The Yazoo sentinel. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1878-1916, 1891-08-27
oooo YEARS AND BAD YEARS.


Comparing the ianerrnt cfAAn Aei"a ieF
several Aoar~
In tho year 1890 tho United States
raised ONLY about soven-'enths as mnch
corn as il did in 1880 aud less than Ave
sixlha as much wheat Wcro tho farm
ers who raised and sold this crop tho
p0oYer for the decrease in the amount
produccd9 Assurdly rot, notice that
we do not say all farmers, but only those
who raised this grain, for Il i esti-
mated by the Department Of Agricnl.
turo that the smaller crop OF corn and
wheat Of the year 1890 will turn out 10
have been worth ono hundred and fifty
thousand dollars more than the large
crop Of 1889.
This Is an interesting example OF the
working Of the law Of supply and de-
mand. II has bean repeatedly and truly
said that the increase in The amount OF
money which the farmers received for
their gram was not merely in spite Of
the reduction in the amount raised, but
ON account Of il.
The crop Of corn in 1889 had been the
largest ia nine years II amounted 70
more than two thousand one hundred
millions OF bushels, and for this crop
the farmers received an average Of 2S
cents bushel-the lowest average price
in nine years.
The corn crop Of last year, on the
other hand, --less than fifteen hundred
million bushels,--was actually tho
smallest for nine years, notwithstand-
ing the many thousands of new farms
that have been opened; and il Is not
surprising that the average price Of
corn should have risen TO its highest
figure in nino years--a little more than
so cents q bushol.
II may appear from this that great
drought, or some other condition which
makes farmers crops small, Is a bloss-
ing rather than calamity; butitshould
be remembered that the picture has an
other side.
The blessing in disguise was, as we
have already limited, only blessing 10
those agriculturists who succeeded in
growing crop. and had more than
enough corn for sale to compensate
them for the decrease in ther products.
Many thousands had none 10 sell, and
many thousands had to purchase corn
or sell their stock, losing the profit
which they hoped to gain from feeding
the stock.
Moreover, on account Of tho scarcity
and high price Of corn, millions of half
fattened swine, which the farmers could
not afford to feed, were sent TO market,
causing a low price Of pork, and loss
in that direction even TO many farmers
who succeeded In raising surplus Of
corn. The consumers OF beer have also
obtained a poorer quality than usual.
Nor, though a smaller aggregate crop
may be worth more than q larger one,
is it 70 be supposed that IL is Of advant-
age to n farmer to raise less corn or
wheat than the acres he devotes to
either Of those crops can be made 70
produce.
II there is abundance, and the farmer
raises thousand bushels OF wheat for
whieh he can get only 60 cents bushel,
il is moro to his advantage to have q
thousand bushels to sell than it Is TO
have only 800.
On the other hand, IL crops are very
poor, il is perfectly evident that tho
more wheat the farmer can raise the
better OF he is. It's not scarcity on
ma nNn TAM tlllst aals.e ~, hui
eAoatcll5 on otlid peoples farms.
OF course ID year OF light crops the
number Of those who suffer is vastly
larger than those who gain. For scar
city means high prices TO all consum-
ers. diminished railroad receipts, q
smaller quantity for export and OK.
change with foreign commodities, and q
generally reduced surplus Of savings.
Ii Is, therefore, disaster to all except
the particular persons who raise sur
plus which they can sell at high price.
II is practice Of producers Of grain.
sometimes not fully taken into account,
to keep back as much Of their crop as
possible for tho period when prices are
best. In March, 1891. more than one
third Of even the small corn crop Of the
year before was still on hand, and more
than onefourth Of the wheat crop was
still Ia the farmers granaries. These
proportions are considerably larger in
years Of abundant crops
Meantime, whether crops are largo or
small, the quantity nsed for food steadily
rises. Ofthe small wheat crop Of 1890,
more was actually consumed IN the
country than Of the large crop Of 1889;
and for IL the consumers paid an average
price-to the farmer at his farm-of
about "a cents bushel, as against about
20 cents for the crop Of 1889.
The average inhabitant Of the United
States consumes four and two-thirds
bushels Of wheat per year; and in most
Of the Northern States the consumption
is about five bushels per head
Meaeer breakfast.
A man who had every appearance Of
being we'll fed and in good health saun-
tered into q fashionable uptown cafe .
few mornings ago. and. after deiiber-