Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1884-11-19
What Shall We do With the
CrOps2

The following sensible and readable
article Is from the Easton Gazette OF
last Saturday and we commend a care.
full reading Of it by farmers and bust.
ness men generally:
"A distinguished bank officer and
/ iinancier asked Us to-day the above
question. He thought the country
and in fact the whole world. was grow.
! ing under load of agricultural pro-
/ duce, for which there was no present
/ or prospective demand. Do not be
alarmed, we said, we are better of
than we were last year. Farmers are
hopeful and are busily at work, conf
nent that as long as people must eat.
the products of their labor will be
wanted. Let us be thankful for good
crops. They are great blessing. We
know that low prices entail suffering
and disappointment on individual pro-
ducers. This is true of farmers and
manufacturers alike, but the farmer
has this great advantage, he can live to
a large extent on the products of his
own farm, and heknow5 that the world
cannot live single week without
wheat and other soil products. THAT
IS all very well and very true,' he re-
marked, but do not see what can be
done with the present large surplus of
wheat ? In the first place, we said,
the surplus is probably exaggerated.
AT this season of the year, when the
wheat is in the farmers hands, there
are more Bears than Bulls They
wish to get prices down as low as pos
sible, and many Of the papers TEEN
with articles calculated to induce far
mers to accept any offer made them
for their produce. Even admitting
that there Is Il large wheat crop all
over the world, it must also be remem-
hered that prices are extremely low
far below the cost of production and
reasonable profit, it is well-known
fact that low prices greatly increase
consumption. When prices are high
we get along with as little as possible.
we are careful to waste nothing. Now.
If the bread is not Just what we like. it
goes into the swill-tub. If we cut
larger slice than we eat. no matter.
bread is cheap. II favOrte dog looks
at You while eating, you do not hest
tate to share with him. If the cook
does not object to the extra baking.
you do not care if the pigs or the
chickens, the ducks, the geese or the
turkeys, get more or less bread. On
the writer's farm we have large lot of
poultry that are fed by the Juvenile
members of the household and fed so
literally that they will not look at rye
or common screenings. Nothing but
Gold Medal Wheat, or the best Claw
son, suits their fancy, and they are to-
day getting without serious protest.
all they will eat Of it, If wheat was
one dollar and fifty cents per bushel.
not kernel would they get.
" In addition to the bread and wheat
which the pigs and poultry get Incl
IDENTITY as result of cheapness, there
are many places where wheat will be
purpOsely, and as matter of conve-
nlence and economy, fed to stock of
all kinds. There is very little old corn
in the country, aud wheat is taking its
place. This condition of things exist
more or less throughout the world
Wheat is very cheap, beef, mutton,
pork, butter and cheese, are high, and
there IS no law, human or divine,
against converting the low priced arti-
Gle into the high priced article. If it
will pay the thing will be done. AS
rule 1t does not pay to feed wheat to
animals, we can get cheaper food.
But If once in century or decade,
wheat falls so low that it can be more
proftably and more conveniently dis
posed of in this way, wheat will be-
come the staff of life for men and beast
alike. We have as yet scarcely
touched the wheat of the past harvest.
the world eats a good deal of bread
every day, and there are three hun
dred and siXty-five days till the same
time next year, when, if the harvest of
1885 is as early as it was this year. we
may hope for more. Until then we
must live on the present supply, and
happy should the world be to know
there is no deficiency.
In all sober seriousness, what is
there in the situation to call out such
dOleful representations of impending
disaster? If the crops were poor
should we be richer? Wall street may
have cause for fears, spectators may
come to grief, railroads may lose
money, but the agricultural interests
of the country are, on the whole, safe
and prosperous. Let us be thankful
for the abundant grain crops"
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