The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1873-03-14
CAUSE OF "HARD TIMES"
GENTLEMEN OF THE ANDREW County
FARMERS CLUB.

GENTLEMEN OF THE ANDREW CoUTTY
FARMERS CLUB.
The cause, or rather auSes CT the pres
ent hard times among farmers are many
The war left US with an inflated curren-
cy money was plenty, farmers got Il
high price for their produce. then II
seIuently sold OF every thing they could
| spare and turusG it into money. II mon,
cy easy it is apt to go cas- hciic'
! we got into a way OF spending or mon.
ey f~reeley, Willie money WAS cheap, and
/ when it got to be worth more, we con-
tinued to spend it in the old fashion.
Manufactured articles such as farmer
have to buy. do not fall az soon as money
becomes scarce; their price is regnlatc',
by the law of supply and demand. and
since continued to buy freelcy, the price
kept M. and now what little We have to
spare will not meet our current expen-
ses, Thismakes US feel the ne ,essity 81
curtailing our expenditures. Farmer,
are not buying much more than one
half they did two or the years ago: hence
Merchants are not gencfan.iy doing much
DclltT tlldl We JIt, dilh very SDoli tiS
manufacturer will begin to suffer rs the
As the farmer and merchant now dc
merchants are not selling their goods
consequently can not buy of the man,i-
hactuer, while his manufactured goods
are accommodating. These he cannotscll
at the present prices: so he will have to
tall. We shall have 4 change; and If We
| work together and tend to u W bus
! ness as we should. we will come out on
top. Farmers are not generally the
most prosperous when their produce
| brings the most money. They then sell
off their produce, and spend the money
and when money gets scarce they have
| nothing to sell; but when money i.
scarce, and the farmer sees that he can
not sell his grain, or his stock for what
it cost him to produce it he holds Oh tt
it. He thus requires more wealth thar
when money is plenty. | have seen this
practically illustrated more thar
once.
Another cause Of the present bare
is, that we have turned our attention M
together to a few staple articles Of pro
| duction. The remedy will be 10 rails,
a greater variety. Farmers should rais'
a variety Of the kind Of grown and stpc.
best suited to their farm, and continue
irrespective of prices; it would pay Il
| the long run
Another cluse, is the failure of o1
| wheat crop, which not only stops q N
| come from that source, but has forced II
| to send d great dcel ofmoney out oi th,
| country, for seed wheat, and flour. Tit
| remedy for this: will be to pay more at
| %tention to raising wheat.
Still another reason is found in til,
vast sums paid by farmers to get theil
| produce 10 the eastern market and larg'
| profits allowed TO stock buyers, OF whom
| there are more than fifty in this country
| This latter expense at least might nearl,
| all be saved by the farmer, AMI this .'gt
| between" service dispensed with. Thes'
| middle men are worthy farmers them
| selves they could therefore by applyin:
their time rightly oil their farms. max,
! an honest living: and they would als'
| have the satisfaction of knowing thai
| they were producers, and not drones
Every farmer should take his county pa
| per aud keep himself postedi in the prize
| IF his produces This would encourage
| packers and packers general agents. &
to advertise n these papers, instead o
ending nlea all over thh country il