Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-11-23

MssSrS. Editors FL handed in communica-
ton to your paper, few days ago, addressed to
farmers, in which it was recommended, in conse-
quence of the abundance of the two crops, cab
bages and squashes, to feed out one half of these
to their animals. and for the following reasons .
LIST. That by taking out of the market one-half
of these crops, the balance would bring as much
as the whole, in the present glutted state Of the
market and they would thus secure to them.
selves the benefits of the surplusage ID. That
this course would do no injustice TO consumers,
because there would still be abundance left for
use, as food, and that the price would not exceed
a moderate compensation for the expenses of
production in ordinary seasons.
In reply, writer, under the signature of LA
Dor, in following paper, stigmatzes the prin-
siple as selfish, and if carried out, and generally
applied, as resulting in famine prices
AS to the charge of sel6shness, 1 am not par
ticular whether | admit it or not.
agree that principle should GlscaQS admit of
general application, for it is the very idea of
principle that it should be so applied and l say
further, that If applied to every article of con.
sumption, it would not, nor could not, lead to
famine prices" l say, further STILL that this
same principle has been applied in many cases,
and, in all, as far know, where the price of
an article Of production, in consequence of its
abundance, has fallen. below moderate compen-
saton to the producer.
The writer, in substance saws if the prineiple
should be applied to meat. -four, sugar, molasses,
&C., it would lead to 'famine prees''
10 avoid multiplying anaogies, will take, for
example, the first article mentioned, viz: meat.
( Itlswell known that hogs have long been a sta
pie production in the West, and have been raised
in great abundance there. 1t is well known. also
that the price pork and bacon was exceedingly
low-merely "nominal'-so much so, that far
mers did not consider themselves paid for raising
them for the market. This discouragement to
the producer had remedy in the project of
making lard oil from pork. They therefore took
out of the market certain portion of the cyop
(as they call III and the balance was found to sell
for much as the whole would have brought, if
sold as tood-and simply because there was still
plenty left for food and it sold at such low pri.
ces that nobody complained, In this way they
secured to themselves the benefit OF the surplus.
age. Did this result in famine prices So far
from 1t, long after lard oil was extensively manu-
featured pork and bacon, from the West, was
sold in this very market at very low rates-lower
by three cents pound than own and so it
would have continued to this day, had not
swarms of spectators, bloated with the paper
money of the East, gone out among the produ-
GERS of the West, and bid upon each other for the
monopoly of that article Of production. The
same thing has been done in the article of -four,
sugar, molasses, &c. 1t is speculation, and spec
ulation alone, that is the cause OF famine prices
understand thai the farmers in the vicinity of
Boston are this day feeding out to their animals
the very crops which were spoken Off my previ-
GUS article, and whoever is interested can have
chance to see the effect of that course upon the
prices Of those products hereafter Probably
there is no class among us who, according to the
capital employed, and the labor expended, re-
ceive moderate returns as the farmers By a
life of simplicity and economy, they are enabled
to rise above want, but, as class, they do not
grow rich. II they have poor crop, they GER
tainly can make nothing and if they have a
good one, it often has to be merely a set-off to
some poor one. But il they happen to have very
large crop-so large to lose money by it, in
consequence of the over-producion--it is hard
case If they cannot suggest to each other some
means of dsposing of the surplus, to their own
advantage, without receiving brutal onslaught
through the public press. HAYWOOD STREET.