The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-12-03

officers Of our railroads order new cars
and build new roads so that the millions
of bushels of hoped-for grain may be
transported rapidly to the great cities
on lake or sea-shore. Board-of-trade
men look to the coming crop as afford
ing them the opportunity TO amass a
fortune, or to recover what they may
have lost some previous year. New
and enlarged elevators are built to
store the wonderful crops expected.
Spring soon gives way to Summer, and
Summer to Autumn. The crop is
harvested, threslled or shelled, and is
now ready for market. Hope ceases
to be a controlling principle. Expecta-
ton gives way to certainty. The farmer
now no longer hopes that his field may
yield 80 or 40 or 50 bushels per acre.
He k71O1Cs just what it has yielded-it
has produced so much and no more.
The average may be the largest known
for years, or it may be painfully and
discouragingly small. Tt is all the
same, and the husbandman INDUCES in
no more hope for that season. In
Spring hope was the ruling, controlling
principle of all his plans and opera
tions-now he is governed by stubborn
facts. 1t seems to me that this must
be the experience of all who till the
soil. He who but cultivates square
rod of ground in his back yard espe-
cially he who cultivates an ordinary
garden, OF farm, as most of you have
done, as he has harvested his crops this
fall has felt: This is all / am to have
this year, And as we have been gather
ing in our vegetables and grains, we
have compared the present year with
those that are past; and most of us are
prepared intelligently to give thanks.
1t would be impossible in the short
time allotted to sermon to enumerate
the manifold blessings for which we
as individuals, as communities, as
churches, as nation, should be thank
| full. I shall only indicate few Of the
more obvious reasons for thankfulness.
/. First, then, we have reason for
thankfulness because of fair crops and
good prices. The wheat crop Of the
present year is, according to the estimate
of the Agricultural Department at
Washington, an increase of 100000
bushels over the crop of 1S79-the
average per acre in the state of Ohio for
| 1880 is Is $40 bushels this was an in
| crease over last years average of 3-5 of a
bushel. The above figures show Ohio to
be probably one of the first wheat pro-
ducing states in the Union. According
| to the same estimate the oat crop falls
a little below that of last year. Moth
ing is said, in the report which saw,
of the corn crop, but my impression is,
that corn will also show slight short
age over last year, but we must re,
member that the corn crop last year
was simply immense. Kansas alone is
estimated to have produced i20,00O,000
bushels of corn in 1879. There were
more acres of cotton planted this year
than last G per cent. more and the
yield is estimated at above the average,
an increase of 7 to Is per cent in North
and South Carolina, Georgia and Florl-
da, and Is to 20 per cent. in Texas.
The fruit crop for the present year has
been the largest ever known in the
United States. If we look at our ex-
port trade during the present year, we
can Judge something as to the yield of
our harvest, although it needs to be
said that the exports Of this year in
clude much that was produced last
year. During the first nine months of
1880 the value of provisions shipped
was an increase of $21,S03,504, 2615
per cent. more than for the same
period last year. During the same
nine months the value of breadstuffs
shipped abroad was $32, 279,596 more
than the corresponding shipments last
year. While speaking of our great
exports, / cannot help asking, how
comes it that we have such large
amounts for shipment, after supplying
all our home demands? Is not the
answer to be found, to quite an extent,
in the influence of our Agricultural
Societies and our Agricultural Litera-
ture? Through these agencies farmers
have been able to learn of better modes
of cultivating the soil better kinds of
grain, and more profitable breeds of
stock. One hundred and eight years
ago Geo. Washington wrote in his diary
as follows: "With one hundred mich
COWS OH my farm ] have to buy butter
for my own use" 1t has been said by
some one, that she who is able to
make two blades of grass grow where
but one grew before is public bene-
factor" So is he a benefactor who can
show us how to make two pounds of
butter where we made but one before.
| referred to our Agricultural Societies
and our Agricultural Literature. They
are both of recent origin. The first
Agricultural Society in the United
States was formed only ninety-six
years ago and the first horticultural
Society but forty-nine years ago. Now
such societies are to be found in every
state, and are almost as numerous as
the counties. And from their meetings,
discussions and publications have gone
forth influences for good not to be
measured. The prices being paid for
most of our products this year are
good. Two years ago oats brought 16
and 20 cents per bushel-this year 25
and 80 cents per bushel. Fifteen to
eighteen months ago butter and cheese
were sold below actual cost, now at a
handsome profit. Potatoes are worth
one-third more than they were twelve
months ago.
ii. We have reason for thankfulness
because so few people are of necessity
without employment. a little over
one year ago President Hayes in one of
his speeches delivered in Kansas spoke
very hopefully of the outlook both for
capital and labor. Before / started
on this tour" said he, 81 thought to
gather certain facts that / might pre-
sent them to the audiences | meet. /
wrote to very intelligent gentleman
in Pittsburgh. / knew that Pittsburgh,
the great iron mandatory of the
country, had suffered more severely
from the hard times, perhaps, than any
other great city. The reply / got was
this: The gentleman had written to
twenty glass and iron manufacturers
of the city and they had replied in
twenty letters full of hope and en-
enlargement for the capitalist
alone, not for the business men alone,
but for the laborer as well; showing
that profitable employment for labor
and capital and for business enterprise
| has again reached that great CITY. That