The Globe-republican. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1889-1910, 1891-03-18
NEEDS OF WESTERN FARMERS.

NEEDS OF WESTERN FARMERS.
He Must Have . Home Market-Then He
Will Get Good Prices-Ab0ve AL Our In
dustries Must be Diversified.
The following extract from q paper
read by the Hon. Joshua Wheeler be-
fore a meeting of the State Board of Ag-
riculture in Topeka, Kan, on January
IA. should be carefully read by those
who look for remedy for agricultural
depression to the National Treasury,
and hope to see farmers made rich by a
simple act of legislation. Mr.. Wheeler
has evidently given careful study to his
subject He shows that the farmers
troubles are due principally to natural
causes, and points out to them that
their remedy must be to work their lands
with view to getting rid of the over
production which has been the cause of
low prices. and hence of all agricultural
ills in recent years He says:
Eve believe it would be to the inter-
est of the farmer to have a greater va
riety of stock. We ought to raise NUT
ton and wool as we'll as beef and pork.
We think Kansas ought to be a WOOL
growing State. We import more wool
of all grades into the United States than
We raise. Our imports of wool are
worth as much as our exports of wheat
Why not. raise more wool and less
wheat? Why ship our surplus wheat to
Liverpool and bring back wool from
Russia. South America and Australia?
And why not do something toward rails
ing our own sugar? France supplies
her own people with sugar. and large
amount for export. made from the beet.
Experiments made in our own State
and Nebraska indicate that the growing
Of beets for the making of sugar will
prove a success. Encouragement should
be given to every enterprise Of this
kind. Whatever gives greater variety
to farm crops or that develops new in
dustry should be of interest to the
farmer.
with the present facilities for trans
portation, the American farmer has no
monopoly of the markets of Europe for
his products. Thirty years ago the idea
of shipping wheat from India to England
was never dreamed of. The opening OF
the Suez Canal shortened the distance
between the two countries 10000 miles.
and to-day wheat is regularly shipped
from Bombay and Calcutta to Liver
pool. l am no prophet nor the son OF a
prophet. yet l believe whenever the
Western farmer gets 81 bushel for his
wheat it will be for home consumption.
The present indications are that the
shipper can not pay that price for wheat
to put upon the Liverpool market. The
London Miller predicts that with bet
ter railroad facilities and better nipple
ments in India, American flour will be
driven from the English market" So,
while it is true that exports of beef to
England have increased OF late years
1--WE send them the best beef of any
country in the world), yet the price has
been reduced by reason of imports of
frozen mutton from Australia and beef
from South America. The New York
Tribune of January quotes American
dressed beef at So cents per pound; the
best steers at 11@12H cents, dressed
weight equal to about 6 cents per
pound on FOOT, in the London market,
but few years ago they brought this
price in the Kansas markets. Such is
the competition the American farmer
has to contend with to-day. 1t seems
to me there is but one hope for us-that
is, to diversity our industries. so as to
Increase our home consumption. until
eventually all American products will
be consumed by American workmen
upoE American SOIL