Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1882-08-25

Mining VS.. Farming.
Enporia Republican.
Mining experts estimate that since
1850 $40, 000, coo have been invested in
money and labor in western states and
territories in mining the precious met
ais, and that 81, 200, 900. 600 worth ofthe
metals have been taken out of the mines.
The figures on money and labor in
vested seem rather light. If we sup
pose that 100000 men have been en-
gagged in mining for thirty years, their
wages, at 50 per day, would be $780,
600 per day. Counting 800 working
days to the year, which at 100000 per
day would make the labor alone worth
81 800, 900, 000-or 81, 100, 000, 900 more
than the experts estimate money and
labor together. Reduce the number of
men to $50, 600, and the labor would be
worth 5000, 000. 900. If we could get
at the exact figures it is very question:
able if the gold and silver mined have
amounted to one-half the expense put
into the mining business, but, never
theless, the mining business has had
the effect of settling up the west, build
ing of railroads, towns and cities and
development of agriculture and E,an-
ufactures to an extent which has greatly
aided in the general growth and pros
perity of the country.
Turning to agriculture, let us see
what Kansas is extracting from the
ground this year. The wheat crop,
30, 900, 600 bushels, at so cents per bush
ell, will yield S2S, 900, 600; the corn crop,
$500, 600 acres. at 40 bushels to the
acre, will yield $50, 600, 600 bushels,
worth, at 30 cents per bushel, S54, 00O,-
600. All other crops and the increase
of live stock, we may estimate as equal
in value to the corn crop. Total agri-
cultural products not less than S136.-
600, 600. Ten years of Kansas crops
will be equal in money value to the to-
tai amount of gold and silver mined in
the United States in the last thirty
years. If 100, 900 men are engaged in
raising these crops, their wages in
ten years would aggregate $500, 000,-
600, or about ene-half of the products.
The money invested to carry on the
crop and stOck-raising business, in
GLIDING the purchase and improvement
of land, is fully repaid by the addition
al value given to the land used
for such purposes. An improved
farm averages as much, at least,
in value as the land and improve
nents have cost, because it need
never be worked out, while the eXhaus-
ton and consequent loss of all value of
a mine is in most cases a question of Il
limited number of years of production.
Taking no account of the hardship of
mining, we have no doubt that Stats
ties will demonstrate that not only is
farming altogether the most profitable
in the aggregate, for the money and
labor invested, but that if both were
equally profitable, farming in the ma
ture of the case and in the light Of its
history. is an occupation the profits and
benefits of which are very evenly dis
tributed in proportion to the respective
amounts of capital and labor invested,
while the profits of mining 90 TO a
lucky few and never have been and
never will be obtainable by the great
majority of those who invest the mon
ey and perform the labor in that line
of business. The deduction is plain
that farming is the safest, surest and
most profitable of the two occupations,
and in its aggregate results productive
of ten times the national wealth and
happiness that mining is. One is the
occupation at which the great majority
of men can succeed, the other is the
occupation ut which the great majority
must inevitably fail.