The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-04-01
The Tax BiIl--InHuencc of Large
Cities.
For the DISPATCH.

lb. Ed,tor: In your brief article of Fri
dav, headed Tar Bill, you touch a subject OH
which our reoplc need information and,
through that, enlightenment. mean the III
tilencc of large cities on wide areas OF aSrl-
culture. Permit he to give you 4 fact on the
Question, which ought to be worth a great
deal to those who will consider its bearing.
1t is contained in the following extract from
4 letter lately received from a New York
stock breeder, whose branch, though, is diff
ferent from any spoken of in the letter. The
writer says "Early lambs, say good fat
ones that are got into market (New York
city) say from the 10Th of May to the 10Th OF
June, command high prices, often bringing
from 10 to % cents per pound, IUe weight.
But the facilities for getting to market with
lambs, sheep, and calves and cattle, are very
great, rs well us for butter, cheese, balcd
lav, and baled straw, from North river.
Irresponsible ireighting eStabli>hmentSare
established at various points along the river
that run Il barge or eamboat to New
| York; and the farmers send their produce
by the boats, Oh which are capable and Elf
cicnt commanders or captains that sell the
products sent, and the bills are made out and
left at the %storehouse, where the farmer gets
his money one week from the day his pro.
duce was sent. The commission for selling
is from three to five per cent. From New.
burgh, u shipping place, there is a boat for
| every night in the week. You will readily
see the advantage of such facilities"
A neishbor OF mine last summer asked q
butcher seven dollars per head for a small lot
of choice lambs. The butcher declined to take
them; and my neighbor, determined to see
what he agreed to take per pound, selected
the next morning what he thought the ave.
rage lamb, and slaughtered and dressed it,
or had it done in his presence, and then
weighed carefully the ~carcase, the fleece, and
the otial, except the blood. The aggregate
weight was siXty-four pounds. At sixty
pounds, the price, according to the above
figures, would have been from nine TO fifteen
dollars, being nearly three times as much as
the ordinary range of prices in the country
that sells lambs to Richmond. Yet, James
river is better suited to the business than
North river, and lambs are now q better crop
than wheat.
I have heard of a lot of shotes that were
sent from Charles City to New York by
steamer that, after paying freight and com
missions, brought exactly the double of the
outside offer from Richmond butchers. .
lido not say the butchers here can give
more, but the farmers could get more if the
city was large enough to absorb all they cln
make, and to produce more competition
among the butchers. s.,
But whilst youar presentinga good argu'
ment to the Legislature, as you did on Fri.
day, cannot you teach some of your own citi'
zens something OF the principles that regu'
late the building of cities? l think some OF
the Council need a little teaching; but as
do not know how they will bear it, | leave
the time and mode of instruction to your bet.
ter judgment.
Though apart from my subject, will you
allow me 10 express the hope. that " FORE
LAND" will keep on" and LAY on?" Like
him, a debtor, and a kindly INDUCED one, be.
cause l have always protested, and tried to
manifest, the effort and intent to pay, 1 an
alarmed at the strides l see towards repudia.
ton of private debts. 1t is far better that q
community shall become bankrupt than that
robbery should become popular under the
name of necessary repudiation. &.
March 80, 1872.