VOL. XXV.
INDIANAPOLIS, IND., NOV. 29, 1890
NO. 48
Writ!en for tbe Indiana Farmer.
Agronomics—No.
BV JOHN M. STAHL.
Ot frequent apperance in the new spapera
are figure- showing that the percentage of
population engaged in agriculture Is
steadily decreasing. Ihe population en
gaged"in manufacturing and commerce
has gained rapidly on the population
employed in agricultural pursuits. Very
many consider this indisputable evidence
that agriculture is suffering, that condi.
tions for it are not so favorable as for
manufacturers or commerce, and that the
course cf development in this country is
not for the general welfare. Without
stopping to discuss whether or not agriculture has been fairly treated in the making of conditions, or whether or not our
country is making substantial progress
along the way of greater general good, I
•wish to point out that the facts named
have very little of the weight of evidence
claimed for them.
First, an increase in the population en
gaged in manufacturing and commerceat
tbe expense of the agricultural population
has always accompanied an advance in
civilization and is the best possible evl
dence of such advance. A barbarous nation is a people composed of hunters. Next
some become stockmen. The next step
toward civilization is.evidenced by some
becoming farmers and more becoming
stockmen. As the people reach the flrst
stage of civilization, practically all have
become farmers and stockmen, and a few
simple manufactures are introduced. As
"the nation advances higher and higher
toward enlightenment, manufactures are
multiplied and commerce keep. pace. It
i-i really self-evident that the nation could
not keep on advancing in civilization If It
did not multiply its manufactures.
Greater civilization requires more appliances and aids in subduing nature; first
tools, then machinery, and at each stage the
diversity of form must increase. As the
nation starts with practically all Its population engaged in farming, as It advances
in civilization the percentage engaged in
manufacture and commerce must steadily
gain upon that engaged in agricultural
pursuits. Those that would have our agricultural population gain upon the population engaged in manufacture and commerce -would have us go backward, to
retrograde, to move toward the condition
of nations just emerging from barbarism.
However, the gain of the manufacturing
and commercial population upon the agricultural, may be too rapid; indicating that
in the shaping of conditions agriculture
has been discriminated against, and a
healthy, solid national development
stimulated into one abnormal and not
without danger.
Second, the figures relating to percentage of population engaged in manufacture,
commerce and agriculture are erroneously
construed to indicate a decrease of farm
labor proportionate to the decrease in agricultural population and an increase of
labor in manufacture and commerces proportionate to the increase of population in
those industries. Formerly, nearly all
farm labor was expended directly, by
persons living and laboring on the farms,
and classed as farmers. Now a large part
of farm labor is expended indirectly, by
those living in villages and cities and
classed as manufacturers or merchants.
For example, In wheat harvest the labor
-W_ all expended directly, except the little
used In the manufacture of the cradle or
sickle; now the greater part of the labor Is
expended indirectly and oft the farm, in
the manufacture of a complicated machine.
A much less amount of labor is required
to be expended upon the farm than form-
«rly,;because a large part has been expended
off the  farm.   Instead   of   several   men
cutting and binding the wheat, using only
it sickle, some of them have gone to the
city and put their labor Into a self-binder,
with which those remaining upon the farm
can cut and bind the wheat. Formerly,
100 per cent were classed as engaged in
agriculture and not any per cent of them
as engaged in manufacture or commerce.
Now, probably at least 50 per cent of them
are classed as manufacturers and only 50
per cent as farmers. Yet the labor of all Is
as truly farm labor as before. Itsobj _tive
point is the wheat harvest and it is expended for that only. Part of it has
changed its place, that is all; yet no one
thinks that when a farmer helps a neighbor plow, sow or reap that he Is not doing
farm labor because he has left his farm in
order to do that labor. What has taken
more men from the farm than any other
one line of development is transportation.
Railroad men are not classed as farmers,
yet the grain car is as truly a farm vehicle
as is the wagon; the engineer on the locomotive pulling a stock train, is engaged
as truly in agricultural labor, as is the man
that is driving a farm wagon loaded with
grain to market.
Quincy, 111.
A Villase Reading Circle.
