Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1880-11-20

crOps were relied upon to produc'
money. They would bear transports
ton well, while the value of cheaper
and more bulky products would b.
consumed in CARRYING them a com
paratively few miles over the land.
The average cost of transporting
freight by wagon over common dir
roads is about twenty cents per tol
per mile, and when this was th'
cheapest or only way of carriage. i
is plein that only valuable articles
could be drawn long distances, anc
sold at any profit TO the producer
Cotton, worth 5000 per ton, could b
drawn by a mule team the entire
length OF a state, and still be yalus
BILE to the producer. Wool, wortl
81 600 per ton, could be carted many
hundred miles, and still leave sheep
raising a profitable business. Tobac'
CO, worth $3.50 per ton. could also bt
csrted q long distance. Hay, how
ever, worth only $40 per ton. woulc
bear transportation only q very shor,
distance. The like was true of pota'
toes, garden vegetables, and mos
kinds of fruits and grains.
Persons were engaged in CONNER
/ ciuI farming OH land bordering on the
Mississippi river and it's tributaries
at a somewhat early day. because
they could avail themselves of the
benefits of water carriage to New
Orleans. They could construct psfts
or cheap flat-boats and move their
farm products down the current at a
very small expense. In many cases
they could dispose OF their RATS or
boats for sufficient money to bring
them back to their homes. During
favorable winters many farm pro-
ducts could be cheaply transported
long distances Owe the snow or ice.
During "open winters" how ever,
transportation was very difficult, and
of urse expensive, and many pro.
ducts could not be disposed of ut any
price. saL tt-
The construction Of canals and the
introduction of steamboat naviga-
ton gave q great impetus to CONNER
cisl farming, and served to open up
portions Of The country that were
previously very sparsely populated.
In many places domestic farming gave
place TO commercial farming. In
some localities they caused a great
change in the kind of crops produced.
In places where only tobacco aud
much corn aud wheat were raised
tant market. Steamboats, put an end
TO the neccssi;yIof building RATS and
boats that were only valuable for II
single trip, and resulted in building
up home markets at all the available
landing places on rivers and lakes.
The most valuable portions of the
country for farming purposes, the
great fertile prairies OF the west,
were, however, destitute of any but
the most ordinary mean of transpor-
tation ; the soil that was so produc-
tive of crops furnished a o mis-
cradle material for the construction
of roads. They we're rarely covered
with sufficient snow to make fair
sleighiug. Few field crops could be
produced that would pay the cost or
transportation to a shipping point.
Live stock could be produced in
abundance, but the loss and expense
of driving them several hundred
miles to market rendered the profit
of raising the animals very small.
The building up of u extensive
railway system has rendered COM
mercial farming profitable i'll almost
every section of the country. In fact,
railroads have revolutionized the
business of farming in nearly all por-
lions of the Union. The land that
is most remote from water cemmun-
ication is most generally devoted To
commercial farming. while domestic
farming is practiced in localities near
water communication. In short,
railroads have caused commercial and
domestic farming to change places.
Had Dakota been settled seventy
years ago, nearly all the people would
nave necessarily engaged i'll domestic
farming. As matters are now, nearly
all the settlers are engaged i'll COM
mercial farming. The like 10 true OF
other sections OF the far west.
A few years ago it did not pay to
haul hay from the central portions Of
Massachusetts, TO Boston, but the city
is now supplied In part with hay pro-
duced west of the Mississippi rive.
Last year live cattle were taken from
Oregon and Washington territory to
London and Liverpool. Once farm
CTS Nci6 lipCiAc VI CSOuu VI liz
high price of carriage, to produce OF
their places all the products required
or their families. Now they fnd il
profitable to limit their crops TO those
things that are best suited to the soil
and climate of the regions they &C.
cupy !; they no longer force produc-
lion in spite of soil and climate, but
adapt their crops to suit them.
Railroads have not only produced
home markets, but cash markets.
They have brought customers to the
doors of our farmers and relieved
them Of the difficulty and expense of
taxing their crops to distant shipping
points. They have rendered special
ties as profitable i'll agriculture as
they are in manufacturing aud COM
nerce. They have extended the do
main Of profitable agriculture and
equalized the value of farming land
in all sections of the country. They
have almost abolished barter trade in
all sections and introduced cash sales;
what is more, they have seemed to
elevate the social and Intellectual
conditions of farmers by rendering
intercourse cheap aud rapid.