PROTECTION FOR AGRICULTURE 113 



tensive industries based on the use of these 

 oils. American peanut growers met a new com- 

 petition from the Orient, where this crop is 

 produced with very cheap labor, and even the 

 producers of dairy products felt the influence 

 of this new import movement of a product not 

 heretofore found in our markets. 



The dairy industry is growing rapidly in 

 several parts of the world, to an extent that may 

 develop serious competition for American dairy- 

 men if they are not adequately protected. It 

 is becoming more generally known that milk 

 is one of our most essential foods to maintain 

 the health and virility of our people. We need 

 not emphasize the great importance of the dairy 

 industry. Not only is the dairy cow a very 

 efficient food-producing machine but she is al- 

 most a necessity to a permanent system of 

 farming because of her value in maintaining 

 fertility and in converting rough stock feeds 

 into the best of human foods. The costs of pro- 

 ducing dairy products have been steadily in- 

 creasing, not the least of which is the increase 

 in the cost of labor in handling the dairy herd 

 and its products. 



This review touches only a few of our more 

 important agricultural products, but its im- 



