Nebraska advertiser., 1877-10-25
GRAFTON,
Delivered by Ex-Goy. Furnas, Before
the Saline County Agriculture
al Fair, Sept. 81, 1877.
Continued from last ,0eeE.

laboring classes from the many ills to
which they are constantly subjected,
and which, In many instances, they
have just cause to complain. l would
like to dwell more at length upon the
feature of agricultural education, and
its importance as connected with the
agricultural interests of our young and
growing State. But / must pass on.
WILL FARMING PAY ME?
Is question thousands ask them
selves and others.
That the farmers remuneration is
comparatively slow and not large.
cannot be denied. But 1t comes with
a certainty that 10 almost unequaled.
And if farmers to-day are in debt, and
heavily mortgaged, il is largely be-
cause their unframed minds have been
unable to grasp the widely separated
. causes and effects in our political
economy, and hence, unable to bride
aud direct the spirit of enterprise and
w bllS llCge tiO fiOSt 1c
n rule, become millioAaires, venture
the assertion, that more men who de-
vote themselves to the pursuit of ag-
rlculture-Study it, understand it,
prosecute 1t intellIgently, follow it be-
cause they love it-reach a point of
competency and reah downright COM
fort and enjoyment of true life, than
in any other dozen pursuits combin-
ed. Time will not permit the discus
sion In detail of this feature in agri-
culture. In all detailed estimates of
the profits of farming, many very i'm
portant items in the cost of living are
left out.
If farmers who figure on this Ques-
tien would estimate the cost Of board
ing, house rent. fuel, ETC., in the cit
les and towns, and at these rates esti-
mate what It would cost to support
their families, when tried by the sum
of these figures, very different re-
suit would be apparent, which would
in most cases demonstrate most clear
ly that farming does pay. A farm
improperly managed of course does
not pay, nor will any other business
pay with such management. Success
In business of any kind follows good,
and not bad management. Official
statistics show that In the states
known as the west, 1.-THE increase in
farm property in the last twenty
years has been the difference between
1914 ,OOO. 600 and S., ,I35 900 600, being
81, ,22l ,000, 900. The value of the farm
products in 1870, in these states, was
was S97S, 200, 600. The further graft
flying result was shown that 975 out of
every 900 farmers owned their farms,
and accumulated $500, 900 900 worth
of property. The number OF farmers
in the territory referred TO Is shown
to be 1000 900, showing an average
worth of each farmer to be $2.567.50,
S46O to each individual over ten years
of age. They paid out for help in this
time $91 900, 900, being less than ten
per cent. of the gross income" In our
own state there are a number of in
stances where farmers have purchss-
ed second hand lands, and out of ac-
tual proceeds, paid for them entire In
less than two years. 1 undertake TO
say that no other Industrial branch
can show such gratifying results.
TRANSPORTATION.
Not only intimately, but insepara-
bly, connected with every interest Of
this State, is the question of transpor-
tation-the mode of business inter-
course and exchange of products be-
tween ourselves and those of other
portions country. The farmer feels
its Importance more keenly than 9TH
ers, because all his surplus products
must be disposed of through this
Transportation at best is aOdSte !-cLeda
sOGSte :! The greater the distance the
greater the waste. Two edged in its
character-cuttlng at both ends of the
line. The consumer pays and the
producer loses.
Nevertheless, it has always been
resorted to; always will be, as of ne
oessity. in exchanging products and
commodities. 1t cannot be used how
ever, advantageously to either the
producer or consumer, except in the
most compressed or condensed forms.
Experience has shown that no raw
product can be transported remunera-
lively over one thousand miles. The
farmers Of small means who is not
able to purchase hogs or cattle, and
oondense by feeding his crops, is COM
PEELED to sell the raw product, while
the farmer of means can compress |
tons into hundreds of pounds" by
feeding, and thus reduce transporta-
ton. The farmer of small means is,
therefore. the greater sufferer.
Agricultural has for years been |
moving west in quest of cheap. fertile
lands. The movement of bulky
western products to eastern oonsum-
ers, has been and is greatly embar-
rassed, both by the quantity produced
and needed, and the small value per
ton, as compared with many other
fruits of industry and objects of COM
merce, and therefore the transporta-
ton of our products under most fav-
orable terms knewn, peculiarly bur-
.densome to those who consume and
those who produce. AS the distance
between producer and consumer wild
ems, the cost of transportation, as l
have indicated, increases. and thus
becomes every year a matter of more
vital concern. Here, in Nebraska,
we have all that can be desired as to pro