VOL. XXV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., APRIL 26, 1890.
NO. 17
l^mtatl 3£-c_islali0u.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
In a back number of the Fabmeb you
ask the farmers to contribute their ideas
upon needed legislation. You also suggest a reduction in fees and salaries. Now
in my judgment you have hit the nail on
the head. Brother farmers, let us wake
up to our interests on this subject. We
are carrying a heavy burden upon our
shoulders that we are fully able to remove
if we will set tho machinery to work, and
now is the timo to make our wants known.
My plan of starting the movement would
be for the counties or townships in the
State that have not yet chosen delegates to
represent them in their county and joint
^Representative Conventions, to see to it
that they have the right kind of men to
represent them. Any farmer who understands his business thoroughly, and has
made farming a success, is capable of legislating for the mass of the people.
The present ditch law of the State makes
it the duty of the county auditor to sell all
allotments of a public ditch. Now there
was recently sold 252 allotments of a public
drain by the auditor of DeKalb county in
one day, he receiving $2 00 for each allotment, making a total of $504 in a single day,
besides his salary. How is that for unjust
taxation ? Shall we as farmers sit idly by
and allow it ever to be thus, or shall we
call a halt? The people in this part of the
State are awakened to their interests on this
subject, but are at a loss to know the proper course to pursue to obtain the best results. J. S. L.
Butler.
Reduce Fees and Salaries.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
The fees and salaries of Federal, State
and local officers were fixed during the
inflated prices caused by redundent currency, issued under the fiat of war. Then
the laborer received §2 per day and had
constant employment. Now he receives
about half that and is much of his time
without employment. Then the farmer's
produce commanded more than double
the price it does now. Now those receiving such salaries are the leaders of society,
the moulders of such fashions and estab-
lishers of such customs as farmers' incomes will not justify. But farmers have
fancied that by using greater exertion in
their vocation, putting more commodities
on the markets, by their own labor, and
employing less wage labor, they will make
more money and be able to level themselves up with their official neighbors.
Here a mistake was made. Over exertion
brings over production, while the laborers
(who are always consumers) do not consume near so much as they would if
profitably employed. Hence the markets
are oppressed for want of customers.
Fanners cannot obtain prices that will
compensate their over work; or that will
justify the taxation imposed upon them
and their property. Whilst wage laborers,
that deserving class, that class who, of all
others, should be full fed and well clothed,
that class whose families should be fully
prepared to reap the full benefit of free
school, for want of employment, for want
of a fair chance at life's bounties, are denied many of the good things the markets
afford, greatly to the discomfort of tnem-
selves and families. And as each farmer
is compelled to let down under such embarrassments one more is added to that
unfortunate class. Buoyant markets cannot be expected when the masses of the
people have no opportunity to acquire
means with which to patronize them.
And without affording opportunity for all
to labor, the republic is ungrateful and we
we are a miserable, if not a  sinful people.
One great and essential move toward
remedying this state of affairs will be the
reduction of official fees and salaries to
such an extent as to somewhat restrain
extravagance in that quarter, and make
the reduction of taxes possible. And then
work to turn our whole political system
into the road leading toward honesty, industry and economy, which will, if we
can follow it, guide us to a more enjoyable
state of existence.
It should be the motive in all legislation
to tako care of the masses of people. To
reduce official salaries, about 40 per cent,
would leave that much money now being
collected off tax payers, where it could be
paid to laborers for much needed services
on the farms, to the great benefit of all,
and yet leave official services well rewarded. M. B. K.
Aurora.
_>0t:0ttm gzpixxtnxmt
Letter From Mr. Leitzman.
Editors Indiana Farmer: _
In a short editorial in your last issue,
under the above caption, you announce to
your subscribers, that I will answer all
questions concerning sorgum that they
may wish to present.
Now there is evidently some misunderstanding about this matter, I am ready
and willing to contribute my mite for the
benefit of others and answer all reasonable
questions that may come within the range
and compass of my limited knowledge,
but as my knowledge is quite limited,
many questions may be asked which I
cannot answer. I am only one of the
many sorgum manufacturers in Indiana
and adjoining States, who are willing to
contribute to the ;Sorgum ^Department of
your paper many of whom are much better qualified to do so than myself and
would suggest that you extend to all such,
a general invitation to send in all items of
interest concerning our industry, and since
you have kindly offered to give us a department in your paper, let us all work
together to make it a success.
Clayton. W. F. Leitzman.
—Very well. We shall be glad to hear
from others who have experience in sorgum culture, but we have such faith in
friend Leitzman's knowledge of the subject that we think he is abundantly able
to conduct the department, to the satisfaction of all concerned.—Eds.
Varieties.
Edltora Indiana Farmer:
In answer to the question, what varieties of sorgum do you recommend, and
why? I would say, much depends upon
the climate and locality. There is no variety that does equally well in all climates
or in all localities in the same latitude, as
much depends on the constitutents of the
soil.
In sections of the country where sorgum
has been grown for a number of years, experience has generally shown what varieties are best adapted to that locality, experience has also shown that it is not always good policy to exchange that which
has done fairly well for something new
and untried. For the benefit of those living in sections where sorgum has not beon
cultivated to any great extent, I would
say it is desirable to plant those varieties
that are pretty sure to mature before frost,
and in sections where the length of the
season will permit, two or more varieties
should be planted embracing both early
and late, so as to prolong the working season, but in the more northern range
where the seasons are short, only those
varieties which mature early should be
planted. Among the early varieties the
Early Amber stands at the head and is a
general favorite both north and south. : It
will mature in 90 to 100 days from time of
coining up. The next best early cane I
would recommend is Link's Hybrid,
which ripens nearly with the Amber,
possibly a few days later.
