The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1874-04-30

a combination of farmers professors,
no doubt they'd rather be excused.
Kansas City packers could, aud did,
come here aud pay one dollar per hun
dred pounds more than our butchers
prices.
Riding across the prairie one day in
March, overlook neighbor q. Neigh
Dor Q is one of the most intelligent OF
our grangers. whats the best ncws!'
said I. "Well," said he, "John NJ,
who came out here last week, talks OF
starting business in withdrawing
| implements and hardware 10 the
grangers. lie has been selling TO them
in Illinois" All, said l, and how cheap
are YOU going to get your plows !
well" said he, ''John says we will
save about six or seven dollars each
on stirring pIows." Well, said /, am
not prepared to dispute it, but il a
combination of power has reduced the
price of implements to that extent ]
fear il has dnne n great wrong. Uh-
paid labor cannot long continue. and
when the plows already made are all
sold we will have to do without. \
few weeks later I called on neighbor
Q. He was blowing for oats with a
new plow, and, am glad to say, TAX
ing much pains with his work. What
did YOU give for your new pillow, /
asked. WELL" said he, 81 won't tell
you the granger price, but the other
price is $500" | went town and
bought plow of the same brand, OF
Schlichter & Russell, for $1,000, and
afterwards learned that it cost me halt
a dollar less than neighbor Q. had paid
for his. Another intelligent neighbor
tells the new corners that if they will
join the grange they can buy tirst-class
fencing lumber for $4,000 per thousand
feet: and this he tells in the face of the
fact that the price in Kansas City by
wholesale is $22.50. True some things
have underwent small reduction in
price. Did not such things occur when
we had no oranges? In 1866 staple
dry goods came down seventy-fivc per
cent, while the products of the farm
kept up at booming prices. When the
financial crisis of last fall is considered,
it is the surprise Of most business men
that the reduction has not been great
er. Friend adam hopes to hear
something in tangible form. What
shall it be? When | dropped them a
few tangible facts in regard to raising
corn. the effect was much the same as
if had thrown a firebrand into the
dry prairie grass Oh windy day. Now
don't say that all grangers are alike,
but some Of them cannot stand facts,
and if any of them ever acknowledged
the least unreasOnableness or incon-
sistency on the part of their order or
its individual members, have failed
to see il. don't believe secret orders
are in the habit of doing this, and es-
pccially this new kind which seeks to
classify society. If l was not aware
that nothing but language the most ell
egan,. chastc and respectful can come
from that side Of the house. | should
have taken adams" last sentence TO
be little slangy. lie should, how
ever, excuse me for whipping the devil
(as he chooses to call him) around the
stump, for he knows locked doors pre-
vent my meeting him face TO face. Now
many of the grangers have, no doubt,
written down Farmer X" as 'picce
of stupidity and prejudice" | hope
this idea is not correct Ny ncighbors
nearly all belong to the order. don't
say that they are any worse for il, but
they should not abuse me too much
because am not yet willing to say
that they are any better. When l find
that they are really better, doing mere
to see every wrong thing righted, to
advance the general good or interests
of society, or making better farmers,
| shall acknowledge it frankly. If some
of them will raise one hundred bushels
of corn to the acres this coming season,
and then give ten bushels Of it to the
poor, this pen shall tell it all.
Farmers pay ALL was the subject
of an article read, from the pen Of a
granger, some three weeks ago. was
almost ready to conclude that the
writer was suffering martyrdom to
the cause of agriculture, and these were
his dyin. words. The subject itself is
such very questionable declaration,
and if ! was n master granger, would
see TO it that my deciples disabuse their
minds of this idea as soon as possible.
How would the farmers pay all with
out the plow, spade, hoe and other i'm
elements from the hands of the me-
chanic? how without clothing from
the weaver. shoes from the cobbler,
etc. Farming is not the drudgery it
used TO be when our fathers were
Young: and why? Because mechan-
ical aud inventive genius does half the
work. My memory carries one back
twenty wears. We were planting corn,
the first days planting that season.
One man and team were making the
rows with a plow; two boys doing the
dropping: one man and horse covering
with bull-tongue. BY faithful work
this force could plant eight acres per
day. A man drove into the field with
sprim. wagon upon which was perch
ed two-whecled contrivance painted
blue. "Is this the Geo. Brown corn
planting machine the Prairie Farmer
tells about" inquired my father as he
advanced toward the vehicle. 1T is
said the agent. The planter was soon
lifted to the ground, tongue adjusted
and horses from the pillow hitched there
to. After a short trial of the planter
il was bargaincd for. Next day one
man. boy and horse was sent to do
other work, while the remaining part
of the force, with the aid of Browns
invention. turned of about twice the
work the whole force did the day be-
fore. Years rolled by and spring was
coming again. The frost was rising
from the earth. and farmers were look
inc forward TO the putting in OF an