The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-07
Farmers Organizations.

Minneapolis Tribune.
There is one way that organizations among
farmers might be made of great benefit to them
which we do not remember to have seen dis
cussed to a very great extent. Farmers are Of
ten at a great loss to know when to sell their
products; whether to sell them as soon as they
can get them ready for market, at the prices
then ruling, or to hold for higher prices. The
hesitancy arises, in q great measure, from their
want of knowledge of the condition Of crops
throughout the world. Middlemen, between
producers and consumers. make it their bust
ness to become informed of the state of the crops
in all portions of the globe, and also the amount
of the old crop remaining over, so as to be able
lower prices. They can command the
means to subsidize the commercial press
of the country. and induce it to publish
reports of crops that will have a bearing toward
subscribing their interests and enable them to
gamble in produce with a fair certainty of win
ming. Now, why should not farmers themselves
become the best informed Of any class of the
probable yield of their crops. No one else can
form so correct an estimate of the probable yield
OF a field of wheat, corn, oats, barley or po-
tatoes. Or who can know SO well of the mum
Der OF sheep producing wool, or the number of
swine fattening. or the number of beeves feed
ing as the shepherd or the husbandman. The
truth of it is, the commercial man must orig
inally derive his knowledge of the state
of the crops from the farmer himself.
Then why can not the farming class,
which furnishes all of this information,
profit by it themselves. The reason is because
they lack that organization and correspondence
among themselves necessary to collect and en-
body the Information which is scattered among
them. We have throughout our country, State,
county and local agricultural societies, that
probably do a great deal to benefit the farmer;
why cannot they accomplish much more by col
lecting crop statistics9 If every county society
would have in every town a committee of the
best-informed practical farmers, residing in diff
ferent localities, who would report several times
during the growing season the condition OF
crops in their several localities, to its CORE
spending secretary, and he arrange and classify
their reports, and transmit them to the secretary
of the State society, and the State societies
forward them to a general secretary at Wash
ington. who should publish them in the agricul-
tural press of the country, we know of no reason
why the farmer should not be as we'll posted
upon the various conditions liable to influence
prices as any other class in the community. The
same system of collecting and disseminating sta
tistical information could be adopted in other
countries, and then an international correspond
ence could be established that might result in
immense benefit to mankind. Such a system of
correspondence, once established among the ag-
riculturai people of the world, could be SO ex-
tended as to embrace other objects. 1t is true a
kind of statistical bureau is at present in opera
ton at the Commissioner of Agricultures Office
in Washington, but it is worthless, at least
so far as being a benefit to the farmers.