St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-02-16
ALIGHT OUT OF DARKNESS.
The Frosted Wheat Proved a Blessing
in Disguise to the Farmer.
THE DISGUISE REMOVED
Breaking Up the Credit System Has
Kept the Farmers Out of
Debt.

Special to the Globe.
AYR, OAK. Feb. 15.-Dakota is noted
far and near as a country capable OF
producing almost anything, from No.
hard to governors for Alaska. 1t seems
it can also turn misfortunes to q benefit.
1t is an undisputed fact that the fear
fully destructive frost of last season,
which brought such universal mis-
fortune to farmers and business men
throughout the Northwest, looked at
from one point OF view was benefit.
Heretofore it has been the custom in
the entire Northwest for farmers and
merchants to do business almost en-
tirely On the ''credit plan" The farm
ers run BILL" as it is termed. with
the merchant for their supplies during
the summer and fail until "threshing
time" when they sell their wheat and
pay the merchant, or are supposed to.
This method is very unsatisfactory to
both ''parties." inaSmuch as it is safe
to say that fully one-half of all the
farmers, where they are allowed IN
limited credit, are sure to purchase a
great many things that could be dis
pensed with; and were they required to
''pull their weasel SKINS and ''plank
down the cash." they would take the
''second thought before purchasing.
But they argue to themselves ''thusly":
"When the time comes to pay for this
article | shall be 'tiush;' for won't
have the money
FOR MY ENTIRE CROP
in my pocket? and twenty bushels per
acre at Is cents Or 81 per bushel will be
a pile of money" So they tell the mer-
chant to ''chalk 1t down." and the mer-
chant on his part chuckles to himself,
thinking of the handsome profit he is
deriving Gf he gets his pay, for the
farmer seldom kicks" on the price Of
an article when he gets it ION time"
The farmer who had the money
for his entire crop in his
brooches pocket last fall kept it
there to a big extent, and it
did not make him 'stoop-shouldered"
to carry it. The little money deri we'd
from the frozen wheat in most cases
went to buy fuel and the neccessaries of
life for the winter, and the result is that
the merchant is badly ''frost-bitten," as
it were, and s.collections" have been
rather SLIM Farmers to large eX-
tent did not realize enough to settle
their "store' bills, and the consequence
is there is decided ''faliing OFF, in the
credit business. Merchants. almost TO q
unit, are not slow to express them
selves as opposed to
THE CREDIT SYSTEM,
and the writer has heard no less than a
dozen farmers make these remarks. '.lf
had never had any credit, OF if had
been obliged to pay cash or go without
goods since coming to Dakota, would
now be out of debt and in good
shape" All of the solid, thinking
farmers have come to the conclusion
to practice the Strictest economy
henceforth. and to rednce their run
ning' expenses to tho lowest possible
figure. and endeavor to get ''aboye
board" and be able to s'pay the cash."
and demand goods at ''rock-bottom"
prices. While on the other hand, live
! merchants, who have the interest of
their respective communities and the
country at large at heart, feel like fos-
tering this idea, and it is believed that
sin the end" the frost misfortune was a
benefit in disguise. About the same
acreage of land in this vicinity is pre-
pared for crops as was last season, and
and there seems to be determination
on the part of all to ''buckIe to it"
| make the season of 1889 the most pros
porous one in the history of the coun-
try. doc"