Montgomery County sentinel., 1891-02-27

was satisfactory. The price, one dollar pei
bushel, 100 per cent higher than last year
Had not the rot destroyed one-third of the
crop 1t would have proven the most profit
able one for many years. With an average
crop of 68 bushels per acre, at 70 cents per
bushel, it is the most profitable of farm crops.
RYE AND OATs-So little attention is paid
to the cultivation of these crops that the
yield or price affect our farmers very little
either way. The shock rows and waste
places are seeded in oats, and land too poor
for wheat, in rye The prices have been
sufficiently high to make them profitable
when the proper attention was paid to their
cultivation.
STocK-The large crop OF hay induced
our farmers, who could raise the money, to
winter more stock than usual. The upper
part of the county reports more sheep than
for many years. The scarcity and high price
ofcorn in the West, and the best of their graz
ing lands being affected by the drouth last
summer encourage us took forward TO an
advance in beef cattle, which would insure
US fair profit from this source.
FRUIT-The warm February advanced
the fruit buds SO lar that when the mercury
sneaked down below the freezing point in
March, il nipped this too previous crop in
the bud. The fruit that developed was as
scarce as "a homely woman's admirers. !"
Apples and peaches were so near failure
that the few that were found were regarded
as curiosities, and all the conditions sur.
rounding the trees were as fully investigated
as typhoid stricken home by board of
health. Hence, neither quality, quantity,
nor price is considered in this report.
DAIRYING-This interest that promised
to develop into IL profitable adjunct OF the
farms productions has not increased as
much as expected. The labor and skill re-
Quired to produce u choice article OF butter
and cream are scarce and high, and the ad'
vance in mill feed to nearly double the price
1t was six years ago leaves profit too small
to tempt many to engage in it. Those who
are selling milk say the price is low and
their bank accounts small.
With fair average crop of wheat, corn
and potatoes, at an advance of 30 per cent.
in price, large hay crop and the saving in
labor and fertilizers, it is reasonable to con-
clude that the crop of 1890 was the most
profitable one to the Montgomery county
farmers since 1884.
The meat and bread producing and con-
summing countries are on friendly CONNER
cial relations with each other, therefore we
must look beyond the limits of our own
country when considering the price these
staple farm productions will bring, as long
as we have a surplus to sell. Unfortunately
for the farmer, who produces the necessities
upon which the human race is fed, he can
not like others combine and fix the price by
the cost of production, but must submit its
regulation to the inexorable law OF demand
and supply. The prejudices engendered by
the late war are dying out and the farmer is
moving in the direction of promoting his
own interests AS never before in this coun-
try. If he Is careful in the adoption of
sound economic principles of government
success may crown his efforts, while the advo-
cacy OF policy looking TO an unsound finan-
cia system, making credit easy, or to pater-
nalism, may fail when fully investigated by
the intelligent and thoughtful people.
Respectfully submitted,
VIM E. MANNAKEE,
Chairman of Committee.