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VOL. XXXII. VO/-. ,.,uv/ INDIANAPOLIS, IND.. AUG. 7, 1897. NO. 32 BROAD VIEW OP AGRICULTURE. The Farmer of the Twentieth Century, [Governor Mount's Addreaa at Island Park, Indiana] Farming antedates all other pursuits.— Human life, as well as comfort, depends upon the produots of the earth. The proud monaroh upon his throne ls as dependent upon the soil as the farmer at the plow. (Bo. 5 9): "The profits of the earth are for all, the king himself is served from the field." Abundant harvests give prosperity In peace, and in danger fnrnish the sinews of war. Agricultural success has marked the rise and determined the wealth and power of governments. Its neglect and decline has hastened the downfall of kingdoms and the ruin of empires. PROMISED TEMPORAL. BLESSINGS. So Important to man's welfare are the fruits of the earth, that God's promises of blessings and threatenings of evil, were through the giving or witholding of the harvest. Lev. 26 4-5): "Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her Inorease, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall last unto the vintage; •nd the vintage shall reaoh into the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell ln your land safely." Again l_n>eut. 11, l_-_5.-"Then X will give you the 'fain of your land ln due season, and the first rain and the latter rain; that thou mayest gather in tby corn, and thy wine and thy oil. And I will send grass In thy fields for thy oattle, that thou mayst eat and be full." Sad disaster to follow the witholding of the earth's fruitage. (Dent 11-17): "And the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut np the heavens, and there be no rain, and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land whioh the Lord give to thee." Quickly would the world be depopulated, complete the disaster and final the ruin that would follow in the wake of this negleoted or abandoned vocation. FARMING COEXISTANT WITH MAN. Farming must continue as long as the human family Inhabits the earth. I need not discuss at greater length the need of the farmer. The question of vital moment is what kind of a farmer? The thought to be discussed in this topic, selected for my discussion by your leoture committee, is not the farmer three years and five months hence when we will be ushered Into the twentieth century, but the farmer of the fnture, able to adapt himself to the changing conditions that must come with the lapse of years. The nineteenth century has achieved greater success, made more progress, than all the preceding six thousand years of tbe world's history. The farmer, in these oloslng years of the nineteenth century, is not the farmer of the eighteenth century, nor like the farmer of any preceding period. Time will forbid my going beyond this country ln a brief, practical presentation of the changing conditions and progress otthe past century in farming. This is the greatest agricultural nation of earth." One hundred years have wrought wonders, both as to the products of the farm and the environments of the farmer. I, herewith, present some ■tatlstical facts Illustrating the marvelous growth: „ Wheat Corn. "ear. Bnshels. »» •84,-2S,27_ 1840 -77,511,878 lss* 1_7,684,J48 1898 2,288,876,-85 Horsea. Sheep. I8'0. 4,285,597 1810 19,811.374. **•• 15,124,027 189« «8,_9S,78S Cattle. Milch cowa. Swlne. 1?M 8,S8-,IM 18« 28^98,620 18** 18 117,586 1898 42 842,759 Other cattle. * Hay. tons. 1840 11,391,818 1840 11,838,842 3 82.t85,4C9 1898 69,_S?,158 Cotton. pounds. 1791 2,000,00,000 1840 795,479.278 )5 415,841,838 It Is said that in 1784 an American vessel, having seventy-one bags of cotton on board,was seized at Liverpool on the plea that so large an amonnt of cotton oonld not have been produced in the United States, and when an old planter obtained 15 bales from five acre., lt was not thought strange that he exclaimed,"Well well, I have done with cotton, here ls enough to make stockings for all the people of America." In 18PG-7 the exports of cotton were 6,172.583 bales, or 2,9.1,302,470 ponnds. One hundred years ago Indiana had not yet been organized as a Territory, yet the census report for 1890 gives the following, largely the development of one-half a oentury. Valne of live atock....'. 193,861,422 Value of farm products 894.7MI,262 Ponnda of bntter 48,477,765 Bushels of wheat 87,818,799 Bushels of corn 108,843,091 Bnshels of osts 81,491,661 Bushels of potatoes 9.