The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1869-10-22
A Word to Farmers about Selling
their Produce.

-
Farmers arc often blamed for not
| selling their produce as soon as it is
ready for market. And it must be
! confessed that those who do so, t;.-
king one year with another, do quite
as we'll aIl things considered, as those
who hold on in hopes Of getting high
CT prices. They obtain their money
soon after harvest, and arc enabled
to use it TO advantage, Dealers in
grain can obtain money much more
easily than farmers, and can consc-
qucntly hold the grain longer.
While, therefore, VIC think farmers
often do better by selling early, there
! is still room for the exercise Of iudg-
mrnt. One reason why il i usually
best to sell carly is, that most farmers
! are disposed to hold on to their grain
as long rs possible, and when the
time comes that they must sell there
arc more sellers than buyers. and the
price declines.
1t is 4 curious fact that people gen
orally are more inclined to sell when
prices arc low than when they arc
high, When wool was so cents y
pound, it was more difficult to induce
farmers 20 sell than when it was 40
cents per pound. Last fail, with red
! wheat at S33.25 in the interior OF
Michigan, farmers hcsitatcd longer
in making un their minds to let their
| crops go than they did last summer
when they were offered Sl.25 for the
same wheat. II is good rule to sci!
when you can get :: price that will
ailtrd Il good living profit. Farmers,
1t the present time, would have been
richer by millions Of dollars than
they arc now had they adopted this
rule last autumn. We know Of q
great many who sold wheat this
summer for one dollar bushcl less
than they refused for it last fall. The
whole nation suffered greatly by this
indlspos!tion to sell when rood
price could be obtained. We mi ght
have shipped all our surplus wheat to
England ut Il fair price, but by hold
ing on VIC lost the opportunity, and
finally sold at q price below the cost
Of production. We should take the
lesson to heart.
On the other hand, when prices arc
low we should not be in a hurry TO
sell. Sound wheat is an article that
will keep, and it is an article that is
always required, and it is absolutely
certain that it can not long remain at
Il price much below the cost of pro-
duction. We can not hold out hopes
to such farmers as grow only ten or
twelve bushels OF wheat per acre,
that they will obtain prices sufficient
10 compensate them for their labor.
The country must be in very unsat-
isi:lctory condition when such is the
casc bat we do firmly believe that
there IS 10 reason 10 doubt the
farmer who raises good crops is safe
III calculating that sooner or later he
will ba able to obtain such u price for
his wheat as will enable him to m;.ilt
4 fair profit.
There is one fact in this connection
which should not be overlooked. IN Il
cool late, wet season in England the
wheat crop is always below the aver
age. And they have had such sea-
son this year. On the other hand, it
is very doubtful if the wheat crop of
the United States is as large rs was
anticipated. We feel tolcrably GER
tain. therefore, that before another
harvest, wheat will bring a price suf-
ticicnt!y high 10 afford the wheat
grower q good living profit. lie
SHOULD be sati;:icd with this. lie
should be in no hurry to take less.
The question arises: What price
should we obtain for wheat, to afford
Us u fair profit? At the present
price Of implements, machines, and
other necessary articles, rot forget
ting labor and taxes, VIC shall not
obtain cxtravagant profits, if VIC sell
good, sound red or amber wheat
say in Micha@an- S1.50 per bushcl.
y farmer who r;,iscs anything less
than twenty bushels per acre will
not get very rich, even if he obtains
in our present currency. &1.75 for rcd
wheat, and $500 for choice white
wheat. When we can get these fis-
urcs i'll ordinary seasons, it is not
safe to hold on too long; but when,
Immediately after harvest, the price
is much below these figures, those
who can afford to hold their wheat
run very little risk of loss in doing so.
--amcrican Ayriculturiss.