He goes on to give another case where land was bought in the 

 same country for $2.50 an acre, $7.50 an acre was expended in drain- 

 ing the land, and it sold at $50 an acre. 



"I regret that 1 cannot agree with Secretary Pearson entirely in 

 his rather rosy view of agricultural conditions in New York State. 

 I was looking over the statistics for the twenty-year period from 

 1880 to 1900, the figures for 1900 being the last available. 



"Farm acreage in 1880 was 23,780,00x5; in 1900, 22,648,000; a 

 decrease of nearly five per cent. 



"Acres of improved farm land decreased more than twelve per 

 cent. ; acres of unimproved farm land increased more than sixteen 

 per cent. practically abandoned farm land. 



"Values, including buildings, decreased more than 19 per cent. 



"The average value per acre decreased 11.7 per cent. 



"I was looking over some data of farming lands which were not 

 included in the pamphlet the Department issues. 



"In Madison County a farm of 142 acres (this is amazing to 

 a man from Iowa, like Secretary Wilson, General Clarkson, and my- 

 self) is offered for $2,200, or about $15.50 per acre. This farm 

 is three miles from the Village of Morrisville, has 122 acres of tillable 

 land, 22 acres of wood land, and is equipped with good buildings. 



"Another farm in this vicinity of 188 acres is offered for $4,000, 

 or about $21 per acre. This farm has a seven-room house, barn 

 with stanchions for thirty cattle, silo granary, ice-house, hog-house, 

 horse barn, wagon shed and other buildings. The owner offers to 

 include at this price all his farming tools and impliments. The build- 

 ings and machinery on his place could not be duplicated for $4,000, 

 so the land is thrown in with the buildings. 



"A farm of 200 acres near Ithaca, almost under the shadow 

 of the Agricultural College of New York, two miles from the rail- 

 road, is offered for sale for $4,500, or $22.50 per acre. This farm 

 has 153 acres of tillable land, 17 acres of wood, and thirty acres of 

 spring-water pasture. The buildings consist of a ten-room house, 

 barn with stanchions for twenty cows, silo, wood-house and other 

 buildings. 



"It seems to me, as citizens of New York it is the part of wisdom 

 to look the situation squarely in the face. 



"The government of Canada has just issued a statement that 

 during the past year 163,798 persons emigrated from the United 

 States to Canada. This is over one-half the total immigration into 

 that country, and is double the number of persons that left the United 



23 