(94.271 Gallons of milk 200,610,797 The corn crop of 1896 exceeded 140,000,00 bushels. THE FABMER THE PIONEER OF CIVILIZATION. In order that we may better understand the farmer of the fnture, lt ls necessary that we take' a retrospective view, noting the changing methods to suit conditions, and thus, from past history, or the lamp of experience, we may In some degree forestall the future. In the early settlement of this country perilous dangers were to be met, obstacles overcome, privations endured and toll performed. Through heroio endurance and patient struggle, a wilderness waste, the abode of wild men and wild beasts was to be transformed into prosperous homes. The lone cabin in the wild woods, remote from neighbors, destitute of schools, without churches, was a dwelling place where the solitude added sorrow to the burden of toil and privation. The loneliness of these homes, the imminent dangers to life and health, the hardships to be endured, required heroio sacrifice and suffering before the dawn of hope could arise. No banner under whioh to rally in their struggle, floated over them. No martial music cheered to vlotory. No cannon's peel told where the conflict was being waged. The rail-splitter's maul, the woodman's axe, the olack of the loom and the hum of the wheel, in solemn tones blended Into labor's song that proclaimed the oncoming victory, the results of which were to be as grand as any gained on the field of mortal combat. With hearts o'erflowlng with gratitude, we should recall the scenes of suffering and danger, of loneliness and labor that has wrought this wonderful change,— that has given us these new conditions, these improved opportunities. Let us lift the broad mantle of charity over any faults, or old-fashioned ways, that remain as a result of the severe school of adversity through whioh the pioneers passed and the trying circumstances Junder which their ohildren were brought up, and let us honor these plain country folk as their deeds merit. Tens of thousands of log cabins and sod houses have witnessed these scenes, and the agony and toil which gave birth and life to the glorious privileges of the present, I have at some length, reviewed the past experience in farming that we may better appreciate the present and forestall the futnre. "New conditions tsach new duties Time makes ancient rood uncouth." The struggle is not so much one of annual labor, as when the heavy forests were to be removed, logs rolled and heavy log houses to be raised, rails split and roads constructed through green woods. The wheat Is no longer cut with the sickle, threshed with the flail, or tramped out with horses and winnowed with sheets. The farmer's wife does not take the wool through the tedious process until converted into the fabric. With the self binder and steam thresher on the farm; instead of wheel and loom, musical Instruments in neatly furnished homes tell of the new conditions. Agricultural oolleges, experimental stations, farm Institutes,) agricultural Journals, afford abundant opportunities to prepare the farmer for these new conditions. MIND TIIE DOMINANT POWER. This is an Intense age. Brisk competition ls found ln all the avenues of trade. Close margins require tho adoption ot striotest rules of business and the most economical methods. The largest jleld at minimum cost, the most eoonomlo utilization of the same; improvement of the soil ln the feeding of crops, must be of eqnal Importance to the fattening of stook. He who markets the products of his farm on the hoof or ln the fleece, or in some condensed form ready for consumption, is in the wake of progress, not only for the twentieth century, but for all time. Adam Smith says: "The nation ls wise that markets its wares nearest ready tor consumption." Tbis is likewise true of the farmer. The farmer who sustains least waste of crops grown ls the husband" man who keeps stock to consume all tbat is grown. More grats, more stock, less plowed,.larger crops, better utilization of everything grown, must be the rule of the farmer of the future. The highest success will be attained by the man who is able to grow the largest crops, and then with the greatest skill convert these crops into flne horses, into wool and mutton, beef and pork, or Into milk and butter, then returning to his soil, with the least possible waste, the elements that produce the crops. This,as the old darkey puts it, profits at "boff" ends. He said, "Massa, you beets dis darkey. You make boff ends to help in de middle." The farmer who can so wisely manage as to grow large crops, obtain, through feeding, the highest price, then return to the soil the fertility extracted in produoing the orops, is making both ends and middle, all, serve his purpose. FARMING A SCIEKCK. The successful farmer of future years must understand something of the laws governing animal and vegetable life. The yield of crops in large measures determines the profits. The fertility of the soil ls an important faotor in the abundance of the crop. It is, therefore, mani. festly important that the soil be fertile to insure profitabte farming. In order that the farmer be fully equipped, he must know something of elements of