Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser., 1889-02-22
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PORT TOBACCO o:
Friday Morning. February 22d, 1889.
Stubborn Facts.

There are evidences in all parts of
the country of the decline of the tarm-
ing interest. We hear from all quar-
ters that farming no longer pays, that
money invested in farm lands is not
making profitable return, and that
the general value of farms has greatly
deprecated. What is still worse,
mortgages are accumulating on the
property of many of those who till the
soil. Here in Maryland farms are not
bringing in prices what they would
have brought fifteen or twenty years
ago, and We see that in Lancaster
county, Pa, the recent assessment re-
duced the valuation of farming land
in that county by at least 1000, 900.
Similar reports come from other Sec
tions and, as the cause is general, the
same condition is found all over the
country. A shrewd farmowner of
Cumberland county, Pa, ]. H. Bosler
by name, gives the following as one of
the reasons of this depreciation.
When wheat brought So bushel farm
ors who had paid 5000 an acre for their
land could make plenty of money and pay
off their notes. Now it brings go cents
to 81, and the farmer finds its difficult, or
utterly impossible, to meet the interest on
the mortgage which his farm probably
carries. The price of ceru, which was
formerally rs to 80 cents, is now but from
80 to 80 cents bushel; but the interest
on the mortgage shows no decrease. That
seems to be the root of all the trouble
the values of the product of the firm have
fallen off from the perfectly natural and
inevitable causes, carrying with them a
part of the value of the land while the
burdens of the farmer have not been light
ened, but, perhaps, even increase 10 some
ways. Tbs average profit of farm, if it
makes any at al is bare or 4 per cent
year, when formerly they paid 6, 8 and
10 per cent Such narrow margin is
wiped out iy one or two bad crops, and
the unfor unate falmer is driven to the
wall
There are a number cf reasons whv
farming has grown to be Improbable,
says the Baltimore county Democrat.
OF course the farmer who has paid
big price for his land can't make a
pr~fit on the money invested at the
price Of the commodities he produces
In competition with the West there
would be no money in grain for an
Eas'ern farmer even if his land had
cost him nothing. His calling is
made additionally improbable by the
circumstance that he gets the lowest
prices for what he sells and is COM
PEELED to pay the highest prices for
what he buys. His expenses for ne
cessaries are regulated by tariff
They are Kept up by artificial means
He is compelled to pay high prices SO
that interests in which he is not in
terested, and in whose profits he does
not share, may be maintained. But
when he sells he finds that he has not
only the West but all the world to
complete with. The home market fails
to give him better prices than are of
fered for bis products in Liverpool.
Under the circumstances is it any
wonder that the farmers, with all their
economy and toll, find their expenses
leave no margin for profit, and that
many Of them are going to the wall.
Isn't it more wonderful that SO large
number of them were persuaded into
supporting tariff policy which en-
larges their expenses without increas-
ing the price of the products they have
to sell.