The late varieties are numerous and
many  are unworthy  of cultivation.   Of
the varioties which seem to give the best
results the Early Orange, Liberian and
Handuras, are my favorite kinds. I would
givo them preference in the order in
which they aro named. The Orange will
mature in about 115 days; Liberian and
Handuras in about 125 days from time of
coming through the ground. I have no
seed to sell. W. F. L.
Clayton.
Written for the Indiana Farmer.
Transportation—No. 5.
BY JOHN M.'STAHL.
In our last we saw that* if government
owned and controlled railroads it would
end extortionate charges at once, and keep
the profits of railroading diffused through
the community. Government ownership
would secure another decided advantage,
somewhat akin to this, to tho people; it
would prevent the growth of many oppressive, artificial monopolies. The worst
artificial monopolies now in the country
have been built up by the unjust discrimination of railroads, a discrimination that
the inter-State Commerce law only partially reduces. If the railroads were owned
and operated by the Government, there
would be no more Standard Oil Companies made so rich and powerful by special
freight rates that they could corrupt the
courts and buy their way to the United
States Senate.
But a yet greater advantage would be
economy. Let the ownership of railways
be in a competent government and there
would be no need of parallel lines or of
lines reaching the same territory. We
have encouraged the building of parallel
lines or lines reaching the same territory
in hopes of that competition which would
lower rates. But though the rates have
been lowered, they cannot be so low as
they would be, had the ownership of rail
roads been vested in the Government, for
then the traffic would have to pay the expenses of operating only one line and a
fair interest on the investment, whereas
now it must be made to pay the operating
expenses of two or more roads and a fair
interest on two to four times their cost.
Already the construction of parallel lines
has led to enormous waste and unless the
Government assumes proprietorship of
the railroad this waste will be comparatively and, absolutely greater in the future, as the mileage per area increases.
The construction of the West Shore and
the Nickle Plate—both needless—wasted
over §200,000,000 The lines before existing
were competent to handle far more freight
than they and the other two roads named
now handle. AVe are not yet aware of the
carrying capacity of a well equipped
road. We have not come near such a test
on any of our roads. The road that now
handles the most freight could easily
handle twice as much.
Municipal proprietorship of gas works,
water works, electric lighting works, etc.,
has been abundantly tested in this country, and has demonstrated a saving of at
least one-half. Nor is this economy obtained at the expense of less efficient
service. On the contary, while the expense
has been reduced from 40 to 65 per cent,
better service has been obtained. There is
no good reason why government would
not give us better railroad service than we
now get. In European countries the telegraph is owned and operated by the governments, while tho charges are much less
than in tbis county, and the facilities are
far, far superior. Another thing, it is not
true that private enterprise takes the initiative in improvements. The English
telegraph is using improvements unknown
to the American. Government went ahead
of private corporations in publishing accounts. In our own country, the post-
office, a busiuess owned and controlled by
the government is much better managed
than any private business of like character
or approaching it in magnitude. It is superior to the express. Mail matter travels
faster than express matter, as any reader
may easily demonstrate. Mail matter
travels the more surely. I am connected
with a business that sends out annually
above 50,000 letters, with postal cards
galore and that receives as many as it
sends out. Not one in 5,000 fails to reach
its destination promptly. This has been
the experience during ten years, covering
two alleged demoralizations of the post-
office by political changes. No matter
how poorly a letter is directed, if it is directed at all it will reach its destination.
Would not this same care aud efficiency
extend to railroads? Yes; even more. For
the risk would be greater and public opinion would demand more. A man may bo
somewhat indifferent about his mail, but
not about his life. For this reason tho
government would be compelled to give
us a better service than we now get. Administrations could not afford to put incompetent men on railway engines. One
Chatsworth accident would wreck a party;
tho loss of a dozen lives, through fault of
the administration, would wreck that administration. How that accident would
be treated by opposition journals! Incompetency or carelessness could thus bo punished by the people were railroads government property, apd the punishment
would be effective, for it would lead to reform. Now, wo are helpless; wo cannot
turn out the present railroad managers;
for an accident the poor engineer is pun- .
ished, but there is no way to reach the
princely manager, who has hired an incompetent man because he would work a
little cheaper or has overworked a competent man until he is irresponsible. Now,
the railway managers may say, "The
public be damned." But if the government owned and operated the road the
people could do the damning; they would
have a sure and certain remedy.
Quincy, 111.
 • —■ .	
Does Farming Pay?
Editors Indiana Farmer:
I believe I will have to write a few linos
to say that farming is not a paying business as a general thing. You will find a
few like T. W. who think it pays. I think
almost any farmer could make it pay if
he had the chance that Mr. T. W. had. As
he said whon he started out, he had nothing, but he got to crop with W. S., who
furnisLed everything, boarded him and
gave him one-third of all he raised. That
was a good chance. Then he married a
girl with about -?500 or §000 and her father
had lots of land. He rented him his home
farm and ho lived by the old man for
seven years, getting two-thirds of what he
raised and all the pasture he wanted for
furnishing the seed. He had a large barn
to store all his grain as soon as it was harvested. You will find a few farmers like
that, and if they don't make money whose
fault is it? O. K.
Enough Said.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
No doubt Dr. Robinson is getting somewhat tired of his articles being so severely
criticised and assailed from all sides by
different correspondents, through the col-
ums of the Fabmeb. I am glad that so
many of the readers were so quick to tako
exceptions to his article, and from practical results have showed him the folly of
his very theoretical and almost unreasonable extravagance of farm life, as described
in his article. I for one think the discussion has been done justice, and suggest
that it be stopped, and the difierent correspondents to givo attention to something of more practical profit to the readers of the Fabmer. J. P. M.
Logansport.
 .     St.     .	
All kinds of fruit is in bloom, and most
kinds are very full.