plant food required to produce the crops he grows. He must study how to restore these elements to the soil. Chemical analysis reveals to ns the kind, the amount and value of these elements required ln producing crops. It tells ns the amount and value of the ni- trogen,'potash and phosphate*, required to produce a bnshel of corn or a bushel of wheat or oats, and the prices of those in the market. These faots demonstrate that we cannot depend upon the purchase of fertilizers as a means of keeping up the fertility of our land. SOIL. FERTILITY A OREAT PROBLEM. Hundreds of thousands of acres of exhausted and abandoned land are found all over the southern States. Thousands of abandoned farms are found in the New England States. The note of alarm ls being sounded, and none too soon, all over the middle and western States. I have heard intelligent farmers estimate in southern counties in this State the amount of worn out and abandoned land —the estimate reaching thousands of acres. I have seen many acres once fairly fertile, now sterile and no longer cultivated. This ls a sad commentary on the farming of the nineteenth century. Land brought into cultivation, worn out and abandoned, all in one hundred years. The great task for tbe nineteenth century farmer has been, in this State, to clear the land, construct roadr, drain the swampB and marshes, endure hardships and privation, shake with the ague, and meet the dangers of frontier life. This required physical endurance and the exercise of muscle. The 20th century farmer must be able to solve scientiflo problems, to master economic questions. He must, of all men, be resourcefnl. He must be a general, able to command the forces ln the great laboratory of nature. He must watch this vast store with the eye of a discoverer, and with versatilo mind turn wherever wisdom directs. MUST HE A STUDENT (IK MARKETS. The law of supply and demand must control prices. Statistical information ls now obtainable that will enable the student of marketr, wiih some degree of certainty, to forestall prices. Instead of studying these wise economio principles farmers, as a rule aot ln concert, prompted by the Impulse of existing conditions, wholly oblivious to tho supply of existing conditions, wholly oblivious to the laws of supply and demand and ignoring factors that are likely to revolutionize immediate environments. It ls a safer rule to go counter to, than, the current ln farming. Mrs. Hettle Green, the richest woman in America and one of the most noted financiers, in reply to a reporter's interrogatory, said: "It is true I am rich. I have been blessed ln my Investments and that Is all. I don't know that my fortune is due to any fixed principles. I only nse common sense. I buy when things are low and nobody wants them. I keep them until tbey go up and people are crazy to get them. This sir, I believe the secret to all successful business." I have noted theprevalentdlsposltionon the part of the farmers to seek to sell out and quit any branch of stock raising that for tho time is low and unprofitable,then "stock" at high prices, with that which is in demand. This class of farmers are usually found with but little to sell at low prices. I trust you will pardon personal reference, for I desire, ln a practical way to Illustrate this important loeson of the study of the markets. During the fall of 1873, while the panio was causing temporary depression, the cattle market became over-stocked and there as a stampede. The lower the price, the more determined seemed the farmers to force their cattle on the already overcrowded market. I was a renter at the time and without money. I expressed to my neighbors my faith ln the opportuneness of tho time for buying and feeding cattle. I had a large crop of corn but no money. My neighbor referred me to his friend who was anxious to sell two carloads of cattle and wonld let me pay for the cattle when fed out. I bought the 32 steers and eight more besides, making 40 head ln all. These cattle cost me three cents a pound in November, and I sold them the next April at 5>_ cents a pound. In the fall and winter of 1891 hogs were selling at or near three cents a pound. During the early spring and summer of that year corn ranged from 50 to 75 cents per bushel. While attending farm institutes in the winter of 1891, I often heard farmers express their purpose to raise fewer hogs. Some said they would better have given away their hogs or killed them than to have fed high-priced corn to cheap hogs, aud declared their purpose to quit hog raising. From the swine breeders I learned that this was the prevailing sentiment. This was an Illustration of farmers going one way, impelled by existing conditions and blind to future proepeots. I took occasion to say in many farm institutes that Indications all Concluded on oth page.
