Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-25
advice 10 the Wheat Growers.


In discussing the low price of wheat
and its cause the Chicago Tribune says;
s'Let the farmers also SOW less wheat
this fall and shorten up the acreage lot
next harvest, and thus let the consuming
power of the world catch up with the sup
ply. just now the farmers are suffering
from Over-prOductiOn Ofwheat. Inc reme-
DIV is TO produce less of that cereal."
II is not altogether certain that the
remedy is to produce less wheat. what
can the wheat growers produce that will
nav them betterg They might raise stock,
but the market appears to be pretty well
supplIed with meats Of all kinds.
If they could produce sorghum or beet
sugar prOftably they might turn their at
tentiOn in that direction, since there is
certain to be a greater demand for sugar
in this country than cane sugar planters
will ever be able to supply.
After all, probably the wheat farmers
will have to continue to raise wheat be-
cause their farms are adapted TO that
cereal, but unless there is a great Euro
pean war or a famine it is not probable
that the prices of wheat will soon be as
high as they were a few years ago.
Within the last few years India and
Russia have begun to compete with the
United States in supplying the European
market with wheat, and this competition,
doubtless, has something to do with the
present low prices. The wheat growers
cannot afford, they say, to raise wheat at
present prices, but it will be remembered
that W hen cotton was worth a great deal
more than it is now the planters said that
if it went any lower they could not atierd
TO raise it. They have managed to raise
it, however, for less than they are
getting now and the crop would steadily
increase if the prices were to drop cOnsid-
erably below what they are at present.
The wheat growers will complain that
they are losing money, but there will be
no decrease in the acreage of wheat. If
the farmers of the wheat growing
sections, however, are wise they
will cease to support the
party which burdens them with a high
protective tariff. If they get less than
they used to for their wheat, they ought
to pay less for their machinery, clothing,
and everything else they buy, the price OF
which is increased by the tariff. As long
as the Republican party remains in pow
er, however, they must expect to pay from
40 to 60 per cent. more for many OF
their supplies than they would have
to pay if a tariff were levied
for public purposes exclusively. They
will have to do this, notwithstanding the
fact that their wheat yields them only
about twO-thirds of what it used to yield.
The protective tariff does them no good.
The price Of wheat is fixed in Liverpool.
The sooner the wheat growers lend their
aid in turning the Republican party out
of power the better it will be for them.
Hon. Frank Hurd, in a late speech,
speaking of the remedy for the low price
of wheat, said
What do l propose to do? What have |
tried to do IN the. congress Of the United
States to save the foreign market to the
farmer? / would first break down this
high protective tariff and reduce it to
tariff for revenue only; break down our
walls so you can go abroad with your
wheat, and sell it to all the countries OF
the world. Then by making reciprocity
treaties with Canada and Mexico and
South America and Germany and France,
the farmers of this country can have
market for their grain; by this policy you
will have three or four hundred millions
of people taking your grain who don't
buy bushels of it to-day! And unless
this policy be adopted, or something OF
this sort be brought around, you VIII be
selling your wheat in less than year at
less than 50 cents a bushel, as predicted
a year ago.