Nebraska advertiser., 1870-01-06
Prices OF Farm Products.

Prices OF Farm Products,
A farmer said to us the other day,
sswhy don't you write something
about the prices of farm stuff, and tell
MS what to do9" We would be most
happy to be able to tell the farmer
lust what to do in regard to these mat
tiers. Farmers, like every n else,
must be governed in a great measure
bv surrounding circumstances. If he
is in "good shape" he can "hold on"
until prices suit him. If he is hard
up.n he is often compelled to sell for
what he can geS. In this latter case
he should be sufficiently posted to.
know what to let go, and what best to.
hold on to. In both cases he ought to
know what his crop cost him, and.
when he can do well to sell. We see
but two reasons why produce is so low
iustnow. The country has been look
ing for a "smash up"-for the govern
ment to "resume specie payment"
and bring everything to a gold basis.
Since Congress has convened the peo-
pie breathe easier in this respect. The
President has spoken in his message,
and the indications are, that no great
fears need be entertained from that
direction. The next difficulty is, the
want Of shipping facilities, especially
at this season Of the year. We want
some means by which we can get our
produce to market, more readily and
rapidly, than even by river at its best
stage. We want railroads; and,
friends, we must have them. A we'll
TODD farmer Of this county, who does
not travel about much, and who has
not wen given much attention to rail-
road matters, said to US one day this
week, "I have been over to Phelps,
and ND the G. B. amidst. Joe. R. r. to
Council Bluffs and Omaha, and I de-
clare to you that I find all kinds Of
produce from twenty-five to fifty per
cent. higher to-day than in this coun-
tv. believe we are loosing more to-
dav for want Of railroads than it will
cost to get them" There is no doubt
as to the truthfulness of this position.
But we did not intend this to be q
railroad article.
Now, what shall the farmer do? If
he is not compelled to sell, hold on
until spring. If you must sell now,
let the corn crop be the last you'll let 60.
No business GhOoys pays; and farm
ing is not an exception to this rule.
In fact there are reasons why this
should be more applicable to the far
mel than to any other class of COM
munity. Farmers have no fixed rule
as to selling. They are, to use the ex-
preston, too nervous. When prices
are good, they are disposed to 'hOld
on" with the hope that they will be
higher and often refuse a dollar and
twenty-five cents per bushel for,wheat,
and afterwards take less than a dollar.
Then again, when prices are low, they
are in a great hurry to sell, lest prices
will be lower. J. HARRRIs has written
a very excellent article on this very
subject, for the American A~gricuHuriSt.
We heartily endorse the whole, and
extract the following:
powerful as the agricultural press
has become, it is not yet capable of
inducing farmers TO combine together
for their own interests. The time is
coming. however, when we shall
know how much it ought to cost US to
produce a bushel of wheat in an av-
erage season, and we shall refuse to
sell unless we get a fair price. People
must eat, and il would seem that pro-
ducers had the question of price in
their own hands. Toa certain extent
this is true; but with the modern
means of transportation we a never
permanently get u~nreasOnably high
prices. We have to compete with the
, whole world, and the problem we
have to solve is, how to raise our pro-
ducts as cheaply as it can be done by
any other nation. If wages are too
high, they must come down. In this
respect, however, farmers must COM
pete with other industries. Men will
not work for us for less than they can
get in the nurseries or market gard
dens, or on railroads or canals. They
Will not dig bitches on the farm for
less wages per day than they get for
digging sewers in the cities. The
trouble at present is, that we have
to pay a great deal more in the coun-
try than the same class of labor is
worth in the cities. Only think of q
man earning $5.3 a day in digging
underdrains ~