Dodge City times., 1883-03-01
SUPPLYING the Home 1ar4st.

epoatS farAers kept The Wages lp thaf
vicinity we'll supplied with meat of all
kinds, as well as with fruit, grain. but
ter and cheese, and other farm pro-
duets. Since facilities for transpor-
tation have improved the ma ority of
farmers ship the r surplus products to
large cities as soon as they are ready
for the market. As 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
that might be producedif farmers would
give attention to them. If they are Of
fered ior 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
thev raise for sale and to send them to
a city market as soon as they are in q
condition to sell. The demand of vii
lagos is overlooked. They are poorly
supplied with many common farm pro-
ducts, and have no way to secure those
thai are rare except to, obtain them
from large city. Sending farm rro-
ducts to a city anu 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
detel iorate. Still no inconsiderable
proportion of the articles that are sent
from the country to the city find their
way back to the country again.
The usual course of trade in this par
ticuIar is we'll illustrated in the matter
of pork products. The majority of farm
ers slaughter and pack the numt er 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 drover, 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
of pork. bacon and lard before the year
is out aud 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 ere
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 after the sup
ply of fat hogs is exhausted there is a
great rise in pork products. OF late
there is a decided preference on the part
Of consumers for country cured hams,
bacon and pork. and for country-ren-
dered lard. Still no oneseems ready to
take the, re ,uisite steps to supply the
demand. A farmer who will pack the
pork he produces, properly cure and
smoke hams and bacon, and render the
lard in the hogs he tattens, will be quite
sure to find a market Tor them in the
village next to his farm within three
months of the time they are ready to
sell. What is more he will realize about
twice as much for them than he will if
he dsposes of his hogs alive or dressed
for the city market. A farmer or an as
sociation of farmers can do we'll in start
ing small packing establ shment in
the vicinity of the village that is most
convenient to them.
Good, sweet corn-meal and prime.
madulterated buckwheat flour are gen
orally quite difficult to obtain. An in
ferior article is furnished by city mills
and is sold in towns and cities. Farm
ers who raise the grain can have it
ground in considerable quantities at a
time, and can dispose OF it near home.
Country villages are generally very
poory supplied with fruit of all de-
scriptions, and especially with small
fruit. un.ess the people raise their
own trees, vines and bushes, they either
go without fresh fruit or obtain it from
distant city. There is generally more