Object Description
Title | Indiana farmer, 1897, v. 32, no. 32 (Aug. 7) |
Purdue Identification Number | INFA3232 |
Date of Original | 1897 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | United States - Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or not-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Date Digitized | 2011-01-24 |
Digitization Information | Original scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Description
Title | Page 1 |
Subjects (LCSH) |
Agriculture Farm management Horticulture Agricultural machinery |
Subjects (NALT) |
agriculture farm management horticulture agricultural machinery and equipment |
Genre | Periodical |
Call Number of Original | 630.5 In2 |
Location of Original | Hicks Repository |
Coverage | Indiana |
Type | text |
Format | JP2 |
Language | eng |
Collection Title | Indiana Farmer |
Rights Statement | Content in the Indiana Farmer Collection is in the public domain (published before 1923) or lacks a known copyright holder. Digital images in the collection may be used for educational, non-commercial, or non-for-profit purposes. |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Digitization Information | Orignal scanned at 300 ppi on a Bookeye 3 scanner using internal software. Display images generated in CONTENTdm as JP2000s; file format for archival copy is uncompressed TIF format. |
Transcript | VOL. XXXII. VO/-. ,.,uv/ INDIANAPOLIS, IND.. AUG. 7, 1897. NO. 32 BROAD VIEW OP AGRICULTURE. The Farmer of the Twentieth Century, [Governor Mount's Addreaa at Island Park, Indiana] Farming antedates all other pursuits.— Human life, as well as comfort, depends upon the produots of the earth. The proud monaroh upon his throne ls as dependent upon the soil as the farmer at the plow. (Bo. 5 9): "The profits of the earth are for all, the king himself is served from the field." Abundant harvests give prosperity In peace, and in danger fnrnish the sinews of war. Agricultural success has marked the rise and determined the wealth and power of governments. Its neglect and decline has hastened the downfall of kingdoms and the ruin of empires. PROMISED TEMPORAL. BLESSINGS. So Important to man's welfare are the fruits of the earth, that God's promises of blessings and threatenings of evil, were through the giving or witholding of the harvest. Lev. 26 4-5): "Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her Inorease, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit. And your threshing shall last unto the vintage; •nd the vintage shall reaoh into the sowing time; and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell ln your land safely." Again l_n>eut. 11, l_-_5.-"Then X will give you the 'fain of your land ln due season, and the first rain and the latter rain; that thou mayest gather in tby corn, and thy wine and thy oil. And I will send grass In thy fields for thy oattle, that thou mayst eat and be full." Sad disaster to follow the witholding of the earth's fruitage. (Dent 11-17): "And the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and he shut np the heavens, and there be no rain, and lest ye perish quickly from off the good land whioh the Lord give to thee." Quickly would the world be depopulated, complete the disaster and final the ruin that would follow in the wake of this negleoted or abandoned vocation. FARMING COEXISTANT WITH MAN. Farming must continue as long as the human family Inhabits the earth. I need not discuss at greater length the need of the farmer. The question of vital moment is what kind of a farmer? The thought to be discussed in this topic, selected for my discussion by your leoture committee, is not the farmer three years and five months hence when we will be ushered Into the twentieth century, but the farmer of the fnture, able to adapt himself to the changing conditions that must come with the lapse of years. The nineteenth century has achieved greater success, made more progress, than all the preceding six thousand years of tbe world's history. The farmer, in these oloslng years of the nineteenth century, is not the farmer of the eighteenth century, nor like the farmer of any preceding period. Time will forbid my going beyond this country ln a brief, practical presentation of the changing conditions and progress otthe past century in farming. This is the greatest agricultural nation of earth." One hundred years have wrought wonders, both as to the products of the farm and the environments of the farmer. I, herewith, present some ■tatlstical facts Illustrating the marvelous growth: „ Wheat Corn. "ear. Bnshels. »» •84,-2S,27_ 1840 -77,511,878 lss* 1_7,684,J48 1898 2,288,876,-85 Horsea. Sheep. I8'0. 4,285,597 1810 19,811.374. **•• 15,124,027 189« «8,_9S,78S Cattle. Milch cowa. Swlne. 1?M 8,S8-,IM 18« 28^98,620 18** 18 117,586 1898 42 842,759 Other cattle. * Hay. tons. 1840 11,391,818 1840 11,838,842 3 82.t85,4C9 1898 69,_S?,158 Cotton. pounds. 1791 2,000,00,000 1840 795,479.278 )5 415,841,838 It Is said that in 1784 an American vessel, having seventy-one bags of cotton on board,was seized at Liverpool on the plea that so large an amonnt of cotton oonld not have been produced in the United States, and when an old planter obtained 15 bales from five acre., lt was not thought strange that he exclaimed,"Well well, I have done with cotton, here ls enough to make stockings for all the people of America." In 18PG-7 the exports of cotton were 6,172.583 bales, or 2,9.1,302,470 ponnds. One hundred years ago Indiana had not yet been organized as a Territory, yet the census report for 1890 gives the following, largely the development of one-half a oentury. Valne of live atock....'