The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1881-01-06

fattened upon turnips and swedes. The
flesh is tender and sweet, and commands
a high market. The sheep are very large
often weighing $50 and $50 pounds. He
grows from twelve to sixteen acres OF
turnips, which yield from twelve to
seventeen tons per acre A small lot,
perhaps an acre, of these turnips is fenc-
ed in to itself, the sheep turned in, and
when they have cleared up that portion
they are put upon new lot, very much
after the Southern Ohio method of "nog.
ging down corn" The farmer sells
yearly from the increase of his own fl lck
go lambs at 81, making $42O he mark
cts 10 head of cattle at 500. making $500;
he usually sells a horse each year for
1925. Almost all the crop is fed, but he
sells annually surplus in barley and oats
amounting to 5000 poultry and eggs $50
a small clipping Of wool, $4O-the sheep
being grown almost wholly for the NUT
ton. This year he cultivated about six
acres of potatoes, u part of which we're
gathered and stored for the spring mar
ket, but the major part were sold in the
ground. The ground having been care.
fully measured and staked off into roods
and perches, the sale was advertised and
the crop sold by auction to the highest
bidder, the purcka er furnishing his own
hands and gathering his own crop, but
the grower teaming in to the railroad
station.
The crop sold for trife over $100 per
acre, the six acres yielding $3.50 He is
allowed $50 yearly by his landlord for
damages done his crops by the rabbits
and other game. But he assured me that
this in no wise covered the damage.
One year after he had expended 5000 in
fertilizers and labor upon field of grain
the crop was utterly destroyed and the
grain not worth gathering. Some years
he is damaged $500. He is bringing suit
to recover a greater amount oil damage,
but the result is uncertain. So rigid are
the so.called game laws" that if this
farmer saw one hundred rabbits destroy
ing field Of his grain, be is not allowed
to destroy single one-nay, he would
be prosecuted if he did. Ha would be
allowed to 60 quietly and "shoo them
out" no more, All this is to protect the
landlords game for the landlords sport,
but at the tenants expense.
When l asked lin what he considered
fair estimate for his yearly savings, he
frankly answered that he was satisfied to
put in the bank, at the end of each year,
from $3.50 to $500. This man, with farm
so barren that an American, under the
present system of farming, would starve
out, meets cash expenditure of $4 600,
makes comfortable living for his family
manages the labor and furnishes support
to half dozen other PERSONS, and yet
can save $500 yearly-a small sum /
know, but we must not forget where his
money has gone. 1t is holy by tilling
every inch of soil that can be cultivated
by the most careful labor and exacting
economy that he is able TO save any
thing, and am sure it gives lesson in
thrift which almo,t every American,
particularly every Western American
farmer should learn.
The question of American competition
is just now being everywhere discussed.
Several special meetings have been held
in London for that particular purpose.
For three years there was almost total
failure of crops throughout Britain. This
year the crops are, in the main, good
During these three years of failure, the
United States furnished the supply. A
prominent English merchant remarked
to me that if it had not been for the
cheap and abundant food furnished them
by the United States during their dis
tress, he feared they would have had
revolution. But the American, having
found profitable market across the AT.
Iantic, will not likely abandon it, even if
England can feed her own people, which
she will never again be able 10 do. The
English farmers are alarmed, and the
landlords who have been living upon fat
rents, seeing in the future, a possible
elimination of rents, have come to the
rescue, and all sorts of excuses and argu
ments are advanced in favor of the En-.
glish farmer. At the Lewes Fat Stock
Show dinner, the speaker on Agriculture
said that the American farmer is handi.
capped at much as the English that his
taxes are quite as high, that he rented |
on the shares, giving the owner one-half
the crop, upon which he (the speaker |
would be glad to let all his farms; that |
American farmers paid one dollar per
day for all their laborers, and boarded |
them also, and that the American had to |
ship his produce 5000 miles to bring it |
into English competition. This last
point is the only correct one. These
!. 900 miles of ocean, with risks of storms,
and the charges multiplying from 80
much handling of freight, will always
be a great protection to the English
farmer The speaker either does not
know, or has forgotten that the American
farmer almost invariably owns his own
land, pays no rent, and about Que half
the tax that they pay here, and that that
is the secret of the prosperity among the
farmers OF the States. Further, the Ia
borers, if taken by the year, as here, can
be secured for oDe.half the sum named,
and the great tide of emigrants flowing
into the country will drive it lower yet.
One Mr., Read, who went to see for him
self the real state of American agriCuI.
ture, and who addressed the farmers
Club here few nights ago, has not re.
turned as jubilant as might have been
expected. | thought his effort, as q
whole, was a mild letting down" of En-.
glish expectation, and while he said as
much in def of English farmers, he
got behind his main trenches in the ar.
gument in saying that the English pro.
luce was vastly superior to the Amar
can. The London Times came to the
rescue on the day following in an ed
torial, a part of which read thus:
"The American butter does not enter
nto competition with the produce of our
iairies. American cheese only goes down
with those who have lost the pure taste.
Nor is American pork like ours. Hun.
,ry people, however, must be content
With what they can get, and England
will long supply large class to whom
American produce will be luxury, and
whom we need not grudge it. And, un.
ess revolution should arrest the change
which has been going on many years,
Ind which we have all been accustomed
o thank heaven for, there still increases
he class that enjoy life under specially