The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1873-08-21

have to economic and count every cent
they expend, you would see that the as
sertion is not true. Take the farmers
who live within ten miles west of me,
and don't believe the whole of them
spend Sl5 year in reading matter /; and
as for dress, your mechanics who work
by the day and their families, are much
better clad. All over these prairies you
see magnificent fields of corn but if it
costs the farmer more to raise it than
he can get for it, good crop is no sign
of prosperity"
Is it true that you have to sell your
corn for less than what it costs YOU to
produce it ?" 1 asked.
Certainly, and can demonstrate it
to you," was the reply. "Ihave given
the matter very careful study for years,
and think 1 can tell just about how
much 1t costs me to rnise bushel of
corn. You may take first the labor. 1
think any farmer will tell you that it
takes man and team at least five
days to plow, harrow, mark out, plant,
cultivate, harvest, and house an acre of
corn. 1t can't be done in less time.
Two dollars q day is 10 more than fair
price for the work of man and team.
Then the first item of expense is $1O
The land in this county is assessed at
$33. 33i an acre 1t is worth, unless the
sale of the whole of it should be forced,
$40; refused S68 an acre for my farm
last year. Interest at ten per cent on
$40 for one year is 81. Fifty bushels
OF corn to an acre is more than the
average of this county. To shell q
bushel of corn and haul it two miles to
Kewanee, with taxes, the wear and tear
on farming implements, &C., costs at
least five cents bushel, OF So. so for the
crop on an acre. So you see my acre of
corn has cost me SIG 30. Corn is now
worth in Kewanee 20 cents bushel,
My 30 bushels will, therefore, bring me
only $40. That is, barely get paid for
my labor, while I lose the interest on
the money invested in my farm, the
wear and tear of machinery, and get
noting for shelling and carting, or with
which to pay my taxes. Again, the
bushel of corn has cost me 33 cents. l
suppose we can raise corn at profit for
30 cents bushel. Our farmers don't
expect to get 10 per cent interest on
their Investments, though they have as
good right to it as tho capitalist or
merchant. Then there is one other
thing which did not take into account.
Ihe stalks have no cash value, but they
furnish fodder for our stock. The only
thing that has saved the Illinois farmer
from complete ruin and bankruptcy
has been his stock. After our corn has
been husked, we turn our cattle into
the fields and they will come out in the
spring fat. I said that l would tell you
why large farm might be made pay,
where small one could not If man
has large fam and capi al enough he
can make money raising stock and hogs,
because each will get certain percent
age of its growth from material on the
farm that has no market, and is, there
fore, really of no value unless nsed in
this way. Besides, the corn which /
feed to my stock and pigs, brings me
much more than 90 cents bushel.
" l can give you some striking ex-
amples of the profit of raising corn
and wheat in this vicinity, if you de-
sire. One forenoon a man went past
here with load of 60 bushels of corn.
He said that he had come long dis
started at four o'clock in the
AS he returned in the after
noon, asked him how much he had
got for, his load of corn. He held up
two pairs of boys boots, and said that
his 60 bushels of corn, and 81 in cash,
had just purchased them. 1t took at
least seven days labor of man and
team to raise that corn, and another
long day to haul it to market, TO say
of interest on the farmers in
vestment and other expenses. 1 Judge
that each pair of boots cost about five
days labor, or its equivalent. l knew
another man who took a ton of corn to
market for the purpose of buying coal.
1t purchased Just ton, and he spent a
day with his team in hauling. One
year 1 raised $500 bushels of wheat,
and kept careful account of its cost.
When l sold it, and balanced my books,
found that had for my own labor,
which L had not charged, and that of
my wife, who had terribly hard time
lf it cooking for harvesters and thresh-
ers during the hot weather of midsum-
ner, just $500 Why, sir, 81, 900 would
not have paid for that summers work.
Wheat is so uncertain crop, it has so
many enemies from the time it is sown
until it is threshed, and it is so exacting
If the farmer, who must attend to it at
| certain time, or he will lose it, that
We can't afford to raise it for less than
10 cents bushel. ..s-. E.
,"Now there is something wrong in
III of this. With our productive soil,
md facilities for reaching market, the
armers of Illinois ought to be fore
handed, comfortably housed and clothed,
md able to save a little every year, in
tead of getting deeper and deeper into
lebt. We are an intelligent, hard
economical people, and every
me of us who owns his farm is to that
'xtent capitalist and we ought to be
lble to do as well as the journeyman !
mechanic, with less education than we,
md no capital. 1t is not right that the
chicago, Burlington and Quincy Rail-
Dad, which only moves our crop to
chicago, distance of 1872 miles, and
he trade in that city who handles it,
hould be growing enormously rich,
While we are growing poorer. 1t is not
worth II cents bushel to take our corn
rom here to Chicago, and the railroad
hat is charging it is robbing us of a |
,art of the frnits of our labor"