The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1886-04-10
The Future of farming i'm Mon.
onga1ia County.

onga1ia County.
In the past history Of Monongalia
county our farming population has
constituted community within it
self, almost wholly Independent of
the outside world. We have raised
our own grain, our cattle, horses,
hogs, and nearly every common pro-
duct of the farm. 1t has not been
many years since many of our farm
ers made their own clothing, begin
ming with the wool on the back Of
the sheep and conducting it through
all the processes necessary to make
it complete garment. We have
exported little, and imported still
less. Each land holder has aimed
TO make his farm produce everything
necessary for the wants of his family
as nearly as possible, without the
expenditure of any money. Nor has
he been much concerned TO have his
farm produce much more than would
meet the wants of his family.
The chief source of income to our
farmers-that which has enabled
the community to keep it's cash ac-
count from being transferred hope
lessly to the debtor side of the ledg-
er-has been derived from the sale
of horses and cattle. We have al
ways had good market for our
horses, and there have always been
few men who have made business
of exporting cattle. They have
bought the one, two, or three extra
head of cattle found in the hands of
our farmers generally, and taken
them off in lots to market. They
bring the money back in lump, but
it is distributed over the whole coun-
ty in purchases of cattle hither and
thither to make up the next lot.
But the net income to the county
from this source, has, we have reason
to believe, been diminished in the
past few years, by reason Of the fact
that many of the cattle we export
have been imported at the beginning,
and only represent the difference be-
tween the lean and the fat condition.
That is to say, we export only the
increase in weight which the stock
shows at the date of sale as compar-
ed with it's weight at the time of
purchase. The frame, which form
erly grew up on our soil, has been
brought from a foreign market, and
its price is to be deducted from the
gross income from our exports.
With the added facilities for i'm
porting and exporting, which our
railroad has brought us, there is the
present necessity for our farming
population to adjust itself to the sit
uation. 1t is certain that revolu-
ton in our past methods will come.
We can make it a profitable change
or an Improbable one One thing
is certain, that the bulk of imports
will be greater than ever before.
There will be more "drummers' can
yassing our territory than ever be-
fore They will succeed in selling
many articles that were never sold
before. In fact, wherever cOmmod-
ity of any description is offered
cheaper than we have heretofore been
accustomed to obtain it at home, it
is certain to be bought. Men will
buy where they can buy the cheap
est just as certainly as water will
find its level. We are now bound
to compete with the world in every
product of our farms, and in every
local industry we have had or may
have. A railroad has put us in com
petition with the world just as effect
ually as if we had been picked up
and set down in the locality of some
large city.
Now, it remains with our farmers
to determine whether our railroad
shall be engaged exclusively in i'm
porting or whether we shall use the
opportunity for exporting; whether
there shall be constant drain upon
us through buying abroad, and have
nothing coming back by selling
abroad; whether all the activity
shall be exerted by foreign agents
to bring us goods and no correspond
ing effort on our part to produce
something that may bring money in.
There are many ways in which a
farmer can now increase his cash in
come that were impracticable before
a railroad. There are many small
products of his farm that were I'M
profitable heretofore, because there
was no market for them, which will
now find ready sale. His surplus
butter, eggs, fruit, vegetables, poul-
try, &c, may now be turned into
cash, which heretofore, were only
salable to the extent of very limit.
ed home demand. Our land is pro-
ductive. 1t only needs to be cult
waited to make it profitable. 1t is
true that we cannot compete with
the broad acres in the West in rails
ing grain, but with this exception,
we can probably raise any of the
products of the farm as cheaply as
any western farm. What our farm
ers must do to make their occupa-
ton success in the future is to put
more labor, more enterprise and more
money in it; to cultivate their farms
more thOrOuOhly. and cOnduct their