The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1869-04-03

Meat and Bread.-The steady advance of
meat and the equally steady decline of
brcadstuff within the last year OF eighteen
months. should arouse our farmers to in
quire the cause of this great disparity be-
tween these staples of agriculture, and set
| about more nearly equalizing those pro-
duets of the farm. Wheat is quoted in the
Elkton market at $3.50 to S1.70 per busllel.
and yellow corn at so cents, while bacon is
selling at 20 cents a pound for sides and 25
cents for hams. Every farmer can remem-
! Der few years back when he had always
| Il lot of bacon to sell in the Spring, sur
| plus over his own needs. and the price was
! but little more than half these figures. with
grain commanding about the same price
then that is does now.
! The great advance in the price of grain
| during. and since the war. induced farmers
| to put every bushel of grain they could
! spare into market This led to the curtail-
mcnt of all kinds of stock, and especially
hogs. Formerly every farmer who cultiva-
| ted q hundred acres, kept eight or ten
stock hogs, OF shoats, over winter. and the
following Fall they were large porkers
averaging, if Il good breed, 800 pounds
apiece when butchcrcd. Then the farmer
was seen taking his surplus bacon to Tie
country or village store III the Spring tG
| trade for groceries. dry goods and othci
accessories. Now, however, this order OF
| II q
ten seen transporting meat from the store
homcward, and meat which cost go and %
cents pound. which has been raised in
Indiana and Illinois and passed through
the hands of half a dozen middle men, who
all must make Il profit ont of it, and which
multiplied profits are all finally paid by ON
Cecil county farmers, who on account OF
having neglected business. are compelled
to bug this inferior high-prccd meat, il,
place of being in a condition to supply the
market of the county with home raised and
bome-cured hams. The farmer is not only
compelled to buy at :: greatly advanced
price on what lie ever sold bacon for. but
| he is compelled to look to his wheat and
corn crops for the means to meet this new
| expense, in addition to his multitude OF
other expenses. And these crops selling
down to almost the prices Of twelve years
ago OH account OF impoItations from Cal
ifoinia and other wheat growing countries.
where immense crops are made with com
paratiyely little labor.
IS it any wonder that our farmers cry out
in distress, with high wages high taxes,
costly manures. and everything they are
compelled to buy, at high prices, while
they have to meet these numerous demands
only two or three crops-and they partial
failures-to look to-?
Such a state of things should not he per
mitted longer to exist. Our county should
not only raise its own grain butter, cheese.
beef, bacon, and poultry, but should be an ey-
porter fall ofthcse and other farm products
The first thing orr farmers should do toward
repairing their loses, and amending their
broken fortunes is to look after supply
of hogs. of an improved stock. Let them
avoid, as they would 4 pestlence, that
miserable shad-like breed that used to be
so common in every piece of woods, with
legs like grayhounds, SHOUTS equal to sub
sol! plows, and which no fence except a
stone wall would turn. Chester pigs, three
OF four months old, are now selling from ten
to twenty-five dollars apiece, according to
quality, which is startling to the easy going
old farmer; but a pair of such pigs is
cheaper to breed from, at those prices,
than those lons-snouted snipes are, as a
free gift.
To I've successful and avoid failures q