The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1885-09-24
BUYING AND SELLING.
The Practice of Farmers to Sell Whom
Are Cheap and Buy When They
Are Dear.

LIE ~ q
Products Are Cheap and Buy When They
Are Dear.
A generation ago the farmers of this
country sold few things and bought but
few. They not only fed but clothed the
members of their families from the
products of their farms. This course
was necessary, because markets were
few, the means of transportation poor,
and money scarce. With the intro
duction of railroads the establishment
of markets, and the great increase of
circulating medium, great changes were
produced in the affairs of the farmer in
relation to trade. In many parts of the
country it has become the habit of most
farmers to sell almost everything they
produce on their places, and to buy al
most everything that is needed to sup
ply the wants of their families. Of
course, this plan must be pursued
by farmers who make a specially
of raising cotton, tobacco, hops,
broom-corn, and some other crops
that are not food products. They must
buy their meat, breadstufs and fruit
the same as merchants, manufacturers
and artisans do, or else devote a por-
ton of their farms to the production
that can be used for feeding the family.
In many cases they will find it to their
advantage to buy of reighboring farm
ers and gardeners poultry, eggs, vege-
tables and fruits. aud to obtain their
flour, meal. dairy products and meat
from regular dealers. Such, however,
is not ordinarily the case with persons
engaged in general farming combined
with stock raising. They will find it to
their advantage to raise nearly all things
that can be used in feeding the family
and to hold back from market a suf-
ficient quantity to last till more can
be produced. That they do not ordi-
narily pursue this course is observable
in many WAYS. During the fall and
winter live and dead meat of all kinds
is being forwarded from the country to
large cities, especially those that are
extensively engaged in slaughtering
animals and curing meats. 1t is often
the case that a rich farming region is
almost entirely drained of meat at the
winter holiday season. If the weather
is cold enough is frozen to supply the
family till about the LIST of March.
During the spring and summer smoked,
dried and sailed meats, and often fresh
beef and mutton preserved by ice, are
sent from cities to country towns and
sold to farmers. During the present
season great alarm has been created in
numerous country towns by sickness
caused by eating unwholesome meat.
In each instance the meat has been traced
to some packing-house located in or
! near a large city. The meats that pro-
duced sickness were eaten in country
towns which furnish more meat than
the inhabitants a consume.
There is no gain in selling meat in
the fall and winter and buyingit back
| the next spring and summer. even if
there is no considerable advance in
| prices. But there is a large advance in
price. As a rule, prices rule low when
a large quantity of any article is put on
the market within a short time, as is
the case with beef and pork at the close
of the fattening season in the fall.
| They rule high when the market no
longer receives supplies and spectators
have every opportunity to arrange COM
binations. Farmers, scattered I'VE a
! large extent of territory, a not combine
to put up the price of beef and pork,
| but the persons who have collected
them in a great city a readily do so.
Meat is constantly rising in pr.ce from
| the time it leaves the farmer in the fall
| till it comes back the next spring or
summer. One freight bill must be paid
to send it to market and another to
| bring it back again. From the time it
| leaves the farmer till it returns it passes
| through several hands, all of whom ex-
act some profit. Insurance, inspection
| dues, and commissions must be paid.
The cost of the packages is also added
! to the price of the meat. Ordinarily
the meat that was sold in the fall fol-
! five cents per pound a not be bought
back six months afterward for twice
that sum
In many cases farmers sell the hogs
and steers they raise and buy back the
meat they furnish because they do moi
understand how to dress the animals,
are not skilled in curing the meat, OF
have no good cellars or smoke-houses.
Every farmer should understand how
to slaughter and dress animals. and
how to cure their flesh. If he is ignor.
should embrace the first opportunity tc
acquire the needed information. Il
NAV be impractical for all the farmers
in a portion of country that has been
recently settled to have cellars suitable
for the keeping of meat. Severa-
farmers, however, can unite in con.
structing a cellar in some favorable
location that can be used for storing
the meat packed by all of them. Each
barrel can be marked with the name
of the owner, and the cellar can be
opened at specified times for the &C
commodation of those interested in it
There are few farmers who are too pool
to own a smoke-house, and such a build
ing will serve not only for curing
meat, but for storing it. The d~eliciou:
hams. shoulders, and side bacon one il
certain to find in most parts of the
Southern States are now sailed. smoked
and kept in the same building. Dry
salt and sugar were applied to them
They were slowly smoked and left hang
ing in the smoke-house till they were
wanted for use. No cloth or paper
coverings were required to keep flies
and other insects from them, as the in,
terror of the smoke-house is kept en-
tirely dark. As corn-cobs or hickory
bark are generally used in the South fo,
smoking meat it has a delightful flavor
Occasionally during the spring an:
summer a fire is kindled in the smoke
house, especially if the weather is damp
for the purpose of insuring the preser
walton of the meat and the killing o.
insects. The ~old-fashioned smoke
house is a Southern institution tha1
should be introduced into all the West
ern States and Territories. 1t is ar
economical institution, and one thai
insures good living at very small cost,
No farmer should have occasion fal
buying meat, unless it be an occasiona.
@ nut OF wi i1esh pie Isss du p , the eo s 5
and smoked beef and mutton. smoked
hams. shoulders, and sides of hogs he
can supply his table with most of his
en W production rear nn and curing eur g|n during Esst tat