Editors Indiana Farmer:
As there app _rs to be considerable In
terest In the subject of country reading circles, I will describe one wo had for several
yearsin ourlittletown. Ourvillagelsnota
county seat and we have no professional
men or women here, excepting two or
three physicians, a minister, and the four
or five public school teachers, but wo
formed a reading circle that was for several years a great source of entertainment,
and possibly Improvement to our town
ship.
The teachers, ministers, doctors and a
few of the citizens began the circle, but in
a few months nearly every family in the
village was represented. We met weekly
at different private houses. We had
halls and churches we might havo
used, but we sought to have so-
social as well as intellectual culture, and we thought we would
reach the home circle quicker in this manner than in using public rooms. Our
program was fro.m 7 to 9 o'clock p. m.,
and the hour from 9 to 10 was devoted to
social conversation by the circle, and the
arrangement of next -week's program by
the committeo. The principal of tbe
school was the president, and a committee
on program was elected by ballot. We
devoted evenings to different authors, the
authors being selected by thecircle, also the
persons on each week's program. The
president and committee then arranged
the details of the next week's entertainment. We had readings, recitations, essays, a short sketch of the life of the author, (this came first on the program),
then followed tableaux and music, vocal
and instrumental. We had no refreshments, as that would have taken so much
time and trouble for the people at whose
houses we met; in fact many of the very
persons whom'we most wished to benefit
by the circle could not in that event have
"entertained the circle" at all. Occasionally some cultivated person from the Stato
University, or some gifted man or jwoman
whose life was entirely devoted to literary
work, would entertain us, only charging
their expenses. I remember one very accomplished gentleman, a most beautiful
reader, gave us an evening devoted to
Longfellow, which was so entertaining to
the circle that, In response to a petition to
that effect, he gave us several talks on his
travels in Egypt and the holy land. The
circle Invited the village to this entertainment, which was so well attended that
our largest church could not hold the audience. It was a good advertisement
of the circle, and gained  us a number of
members. An improvement could be
made on our program, by devoting an
evening now and then, to discussing kindness to animals, and temperance. The
humane society and the W. C. T. U. would
assist by literature and speakers on both
these occasions.
Laura Davis Worley.
Our Washington Letter.
From Our Regular Correspondent:
Washington may now truthfully claim
to be the headquarters of the makers of
political history. Never fduring the last
twenty-five years has tbere been more political activity displayed here than there
is now, and it is increasing every day as
the city tills up witli tho men who control
the destinies of the great political parties
of the country. Here will be fought, this
winter, the preliminary skirmish of the
great battle of 'Hi, and a great many people are beginning to think that engagement will be a triangular one, and if the
combination between the labor organizations and the Farmers' Alliance, that
wonderful organization which has frightened', the professional politicians nearly
out of their wits, can be perfected by that
time, there are certainly squalls ahead for
somebody.
1 'u .lie interest Is centered in the final
session of the Fifty lirst'Congress, which
meets Monday, December 1st, and conjecture Is rife as to what will be done.
Whatever Ib done the wothods of doing it
will be highly interesting, because of the
personnel of the republican House. Many
of the republicans, particularly those that
were nominated and defeated at the late
election, feel so sore that they would be
willing to adopt the most radical political
legislation that could possibly be proposed,
and the Speaker is generally supposed t•>
be ready to aid them in every way in his
power, and those who watched the legislation In the House at the last session can
form a idea of what that means. But
there is another element in that party
headed by Mr. Blaine that will attempt to
steer a more conservative course.
The mattors which are certain to come
up during the threo months of this short
session, to say nothing of those tbat may
unexpectedly be brought up, will make it
notable in Congressional history. The
first thing to come up in the Senate will
be the Federal Flection Bill, and that it
will be fought to the last extremity by the
democrats is a -"certainty. Nevertheless it
is beleived that it will bo passed in a mod-
fled form. In the House the first thing to
be taken up will be an^apportionment bill,
and that will also be fought by the democrats, but it will be certain to pass in the
shape that will give the republicans all the
advantage j«.sslble—it would be just reversed were the democrats in the position
of the republicans. The game of politics
is, get all you can.
