Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1882-08-17

received for their products, show wheth |
er they have gained or lost in the last
G5 years. The prices of some of the
articles of which farmrs were purchas-
ers then and now are quoted from Off
cial reports.
Price in 1876
Cost Of steel per poxnd, lie.
Sawplate per pound, doc.
Nails per pound, l2ic.
Broadcloth per yard, SIG.
Wooden blankets per pair, $40 to S20.
Cotton cloth per yard. 30 10 50c
Calico per yard. 2J 70 75c.
Salt per bushel, ~ to -.
Price in 1892:
Cost of steel per pound, 10 to 25c.
Sawplate per pound, 26c.
Nails per pound &c.
Broadclotl per yard, s..
Woolen blankets per pair, 50 TO $40.
Cotton cloth per yard. 4 TO 12c.
Calico per yard, TO Ice.
Salt per bushel, Is to 25c.
In 1916 one bushei of corn would
buy one pound of nails. In 1882 one
of nails. In 1916 it took from % to so
dozen Of eggs TO buy one bushel of
salt; in 1882 one dozen Of eggs will do
the same thing. In 1916 it required 81
bushels of barley TO buy one yard Of
broadcloth; in 1882 five bushels OF bar
T. ley would do the business.
r III 1910 Dc required one Dushcl oil
: wheat to buy one yard of calico; in
e 1882 one bushel OF wheat would buy
= - yards of better article.
= In 1916 n pair of wooden blankets
q cost rs much as a COW; in 1882 II COW
p would buy from to 20 pairs of blank
t cts superior in every way.
: In 1916 it required about 10 pounds
J. of cheese to buy one yard of cotton
C cloth; in 1889 one pound of cheese
i would purchase three or more yard,
d quite as good.
, The value of agricultural products
e in the interior of New York at the time
l. named were very much higher than il
r the west, and manufactured good
n were very much lower. But ever
, there. when prices were comparativel.
n high, the value of agricultural pro
- duets of every description have in
il creased from 500 or 400 per cent an,
~ the prices of all manufactured good
then were from 300 TO GOO per cen
HIGHER than they are now
There is no folly superior to tina
which attempts to convince farmer
- that their condition has not improve
=! in the last 90, or 80, or 20 years. The
- know, and except for the statistics
- prices Which remain to convince tn
Wv world, farmers know this better tha
- anyone else.
- Let any one of them look backwar
-" and call to mind his condition and I'll
-" condition OF his neighbors in any OF
''0 of these periods, and he will need II
:, - statistics to satisfy him that the fer
- ers of this country have vastly in
las
., proved.
Their houses are better. They hay
:" carpets and stoves and books and IN
~ steal instruments. They have elegal
" furniture, comfortable homes, magni
cent barns and outhouses, highly il
- proved farm lands, improved stoc
and money in bank. Even up to Is
great numbers of them only held the
head above water by intense effort.
Nv They had no time for recreation and !
900 money TO expend in distant visits
80 other expensive social enjoyments.
All this has changed. Tie great ma
of them are now surrounded by a tho
sand luxuries and are i'm II condition
~ enjoy many costly and honest ind
20, gences which GO years ago, or even j.
before the war, were beyond tn
means and even beyond the hopes
-. many of them.
-, What magician has worked Il
. change! 1t certainly was not proloI
ed labor alone which did it, for I'll
and their fathers before them work
-. as diligently before in all the years
which there was no betterment.
Let them east about for IA reason a
,r;, they will find none until they come
the railroads and the tariff.
The railroads brought their prod
nearer TO the consuming markets, o
vastly lowered the prices at VIII
farmers products could be delivered
s.. lths.a WIN needed thew. This wnst