. 193,861,422 Value of farm products 894.7MI,262 Ponnda of bntter 48,477,765 Bushels of wheat 87,818,799 Bushels of corn 108,843,091 Bnshels of osts 81,491,661 Bushels of potatoes 9.(94.271 Gallons of milk 200,610,797 The corn crop of 1896 exceeded 140,000,00 bushels. THE FABMER THE PIONEER OF CIVILIZATION. In order that we may better understand the farmer of the fnture, lt ls necessary that we take' a retrospective view, noting the changing methods to suit conditions, and thus, from past history, or the lamp of experience, we may In some degree forestall the future. In the early settlement of this country perilous dangers were to be met, obstacles overcome, privations endured and toll performed. Through heroio endurance and patient struggle, a wilderness waste, the abode of wild men and wild beasts was to be transformed into prosperous homes. The lone cabin in the wild woods, remote from neighbors, destitute of schools, without churches, was a dwelling place where the solitude added sorrow to the burden of toil and privation. The loneliness of these homes, the imminent dangers to life and health, the hardships to be endured, required heroio sacrifice and suffering before the dawn of hope could arise. No banner under whioh to rally in their struggle, floated over them. No martial music cheered to vlotory. No cannon's peel told where the conflict was being waged. The rail-splitter's maul, the woodman's axe, the olack of the loom and the hum of the wheel, in solemn tones blended Into labor's song that proclaimed the oncoming victory, the results of which were to be as grand as any gained on the field of mortal combat. With hearts o'erflowlng with gratitude, we should recall the scenes of suffering and danger, of loneliness and labor that has wrought this wonderful change,— that has given us these new conditions, these improved opportunities. Let us lift the broad mantle of charity over any faults, or old-fashioned ways, that remain as a result of the severe school of adversity through whioh the pioneers passed and the trying circumstances Junder which their ohildren were brought up, and let us honor these plain country folk as their deeds merit. Tens of thousands of log cabins and sod houses have witnessed these scenes, and the agony and toil which gave birth and life to the glorious privileges of the present, I have at some length, reviewed the past experience in farming that we may better appreciate the present and forestall the futnre. "New conditions tsach new duties Time makes ancient rood uncouth." The struggle is not so much one of annual labor, as when the heavy forests were to be removed, logs rolled and heavy log houses to be raised, rails split and roads constructed through green woods. The wheat Is no longer cut with the sickle, threshed with the flail, or tramped out with horses and winnowed with sheets. The farmer's wife does not take the wool through the tedious process until converted into the fabric. With the self binder and steam thresher on the farm; instead of wheel and loom, musical Instruments in neatly furnished homes tell of the new conditions. Agricultural oolleges, experimental stations, farm Institutes,) agricultural Journals, afford abundant opportunities to prepare the farmer for these new conditions. MIND TIIE DOMINANT POWER. This is an Intense age. Brisk competition ls found ln all the avenues of trade. Close margins require tho adoption ot striotest rules of business and the most economical methods. The largest jleld at minimum cost, the most eoonomlo utilization of the same; improvement of the soil ln the feeding of crops, must be of eqnal Importance to the fattening of stook. He who markets the products of his farm on the hoof or ln the fleece, or in some condensed form ready for consumption, is in the wake of progress, not only for the twentieth century, but for all time. Adam Smith says: "The nation ls wise that markets its wares nearest ready tor consumption." Tbis is likewise true of the farmer. The farmer who sustains least waste of crops grown ls the husband" man who keeps stock to consume all tbat is grown. More grats, more stock, less plowed,.larger crops, better utilization of everything grown, must be the rule of the farmer of the future. The highest success will be attained by the man who is able to grow the largest crops, and then with the greatest skill convert these crops into flne horses, into wool and mutton, beef and pork, or Into milk and butter, then returning to his soil, with the least possible waste, the elements that produce the crops. This,as the old darkey puts it, profits at "boff" ends. He said, "Massa, you beets dis darkey. You make boff ends to help in de middle." The farmer who can so wisely manage as to grow large crops, obtain, through feeding, the highest price, then return to the soil the fertility extracted in produoing the orops, is making both ends and middle, all, serve his purpose. FARMING A SCIEKCK. The successful