Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1891-04-01
The Homs-market and Abandoned Farms.

The HOme-markeJ anu ADauuOMcu Earhs' |
AS the Baltimore Sun says, "the 'home
market" fallacy is fayorite one with the
for the reason that it requires
some little knowledge of facts and some
for reflection to see how delasive
it is. In the old days, before steam and
electricity had brought all markets into
easy communication with each other, it
was less fallsoy than it ID now. Time
was when mud roads, unbridged rivers and
steep grades isolated manufacturing as well
az other communities. It was great thing
then for the local farmer to have factory,
a workshop or furnace near bis fields, for
the reason that the imperfect transportation
facilities gave him sort OF monopoly, Inc
greater the number of consumers brought
iato his peigbboIhood by manufacturing
industries the better it was for him, mas
much IS the competition for his grain, pork,
beef, poultry, butter snG eggs was thereby
greatly increased, and be could put On his
prices accordingly. Tue cost OF hauling
supplies from distance put the consumer
at his mercy. The "market right 81 his
door" was therefore extremely important.
Without it farm produce would rot on the
farm or sell at very low prices by reason OF
the expense Incurred in hauling it some
hundreds of miles over bad roads. Those
times-sixty years ago-were the halcyon
DAYS of the sshome market" theory OF pro
lection.
The building of railroads altered the stu
alton completely. Il destroyed the local
farmers monopoly by putting it into the
power of the non-farmiug classes to get
their supplies at q distance If the home
prices did not suit. 1t subjected the far
mers of all sections of the country to the
necessity of lowering their prices to suit
the competition Of that section which pro-
duced most oheaply. The railroads, today,
for example. bring grain from Dakota to
Boston, and this Dakota grain undersells
the grain grown in the region within elght
or ten miles of Boston. The "home mark
ETY. is worthless to the Boston farmer for
the reason that cheap transportation sub
ieots it to invasion by farm produce from
points thousands miles distant. No
multiplication of factories in Boston csn
improve the Boston market, from the agri-
culturist's point Of view. Ga the contrary,
the more numerous the industries the
greater the importation of Western grain,
fruit, &C., and the more cheaply thst iElv
portatiop can be conducted. Accordingly,
the section of country where farms are be-
ing abandoned most by their owners is
New England, who're manufacturing indus
tries are most numerous.
The report Of the Massachusetts bureau
of statistics is eloquent upon this point.
The largest number of farms abandoned in
any single Massachusetts, county, says the
report, ia found in Worcester county. In
So towns of Worcester sre 344 abandoned
farms, 1877 of them having buildings. The
towns in which most farms were abandoned
are classed by the bureau Of statistics as
manufacturing towns. The manufacturing
towns reporting abandoned farms number
25, with a population in 1856 of 54o49, in
1866 of So, 916, 10 1890 of So, 1851. The agri-
cultural towns reporting sbandoned farms
number 10, with population in 1855 cfi
II, 629. in 1854 of 16, ST., 10 1890 of s., 2O5.
What is here termed manufacturing
town" is q town in which the value OF nan
ufactures exceeds the value of Agricultural
products. Tho manufacturing towns gain
ed in the thirty-five years under review.
says the report, 5i.81 per cent. in popula-
ton, while the agricultural towns lost IL. 70
per cant. Two thirds of the towns contain
ing abandoned farms are not, it appears,
remote districts, far removed from the
sound Of the factory steam whistle, but 40
tually s'nanufaoturing towns" in lhe strict
sense of the word-the real "home mark
ets'' Of which cam paign orators tell rs So
much. Where the farmer should thrive
moss, according to proteetionst logic, there
it lie that agriculture is in state OF deca-
dence.