The question of free coinage of Bllver is
going to make a rumpus too, and the general impression is that it will be adopted,
although it is still opposed by Mr. Harrison and his Secretary of the Treasury.
But Is whispered that Mr. Blaine has made
up his mind to bring about free coinage at
this session of Congress as a special concession to the Farmers' Alliance, which he
is said to be particularly anxious to conciliate. There will not be much difficulty
in getting a bill through Congress, as the
Senate is already on record as favoring it,
and it was charged that it was trickery that
defeated It in the House at tho last
sassion.
Another troublesome matter is that of
pensions. It's bound to come up in some
shape or other. It is claimed that by the
end of the next fiscal year the annual payments for pensions will have reached $200-
000,000, which, added to other expenses of
the Government, will amount to considerably more than our receipts. What Is to
be done?   Not a baker's dozen votes could
be secured for repealing any portion of the
pension laws, so tbat some method of Increasing our rovenups, will have to be
found, tf these claims prove to be correct.
But how? That's an interesting question.
Some answer it, by proposing a graduated
income tax, others by increasing the tax
on whiskey. Bat wait until the question
comes up in Congress; then you will hear
some interesting things.
The speakership campaign, which gets
warmer and warmer, will furnish some
mighty interesting political news before it
is ended, and it is believed that it will also
be the means of determining, to a certainty, whether Mr. Cleveland will be at the
head of the next National Democratic ticket, at least that's the w ay it looks now,
when the Cleveland and anti-Cleveland
Democrats are at daggers' points. And it
willalsohavegreateffectupon the chances
of the Democratic _arty in the coming
Presidential {-lection.
The question of the head of the next republican Presidential ticket, will be considered this winter by the leaders of that
party, and the wirepulling they will indulge in, will add much interest to Washington political gossip. Just now, Mr.
Blaine lias it all his owu way, but whether
lio can k_p it that way, even if he desires
tho nomination, is problematical. Mr.
Harrison thinks himself entitled to a re-
nomination,- Sonator Sherman has not
abandoned all hope; General Alger
is still in tbo field, and fn-in the Pacific
slope comes the news that Senator Stanford has entered the lists, and that his
platform will consist solely of his proposition to loan out Government money to
farmers at two per cent per annum. It
has also been strongly hinted by Farmers'
Alliance men here, that Mr. Stanford can
haVe the support of that organization if
he wants it. Take it all in all, the prospect isforlots of very lively political news
this winter.
Nov. 21st.
Wk have received a complimentary to (ho
Central Indiana Poultry and Pet S'xick
Show, to be held «at North Vernon, Ind.,
Decemb- r 2ad to 5th, also a very neatly
gotten up premium list.
GBAIN IN SIGHT.
The grain reported in warehouses, elevators and in transit up to November 21th
was as follows: Wheat, 23,189,818 bu., an
Increase of 992,007 bu; corn, 4,328,559 bu.,
a decrease of 1,:. !0.048 bu; oats, 3,530,280
bu., a decrease of 410,999 bu; rye, 501,901
bu., a decrease of 124,084 bu; barley, 5,095,-
909 bu., an increase of 330,52") bu.
"WHEAT AHD COBN ADVANCING.
The London and New York money
panic depressed prices of produce, but
since the recovery of confidence, wheat
and corn have sharply advanced again,
and will doubtless continue to advance.
Wheat will go above one dollar, and " we
think corn will reach 00 cents. Speculative wheat, for May, is now above a dollar,
and cash wheat will go to that, and above.
And so of corn on speculation, it is 55 cents
and is tending to 00 for cash.
THE F0H_IGN GHAIN TBADE.
The Mark Lane Express, of London,
Nov. 24th, in its weekly review of the
British grain trade, fays; English wheats
are steady at a fractional rise for fine
white-*. In foreign wheats, Russian and
American are Od cheaper. Indian is firm.
The decline in grain in America would
have similarly depressed prices here but
for tho rise in freights. Barley, rye and
peas are quiet. American corn Is 5d per
ton dearer. European is unchanged. At
to-day's markets English wheats were
slow of sale. Foreign dropped Od. Flour,
especially American, was firm with an upward tendency. American corn was
steady. Oats were firm. Rye .was 3d
dearer.