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sugar whom we do not feed. These several points Mr. 

 Russell considered at some length. While in the thirty- 

 nine years ending in 1889, the popidation has increased 175 

 per cent.; farms have increased 260 per cent; cattle, 185 

 per cent. ; swine, 66 per cent.; cotton, 201 per cent.; corn, 

 257 per cent. ; wheat, 389 per cent, and oats, 411 per cent. 

 In addition to this the production of cereals has enormous- 

 ly increased in Russia, India, Canada, and South America, 

 where the soil is richest and the wages of laborers lowest. 

 The black lands of Russia alone could feed the entire world 

 if sufficient transportation were provided. We cannot 

 compete in other markets except at the cost of American 

 labor. In 1889 we imported more than 300,000,000 in 

 agricultural products, but that of course displaced so much 

 of American. 



The other great cause of agricultural depression is the 

 employment of foreigners to do our manufacturing, whom 

 we do not feed. We imported last year more than -tOOO,- 

 000,000 worth of goods that we might better have produced 

 ourselves. This means that we employed more than 

 2,000,000 people that we did not feed. It would be safe to 

 say that if we produced all the goods that we now import, 

 our present production of meat and cereals would not feed 

 our population. 



The 77th Institute was held at the Town Hall, Bradford, 

 Friday, February 27. The driving snow storm in the morn- 

 ing made it look very doubtful about there being many in 

 attendance, and as it was " Woman's " day (for President 

 Ware said that " woman " signified far more than lady), 

 and as one subject was " The all around woman " perhaps 

 he was right. But before noon the sun burst forth and 

 there was a goodly number present. 



Mrs. Martha De M. Gage opened the meeting by reading 

 an essay, and the subject she selected " A Plea for tlie 

 Forests " indicated that she had given the subject careful 

 consideration. She spoke first of the trees and groves in 

 history, romance and poetry, commencing with the famous 



