The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1874-11-27

The prices received by Western farmers
for their produce have of late been very
familiar subject Ia the public. That these
prices have not, rs a general rule. been
satisfactory, i circumstance of which
every body who concerns himself enough
about the matter 10 think Of IL al all l.
well aware. We promise in this article.
10 speak of one OF the reasons for this
state OF affairs, which has not received the
attention its importance demands. We
refer L. the competition occasiOncd by the
agricultural progress of the East.
y From a.out the year ls5j until within
the last five or six years. the West seemed
I likely eventually To drive some OF the most
valuable of the Eastern farming products
in great degree from the market. Lands
that cost almost nothing were brought
into competition with farms for which
I high prices had been paid. Great tracts
OF prairie invited the construction of cheap
lines of railroad. The great West. IL was
proclaimed, was the granary of the coun-
try, the place 10 which hungry millions
were 10 look 10 a solution Of the bread
problem. The condition. and still more.
the prospects. of Eastern farmers were
piiied by the kind-hearted. laughed at by
the unteeling. philosophical upon by pO-
litical economists. and regarded by the
community in general in pretty much the
same light as the position of stage-,lrivers
and proprietors when modern means OF
locomotion came into fashion.
But however pleasant this condition OF
affairs may have been 10 some people. il
did not suit the Eastern farmer himself
He found that his property increased little
in value; sometimes il actually deprecated.
Ii in any ease there was "A material rise i'm
il, il was generally on account of proX-
unity 10 growing town or a new rail-
road. a man with a hundred acres of
farming land usually got little more, and
in some cases decidedly less. income from
ii than he did twenty years before. The
need OF an alteration in the traditional
method Of agriculture, a hc had learned
ii from his father. was forced upon his at
tention in manner more impressive than
agreeable. In the meantime. the whole
question OF making small and not natur-
ally very fertile farms "a productive n pos
sible had been carefully studied by scien-
title and practical men in Europe and
America. The result of all this has been
a wonderful improvement ia the style OF
a great deal OF our Eastern farming. And
that is not all. Modern farming j. Begin
ming 10 require far more capital than
formerly. In this respect. the Eastern
farmer has Specially In pro-
portion TO the number OF acres he cultvates
"a great advantage over his Western
competitor.
Besides the improvement in Eastern
farming. there j. another very important
circumstance 10 be here considered \
great deal Of farming land in the East
which has until recently been idle or near
~ so. is now coming into use. In regard
Ia much OF this land there was. for many
years. almost dead halt in the improve
ment. There are counties in our own
State rich in natural agricultural resources,
in which nothing likea quarter OF those
resources. (reckoned even a our farmers
have ordinarily been accustomed 10 cacll-
late them have a. YET been developed.
Some OF these counties have scarcely in
creased al all in population or wealth since
long before any state west OF the MisSis-
sippi first heard the sweet music Of a loco
motive whistle. The competition OF East
ern with Western farming. although. a.
we have seen. ii is highly important on
account Of what IL l.. l. still more 20 on ac-
count OF what il is likely 10 De. We have
no means Of knowing exactly what tie
proportion OF the agricultural products OF.
for instance. the area OF the two States OF
New York and Pennsylvania is to what il
i capable of producing: bur il j. at best
very small. This Isl fact which the peo-
pie of these two States are beginning To
find out in way they never did before
And il j. fact, also. which the farmers OF
the West. however unwilling they may be-.
must take into account.
Most of our remarks about improve
ments in the style OF Eastern farming are
also true, in substance. Of the methods OF
agriculture in large part of Europe. In
deed they apply more forcibly TO some OF
the great European nations tlan they do
TO any portion of our own land. The great
rivals OF Western farmers are--Or are like
ly soon 10 be-the scientific agricuIturists
Of England, Germany and France. These
countries are-cOntrary 10 all our former
anticipations and their own-likely 10 be
better able TO supply themselves with food
from the products of their own soil twenty
years hence than they were twenty years
ago. Making the greatest possible allow
ance for the increase In their population. (
the increase in their agricultural resources
is certain TO be In still greater ratio.
What we have here said may possibly 7
be regarded by some persons as contain I
ing very unfavorable predictions. Ii does /
not seem so to US. We do not believe that /
Improvements in farming in our Eastern \
states will, in the long run. harm the l
West. We have not room here TO give /
our reasons for these opinions; but will 1
simply remark that the prosperity which I
depends upon supplying with bulky ag-
ricultural products far distant States or I
countries on the same isothermal lines 4
must necessarily be of very luctuating
kind. The producers nearest the consul
mers usually have an advantage which 4
secures for them market under all CIR
and which In plentiful years
tends, as a matter of course. TO exclud
those whose products must be- burdene1 4
with charge forhundreds or thousands of
miles of transportation.-N. " Times.