The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-11
FARMERS ARE PROSPEROUS.
A Better Condition of Affairs than
Has Existed Since the War.

a gentleman who returned to the city
yesterday from a trip over nearly the
whole of South Georgia says the farmers
are in better condition this year than
he has ever known them to be. The
crops now maturing, he says, have been
made with a less expenditure than at
any time since the war, and whatever is
made will be clear profit
The hard times last year and the disin-
clinatiOn of the merchants to furnish
credit forced the farmers to live at homo
and make their own supplies This en-
abled them to come out somewhat ahead,
and protting this year by the experience
Of last year, they have made their crops
without running into debt, and buying
for cash only such articles as were abso-
lutely necessary. Not only this, but
their barns and smOke-houses are full and
they have meat and corn to sell
For the first time in % years the far
mers are actually Independent. They
have all they need at home and are not
in debt to the merchants.
AT every small town in South Georgia
the merchants report that they have sold
less meat corn and hay this year than in
any year since the war, and what they
have sold is chiefly to turpentine and
mill men. In many counties the far
mers have bought no meat at all.
Instead, they are selling meat and corn to
the merchants, most unusual state of
affairs Corn and meat are to be had in
large quantities in the wire grass, and
the merchants, instead of selling thesear-
ticles to the farmers, are buying from
them and shipping to Savannah. There
is plenty Of corn to be had at 80 cents
bushel One merchant who sold seventy
three boxes of meat last year said he had
only sold one this year, and other mer-
chants were found with meat in stock
which they, could not dispose
of. At Cairo, down in Southwest Geor-
gia, the farmers seemed to be particularly
well situated, having plenty at home and
buying nothing. In Worth county 1t was
| asserted that the farmers had not bought
pound of meat this year, and
that they had 5000 bushels of corn
to sell The consequence of this happy
state of affairs is that the farmers are
| not worrying their minds about the tinan
| cial situation, as the people in the cities
are doing
One farmer sized up the situation
pretty well when he said: 4
have fat horses and mules, fat cows,
fat hogs and plenty of corn in the barn.
owe nobody, and don't care a CONT
! mental if every bank in creation bursts"
This is the way the farmers see things
uOW. Tic ICSuIb Is JIldb bltg are lOb 81
set upon the idea of free coinage of silver,
| for which they We're so ClamOrous a year
| ago, and the populists even have quit de-
handing that the government put up
warehouses and advance money on their
| products They even say in some coun-
| ties that Mr.. Watson need not extend his
| leCturing tour in their direction, as they
! are no longer interested in his doctrines.
These reports were all made by relia-
! BILE man who is well acquainted with the
| territory of which he speaks. That the
| farmers of Georgia would have meat and
| corn to sell in midsummer would not
have been believed two years ago. That
| such things have come to pass Is undOubt-
| edly true, however, as this report only
| cOrrobOrates previous reports Of the same
! character. 1t is even said that money is
! easier among the farmers than in the
| cities. and that the financial stringency
| which has almost paralyzed the CONNER
! cial interests of the whole country is
| hardly felt by them. If this be true
| their condition is indeed happy one.
| With good crops this year the Georgia
! farmer will be in position to be envied.
| With poor crops even he will be better of
| than in many previous years, when his
| crops hardly sutficed to pay the merchants
| for supplies secured at time prices, and
| he was often compelled to throw in his
mules and farming implements along
! with the crop. The farmers are now
! practicing what the MORNING News
| has been preaching for many years, and
| they are reaping the benefits as well.