The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-10-07
SOUTHERN FARMERS, READ.
And Think About it, and Talk IL
Over Among Yourselves.

We begin series of articles from a small
work by Augustus Mongrcdien of Paris.
published bv the Cobler club. of London.
INTRODUCTORY.
The golden rule for successful trading is
to buy in the cheapest aud sell in the
dearest market. Strange to say, the
American farmer reverses this rule He
sells IN the cheapest and buys in the dear
est market For what he raises he gets
lower price, and for what he consumes he
pays a higher price, than the and-tiller>
ret and pay IN any other country IN the
world This Is very singular state OF
things, and is well worth thorough exam
ination.
While the Southern and Western farmer
himself neither receives nor seeks any legisla
tive protection" he is compelled BY law to
supply his wants. not from the cheapest
sources, but from certain privileged estab-
lishments to which he has to pay extrava-
CANT prices. While he requires no State
subvention because his occupation is of it
self profitable one, he is heavily taxed to
support Improbable manufactures in the
Eastern States, and has to make good their
losses out of his profits. That this is hard up
on him everybody must admit, but no one can
realise how really hard it is, or how vast
sum IS year after year wrung from him in
this way, without resorting to figures and
setting il forth in dollars and cents.
Hom march IS uctupUy taken lYeorlI) ont ot
tie pockets Of the American turner's Ly
contpJHng them to b"y dear, mSfeod of
oHori"g them to b"y cheop, goods.
| Rv tho census of 1870 tha nonnlation of
rho ITnitad Stata. was fonnG - he 9S 6nn
ono and tbo nnn,har ovar ton voar. nf aoo
,,,o 30 300 600 If ,boso - 5nc non ,,'r,
enaagaJ IN yar;onS kinds If oc.unat;n1, tbe
rnst hein9 women ynnno narsons Of ho1b
seres ;dlers 6. Wbaf wera tba ras,,aa.
tive omnInyna,ts of tbasa - 5n6 nnn M.
80 aaarJ;n,r :, ,La oors,,s rot,,r,s 'baro
ware-
5.g22 coo persons engaged In agriculture
! 4,685,oc0 in professional and per-
,o1 %, :. n trade o,si ond fransnorta- sr.oiu,
/ tlon.
654oeo III mechanlcai trades and
| o.o54Ooo nmannfactnres,
49, -
. l-9o,,ooo
In round Numbers. there were two millions
| of nersons enpaqed in manufactures. an.i
| these were exclusively privileged to sunply
nearly all the phvsical wants (eycept food
sand lodpino( of the other ten and half mil
EonS of yortorS .n6 ,boir families
| As in these paoe, we only profess to rep-
| resent the case ot tbe American farmer. we
nust cnntine our attant;on to tbe >ix mil
lions of persons and the families who are
engaged in the cultivation IF .he soil 1t IS
quite true that the remaining four and
half millions engaged in professions. IN
trading. in mining. and m personal service.
are sufferers to quite proportioDate extent.
but they 90 not come within the SCOPE
| of the present inouiry.
Now let us see what is the actual amount
which the farmers that is, soil-workers
generally spend yearly on the goods produc
ed bv the manufacturers
In the first place. the six million of agri-
cuIturists of 1870 must bv this time have
increased to at least ;. 800 600, as viii no
doubt be seen by this wears census. To
be within the mark we wiIlcall them : 600.
O0o nearly all of them having wives and
children. Now, what is the average annual
expenditure on all articles Of consumption,
! food and drink. Of each of these families
| On careful investigation. and consultation
with conscientious innuirers and with per
son, most competent to iudge we feel con
/ 6dent that we are within the mark in com
mltipr such annual expenditure at 300 dol
| lars ner family. incIu,lirp within that aver
age the small! minority of unmarried men
among the !, 200 600 agrculturists. 1t must
/ be borne in mind that this amount Icludes