Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1870-01-20
The Lesson of the Hour.


The entire Northwest is too exclu-
sively devoted to grain farming, SO
that what may be written at this
time may applyto every State in the
North Mississippi valley.
Times of financial depression will
occur, and their causes are beyond
our control. But any cautious bust
ness man may SO conduct his affairs,
that when the storm does come, he
will be ready to encounter it. Farm
ers can as well adopt this course as
any other class of business men.
Any farmer of common intelligence
ought to know-ought to have
learned by past observation-that
dependency upon one crop only, for
income, is extremely hazardous.
The financial crisis of 1857, and that
of 1861, were lessons that should have
taught our farmers that monetary
stringency, which only induces de-
preston in the regions devoted to
mixed farming, causes sudden and
complete prostration in the grain
growing States Of the West.
1t is true that there are large
number of Western farmers who rear
stock for the markets, and make
butter and cheese; but it is equally
true, that by far the larger number
stick with a barnacle tenacity to
grain raising, and will have nothing
to do with anything else. This is
true of numbers of men who have for
long time been upon their farms,
intend to remain upon them, and
make farming their life pursuit.
The writer has conversed with q
large number Of this class; and on
being questioned as to their course,
they will tell you almost invariably
that they know their course is a
wrong one, but they have not the
means to make the change. They
lack means to fence their farms into
small lots, or seed their land, pur-
chase stock, etc. And SO they choose
to go on from year to year in this
Improbable manner, pinched for
money all the time, their houses
poorly furnished, their premises bare
of good buildings, their sons becom-
ing disguised with farm life and
leaving for the city, and every few
years enduring protracted spasm
of "hard times"
Now, if these men would but
change their system, and devote
their farms to greater variety OF
products, they would at least obviate
the distress resulting from financial
depressions. To-day dairy products
and pork demand remunerative
prices. The contrast between butter,
cheese and pork on one hand, and
grain on the other, in respect OF
prices, is truly striking. The present
stringency in money has had very
little effect upon the three first-nam-
ed articles, while the last-named has
declined almost to the minimum.
So that we can see there are some
productions that can escape the iniiu-
ence of the scarcity of money.
That farmer to-day, who has a
goodIy number of hogs in his pens,
or has quantity of butter and cheese
on hand, for aught any one can see,
is Just as well Off as he could be in
the most prosperous years. 1t is be-
cause he holds products, which, be-
cause of lack of overmuch supply,
bring good prices at ready market.
This is the key that can unlock the
secrets of successful farming. We
should, by raising variety of pro-
! ductions, and mixing our husbandry,
provide for any market changes that
may arise. A well-tO-do farmer,
can, if he has meat and dairy pro-
ducts to sell, as well as grain, when
one kind is low, sell one and hold
the other for better price. But if
his years income is all in his wheat
bin, and that happens to be low, his
resources are limited indeed.
| This is the lesson that we should
learn i'm this hour Of financial depres-
sion. Farmers hold the base OF all
business prosperity; and although
they cannot combine and get "cor-
ner" on the money market nor 'bulP
and bear the prices of produce, yet
they can, by having a variety of
products to sell, obviate much ankle
ty and distress for lack of money in
times of monetary stringency.-E.
C. G.. in Western Farmer.