to me appear to prove that we are upon the eve of what I believe 

 will prove the golden age of our agriculture. 



First: The population of the country is very rapidly increas- 

 ing ; from 1860 to 1870 it increased 23 per cent ; and from 1870 

 to 1880, 30 per cent; so that, if the same increase is continued, 

 as there appears no reason to doubt, the present census will show 

 a population of 65,200,000; but the increase of those living in cities 

 has been more rapid. There were in 1880 nearly 13 times as many 

 people in the United States as in 1790, but over 86 times as many 

 living in cities in 1880 as in 1790. The increase of population was 

 from 1860 to '70, 23 per cent.; of those living in cities 59 percent.; 

 the increase of population from 1870 to 1880 was 30 per cent.; but of 

 those living in cities 40 per cent., from 1860 to 1880 the increase 

 in population was 60 per cent., but of those living in cities, 123 

 per cent. Nearly one-fourth of all our people live in cities and 

 since then the number has vastly increased, and 1 think relatively 

 so. We see then that agriculturally the consumers are increasing 

 far more rapidly than the producers. 



Second: The number of farms in the United States has nearly 

 doubled (96 per cent, increase) from 1860 to 1880 ; while the aver- 

 age acreage in the farms has diminished during this same period 

 33 per cent. ; both facts of very great significance, as evidence that 

 the area of arable land was diminishing relative to the increase in 

 the number of those who desire to engage in agriculture. 



Third : While the area in farms increased from 1860 to 1880, 

 82 per cent., the improved land in farms increased 75 cent. ; show- 

 ing that increase of tillable lands was mainly secured by improving 

 lands already occupied., 



Fourth : While the improvements of lands has gone on rapidly 

 the farms have been growing steadily smaller, the improved lands 

 in farms having fallen off from 1860 to 'SO, 11 percent., while 

 the unimproved land on farms diminished 47 per cent. 



Fifth : And to this 1 call your particular attention in connect- 

 ion with this so-called over-production. The Statistician of the 

 Department of Agriculture in a recent report after an extended 

 investigation of the subject of Agriculture Exports, says: "It 

 appears that the proportion of all agricultural products exported 

 is about 10 .per cent,, or, exclusive of cotton and tobacco, 5 per 

 cent" 