farmer of future years must understand something of the laws governing animal and vegetable life. The yield of crops in large measures determines the profits. The fertility of the soil ls an important faotor in the abundance of the crop. It is, therefore, mani. festly important that the soil be fertile to insure profitabte farming. In order that the farmer be fully equipped, he must know something of elements of plant food required to produce the crops he grows. He must study how to restore these elements to the soil. Chemical analysis reveals to ns the kind, the amount and value of these elements required ln producing crops. It tells ns the amount and value of the ni- trogen,'potash and phosphate*, required to produce a bnshel of corn or a bushel of wheat or oats, and the prices of those in the market. These faots demonstrate that we cannot depend upon the purchase of fertilizers as a means of keeping up the fertility of our land. SOIL. FERTILITY A OREAT PROBLEM. Hundreds of thousands of acres of exhausted and abandoned land are found all over the southern States. Thousands of abandoned farms are found in the New England States. The note of alarm ls being sounded, and none too soon, all over the middle and western States. I have heard intelligent farmers estimate in southern counties in this State the amount of worn out and abandoned land —the estimate reaching thousands of acres. I have seen many acres once fairly fertile, now sterile and no longer cultivated. This ls a sad commentary on the farming of the nineteenth century. Land brought into cultivation, worn out and abandoned, all in one hundred years. The great task for tbe nineteenth century farmer has been, in this State, to clear the land, construct roadr, drain the swampB and marshes, endure hardships and privation, shake with the ague, and meet the dangers of frontier life. This required physical endurance and the exercise of muscle. The 20th century farmer must be able to solve scientiflo problems, to master economic questions. He must, of all men, be resourcefnl. He must be a general, able to command the forces ln the great laboratory of nature. He must watch this vast store with the eye of a discoverer, and with versatilo mind turn wherever wisdom directs. MUST HE A STUDENT (IK MARKETS. The law of supply and demand must control prices. Statistical information ls now obtainable that will enable the student of marketr, wiih some degree of certainty, to forestall prices. Instead of studying these wise economio principles farmers, as a rule aot ln concert, prompted by the Impulse of existing conditions, wholly oblivious to tho supply of existing conditions, wholly oblivious to the laws of supply and demand and ignoring factors that are likely to revolutionize immediate environments. It ls a safer rule to go counter to, than, the current ln farming. Mrs. Hettle Green, the richest woman in America and one of the most noted financiers, in reply to a reporter's interrogatory, said: "It is true I am rich. I have been blessed ln my Investments and that Is all. I don't know that my fortune is due to any fixed principles. I only nse common sense. I buy when things are low and nobody wants them. I keep them until tbey go up and people are crazy to get them. This sir, I believe the secret to all successful business." I have noted theprevalentdlsposltionon the part of the farmers to seek to sell out and quit any branch of stock raising that for tho time is low and unprofitable,then "stock" at high prices, with that which is in demand. This class of farmers are usually found with but little to sell at low prices. I trust you will pardon personal reference, for I desire, ln a practical way to Illustrate this important loeson of the study of the markets. During the fall of 1873, while the panio was causing temporary depression, the cattle market became over-stocked and there as a stampede. The lower the price, the more determined seemed the farmers to force their cattle on the already overcrowded market. I was a renter at the time and without money. I expressed to my neighbors my faith ln the opportuneness of tho time for buying and feeding cattle. I had a large crop of corn but no money. My neighbor referred me to his friend who was anxious to sell two carloads of cattle and wonld let me pay for the cattle when fed out. I bought the 32 steers and eight more besides, making 40 head ln all. These cattle cost me three cents a pound in November, and I sold them the next April at 5>_ cents a pound. In the fall and winter of 1891 hogs were selling at or near three cents a pound. During the early spring and summer of that year corn ranged from 50 to 75 cents per bushel. While attending farm institutes in the winter of 1891, I often heard farmers express their purpose to raise fewer hogs. Some said they would better have given away their hogs or killed them than to have fed high-priced corn to cheap hogs, aud declared their purpose to quit hog raising. From the swine breeders I learned that this was the prevailing sentiment. This was an Illustration of farmers going one way, impelled by existing conditions and blind to future proepeots. I took occasion to say in many farm institutes that Indications all Concluded on oth page. |
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