note-book in hand, would give basis for a good guess. 

 But the problem is such a difficult one that even the most 

 intelligent farmers long ago gave up all attempt to deter- 

 mine cost. A volume could be written showing why the 

 cost of the various agricultural products cannot be ascer- 

 tained. In few words, we shall go straight to the heart 

 of the chief difficulty. 



Here the cost of products is only to a small extent in 



