Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1892-02-27
THE FARMER'S SALVATION

The farmers will not be fooled by the
arguments of those bond enthusiasts
who 50 earnestly urge them to vote for
the bonds ON the ground that good |
roads will enable them to realize a
higher market price for their produce
and result in permanent increase in
the amount Of money in circulation.
Here in the cities these same gentle
men urge the people TO support the
proposition in order to stimulate COM
petition between our farmers and the
commission merchants of San Fran
cisco and reduce the cost of the fruits
and vegetables required to supply the
demands of the local markets. The
quantity of money in the country will
increase only as the quantity and value
of the annual produce increases. 1t is
not because of the lack of good roads
that most of the farmers of the Nook
sack valley now have nearly all of their
last years crops on hand. The trouble
is not that they cannot get to market,
or rather to the cities, but that when
they do get here they are unable to
sell their produce for what they regard
as a fair price. OF course there is a
market for an immense amount of
orchard and garden produce but the
trouble is that is chiefly supplied from
outside sources. When a farmer from
the valley does drive TO town with
load of choice fruits or vegetables and
endeavors to sell them or exchange
them for articles of merchandise which
his farm does not produce, the chances
are that the merchants will tell him
that they are sorry they can't accom-
modate him but that they just received
a large consignment of California pro
dluce 'oy the Walla Walla or Umatilla
or some other Frisco steamer. Then
the farmer goes out into the residence
portions of the cities and perhaps ped
dies all the way from Squalicum creek
to Happy Valley without selling
enough "truck" to pay for square
meal for himself and team. He knows
that it is not because the people dom
eat potatoes and cabbages and ruta
bagas and apples, etc, but becaus'
they deal with the retailer Of Cali
fornia products instead of the loca
producer. The farmer goes home dis
gusted, and who can blame him TO
vehemently demonstrating when tb'
''city folks" endeavor to spread |
blanket mortgage over his farm for thu
| ostensible purpose of building roads t.
enable him to more easily haul u
market produce which he knows h.
knight better feed to his hogs
It is question which is the greater oh
stacle to the development of the farm
ing interests of Western Washington
the "forest primeval," which cover
nine-tenths of the land, or Californi
competition, powerfully supported, a
it is, by cheap water transportation
To get most of the land under cultiva
ton in the Puget Sound basin is
slow, laborious and expensive process:
Even at the present comparatiyel
rapid rate of development 1t will b
many years before the home produ'
ton of cereals, fruits and vegetables
- even approximately equal to the HON
demand. San Francisco commissio
houses will virtually establish pric'
for long time. Our farmers will
= obliged to meet this competition. I
do it successfully they must increa'
their acreage as rapidly as POSSIBLE
When they can cultivate forty acr'
for little more than it now costs thel
to cultivate ten they will experien'
much less difficulty in proftably con
peting with California.