Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-04-17
THE FARMERS MARKET.
WE CONSUME 90 PER CENT. OF
OUR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.

Rapid Increase of Agricultural Produc-
tions-The Foreign Market-Indian and
Other Foreign Competition-what Pro-
lection Has Done for the Farmer.
The questions of vital interest to the
farmers of this country are those which
concern the prices of what they have to
buy and what and where they have te
sell.
The chief aim of the Free-trader is to
hide from view the experience of the
past, and the logic of statistics, and
present only to notice some article and
show that with Free-trade it could be
bought with less money.
Without rehearsing past experience,
or going back far into the years gone by,
let us examine a few figures which
are more convincing than unsupported
words.
There are but two markets for the
farmers produce. One of them is at
home. This market depends upon the
number of people who are engaged in
other occupations and have to buy of
him, and upon the money or its equiva-
lent they have with which to buy.
The other market is foreign, and de-
pends upon the productions of the world,
the demand and supply. This market
cannot be controlled by US, and, as shown
by the following statistics, is fast vanish
ing as market for Americas surplus
produce.
Our population is fast increasing, and
with this increase has come a much
greater production of the farm. Our
population in 1881 was 81 ,s2S, ,329, and in
1886, 59.993, $40. With this added popu-
lation has come a like added agricul-
tural production.
For example, take wheat, corn and
oats. The total amounts of these cereals
produced during the same year in the
United States, as taken from the esti-
mates of the department of agriculture
at Washington, were as follows:
1881. Bushels. 1885, Bushels
e Wheat $50 5ssSSSS SSSS Wheat SSs anSO s1sS
oats.....-.. 416,4s1, 900 Oats....... GA 900
And the same rate of increase holds
true with other farm products. Some
portion of the above produce was con-
sumed by the farmers themselves, and
the balance was sold. OF the amount
thus sold and consumed by the farmer,
SO per cent. of it remained at home and
but per cent. found market abroad.
But the most interesting part of this
market question is found in the follow
ing table of figures taken from the Off
0ial of rlaa hfrr- 0fe efo%
Washington.
This table shows the total amount re-
ceived by our farmers for such produce
as they sold in foreign markets from the
year 1881 to 1886.
The total exports of agricultural prod
ucts for such years being as follows:
$780, O4O, $50 1884 . $3.50, ,s1s
1882 65a,216,5l1 1885,. $50 172 ss6
1Sss-------... 619. 259 40 1885. 4s4 954 sos
Thus it will be seen that with our rap
idly increasing production the foreign
market is constantly falling away.
The Detroit Free Press, a Free-trade |
paper, under date of Feb. 16, 1888, in an
editorial aimed to show that the lessened |
price of wool did not come from a re- |
duction of the tariff in 1888, gave the
following statistics, and which prove
facts far more to the farmers interest
than the assertion they failed to main
tain.
These figures show that the foreign
markets are being glutted with the pau
per grown products of the world, and
that if our farmers want to sell abroad
they must compete with them. These
are the exact figures taken from The
Free Press, and are assumed to be cor
rect.
The years given are those ending June
80, 1888, and June 80, 1887. They COM
prise the total exports of various farm
products, and prove that the foreign
price of our agricultural exports has
raDidly decreased: