St. Landry democrat., 1883-03-03
Supplying the Home Market.


Before the age of railroads and steam
boats farmers kept the villages in their
vicinity well supplied with meat Of all
kinds, as well as with fruit, grain, but
ter and cheese, and other farm pro-
ducts. Since facilities for transpor-
tation have improved the ma GRITTY of
farmers ship the r surplus products to
large cities as soon as they are ready
for the market. As a consequence,
villages and small towns are often very
poorly supplied with the products OF
the soil raised in the Immediate vicinity
of them. They are also very poorly
supplied with many of those articles
that might be producedif farmers would
give attention to them. If they are Of
fered .or sale at all they are procured
from some large city to which they
have been shipped from the country.
Many grocers and provision dealers in
country villages obtain all their sup
plies from some large city, though
many of the articles they sell are or
could be produced on the farms about
them. The present dis osition of farm
ers is to limit the number of the crops
they raise for sale and to send them to
city market as soon as they are in a
condition to sell. The demand of vii
laoes is overlooked. They are poorly
supplied with many common farm pro-
ducts, and have no way to secure those
that are rare except 10 obtain them
from a large city. Sending farm rro-
duets to acity ana then bringing them
back to the country is bad policy. The
cost of carriage is considerable, the
charges of commission men and whole
sale dealers add to the cost while the
quality of the article is almost certain to
| dete. iorate. Is Still no inconsiderable
proportion of the articles that are sent
| from the country to the city find their
wav back to the country again.
The usual course of trade in this par
| ticu.ar is well illustrated in the matter
OF pork products The majority of farm
/ ers slaughter and pack the numter of
hogs they think they will require for the
use of their own families. The re-
! maindcr of their hogs they sell in bulk
/ to some shipper or droyer, and they are
Immediately sent TO some large city
where they are slaughtered and packed,
/ or sent to some point further East. 1t
is no unusual thing for farmers who
/ have considerable hired help TO be out
4 of pork, bacon an lard before the year
is out and another crop of hogs are
ready to kill. As to the PEOPLE in the
neighboring village. they are of necessi-
ty obliged to obtain their pork, hams
/. and lard from some city where they are
kept in stock at all times. The differ
ence between the price of dressed hogs
and that OF salt pork, hams, bacon and
lard is always large. Especially is this
the case after the latter have been kept
six months or more. The cost of curing
and of storing is light. but alter the sup
4 ply of fat hogs is exhausted there is a
great rise in pork products. Of late
there is decided pre- ference on the part
of consumers for country-cured hams.
bacon and pork, and for country-ren-
/ dered lard. Still no oneseems ready to
4 take the requisite steps to supply The
4 demand. A farmer who will pack the
4 pork he produces properly cure and
smoke hams and bacon, and render the
4 lard in the hogs he iattens, will be quite
sure to find market Tor them in the
village next to his farm within three
months of the time they are ready te
sell. What is more he will realize about
: twice as much for them than he will il
4 he disposes of his hogs alive or dressed
for the city market. A farmer or an as
ISOLATION Of farmers can do well in start
4 ing small packing establ shment il
the vicinity of the, village that is mos
convenient to them.
Good, sweet corn-meal and prime
unadulterated buckwheat flour are gen
orally quite difficult to obtain. An in
81 ferior article is furnished by city mill
and is sold in towns and cities. Farm
3 ers who raise the grain can have i
i ground in considerable quantities at
a lime, and can dispose of it near home
81 Country villages are generally yer.
II poor.y supplied with fruit OF all de
q. scriptions, and especially with small
Il fruit. Unless the people raise thel
i own trees, vines and bushes, they eithe
] 90 without fresh fruit or. obtain it iron
: a distant city. There is generally NOR
, profit in selling iruit in small town
! than in large cities. The price is ordi
narily higher. while there is saVin!
] in transportation and commissions.
s a farmer raises more of any kind o
t fruit than he can dispose OF near hom
in fresh state he can preserve or cir
] it and keep it till it is salable. Coun
J try villages. are also generally very poor
t II supplied with garden vegetables
J Ordinarily they get no vegetables tha
! deserve to be classed with luxurle:
! They have common potatoes. cabbage;
/ tomato es and turnips, but they have n
J sweet potatoes, asparagus. caulitioWel
lettuce. cress or radishes, unless the
/ raise them There is generally de
! mand for these articles, and If none ex
! lists it can be created by little effor
j Articles that tempt the appetite ca
generally find purchasers at good price:
/ Itrequires no more exertion to build u
3 a trade in a village than in q city