No. 123.] REPORT OF COMMISSIONER. 21 



This land is of several general types, — cut or burned over 

 uplands; wet lands divided into swamps, river meadows and 

 salt marshes; forest lands; rocky and hilly pasture lands; and 

 lands needing water. The largest tracts of these lands have 

 been located and a report of their condition forwarded to 

 Washington. It is also the plan of the commission to present 

 to the Legislature a bill covering the acquirement of some of 

 this land and its possible settlement, and the co-operation of 

 the national government is hoped for. There is undoubtedly 

 going to be enough pressure brought on Congress this winter to 

 force something of this sort through, and New England should 

 see that her interests are protected. 



A New England committee has also been formed and is co- 

 operating with the Massachusetts commission. 



In order to take care, in a permanent way, of the survey, 

 reclamation and settlement of our waste lands, I recommend 

 the creation of a division of reclamation, colonization and soil 

 survey, under the Department of Agriculture. 



The Producer and Consumer. 



We often hear the expression, is it in the interests of the 

 producer or the consumer; or the producer's side as against the 

 consumer's is discussed. 



There will always be a direct conflict between these two 

 great interests, for of course one is trying to get what he pur- 

 chases as cheap as possible, while the other looks to get all he 

 can out of what he sells. We must remember this fact, how- 

 ever. We are all consumers. A good many of us are producers, 

 not always necessarily of actual products, but some with 

 products and some with labor. So far as the first point is con- 

 cerned we are all alike. As to the second point, the producer 

 should take a very lively interest in the consumer, because it 

 is from him that he must expect the return for that which he 

 produces. One of the last things the producer can afford to do 

 is to antagonize the consumer, and particularly does this apply 

 to the farmer here in New England, for the consumer of New 

 England has considerable choice in the purchase of his agri- 

 cultural products, and it would not be difficult for him to buy 

 products from distant points just as easily as those grown here. 



