Middletown transcript., 1894-02-24
THE OUTLOOK FOR THE FARMER


To-day the American farmer stands
face to face with a crisis which was
hardly conceivable as late as two years
ago. So stealthily, and by him, un-
awares, has the changed condition of
things come upon him, that he is now
In a state of bewilderment and uncer-
tainty by reason Of the unprecedented
shrinkage iu the values Of land and
most everything that grows out OF it.
Since 1884 South America, in small
way, begun the producing of wheat.
which branch of farming has steadily
advanced and developed, by the aid of
machinery and cheap labor, till within
the past year, the Argentine Republic
alone, raised for export, sixty millions
of bushels of wheat; and our informa-
tion from the most reliable sources is,
that this is only the beginning Of the
wheat product in that quarter of the
globe. 1t is often said that India wheat
is inferior to the North American pro-
duct of that cereal, bnt this cannot be
said of the Argentine Republic, for
that country lies upon the table lands
of South America, in the South Tenn
perate Zone, with climate and soil
equal to the best for wheat growing
purposes, or in fact, most anything
else. The policy of the England to-
wards her home farmer is one Of un-
paralleled brutality. She has developed
and encouraged the Indian product of
wheat, which is produced by coolie
labor, and shipped to her markets, and
paid for with cheap silver dollar, till
her home husbandry now finds itself
stranded and helpless, and reduced
almost to beggary.
There are few facts in regard to
this wheat growing business. which the
American farmer will do we'll to have
in mind. First, that it is now plainly
shown that Russia, India and South
America can produce almost limitless
amount of wheat, with still mighty
expanse of the most fertile and produc-
tive wheat-producing area in Central
Southern Canada yet scarcely touched.
Second, That the farm labor of Russia,
India and South America is Of the
coolie type, and will work for, from
ten to twenty cents a day. Third,
That farm labor in the United States
of America is more than five times
greater than it is in any Of the above
mentioned countries. Fourth, with
the tariff off of wheat, there is moth
ing to prevent India from pouring her
wheat into this country through the
Golden Gate, nor to prevent South
America, in very short while, from
landing as much wheat into Philadel-
phia, New York, Boston aud Balti-
more, as she is now sendiug to Europe.
Fifth, That there is no longer any such
thing as crop-year, so far as it may
be applied to the product Of wheat,
because the wheat producing area has
extended into all climes and quarters
of the globe; thus when it is seeding
time in the North Temperate Zone, it
is then harvest time in the South Tenn
perate Zone, and so on throughout the
world; and thus it is, instead of the
wheat crop coming into the world S
market at stated times, as when the
United States of America and Russia
produced the great bulk Of the worlds
wheat, it comes pouring in from the
four quarters of the earth in one
mighty and steady avalanch; so that to
estimate what the worlds wheat crop
is or may be for any year, is a problem
that the best statisticians are unable to
solve, as has been proven by the crop
reports for the past two years.
Now these are the facts: Then what
are the deductions? In view of these
facts, does the much vaunted ''world's
market" seem so alluring to the Ameli
can farmer, as to cause him to seek te
destroy or weaken home market that
already consumes ninety four per cent
of the whole farm. product Of this
mighty land, and 60 running after com
petition with the products of COOLER
and Hottentot labor? We unhesitat-
ingly say that the only hope of thu
American farmer is in his market al
home, the growth of our own indus
tries, and in wise legislation, such a!
will raise him above the low level O.
foreign competition and ill-paid ant
pauper labor.