Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1894-11-29

d Cilhe Ol peace! ...,....-
THE WHEAT GROWERS,
SITUATION.
Most OF the wheat growers Of the
west have given up hope of any i'm
portant rise in the price of their pro-
duct in the near future. They now
recognize that they are suffering
from 'ndition that is world wide,
Formerly there were but three large
wheat exporting countries ON the
Slobe-the United States, Hungary
and Russia, Now India, travetsed
by railroads, is sending d large sur
plus to European markets, Australia
has gone into the business with fair
results as to yield, and the Argentine
Republic, which is for the most part
vast, rich prairie, has Joined in
the competition, under the stimulus
ct railway building and OF a great
influx OF immigration from Europe.
Undoubtedly the low price of -four
W'li increase the consumption of
wheaton bread among the peasantry
OF Europe, but the increased demand
will come slowly and will not for y
long time Overtake the increased
supply. Perhaps the war between
China and Japan will result in dis
memberinc the latter country and
opening it to the influence of Europ-
ean ideas and customs and so turn
the Celestial from his rice to the more
nourishing berry OF the wheat plant:
but this, too, will require a good
deal OF time. Nothing is so hard to
change as the habits OF people. At
present the Chinese only buy our
flour when there has been q partial
failure OF their rice crop, and they
can get more nourislment ont OF a
dollars worth OF -four than out of a
dollars worth of rice.
On the whole it looks as if the pres.
ent generation of farmers would
have to contend with the serious
problem OF how to make money rails
ing wheat at the low price now pre-
Valllng, or ut no considerably in
creased price. They are helped q
good deal in this effort by the heavy
decline in the prices Of almost every
thing that enters into the cost OF
raising wheat. They now buy their
draft horse for less than half what
they nse, to pay; their machiuer,
Tor not over two-t thirds; their cloth
ing and groceries for about one-hali,
and hire their labor for 81 a day in
stead of -. Nevertheless, when the
account is footed up after marketing
the crop, they are not nearly as well
off as they used 10 be when they q, t
80, 80 or 100 cents bushel for their
grain. 1t is plain that if il costs a
farmer 30 cents q bushel to raise
his crop I'm he gets 80 he has u
smaller margin for living expenses
than he had when the cost of pro-
duction was 60 cents n bushel and
the selling price 81. Then there are
two things that have not come down
ut ai-taXes and the interest on
mortgages.
The wheat farmer only manages to
worry along in these hard times by
practicing economies that he used
to scorn in the days of dollar wheat.
III he looks ahead into tho future he
will, ii a prudent man, make up his
mind that in all probability he will
have to continue these economies.
and that he should, besides bringin.
them down to II system, seek to in
crease his income by having some
thing to sell besides wheat. He
should plan to have n few hogs to
fatten and two or three steers to
drive to the butcher. He should
have a field Of fax and one OF barley
and should not forget that there are
often years when there is money in
potatoes. Above all he shorld seek
to make the farm feed the family.
Some things must be bought at the
stores, but there should always be
enough to sell to pay for them.
There is still a good living to be
made from farming and a little mar
gin Of profit to put away, but there
must be a partial return at least to
the old economies Of farm life. The
farmer must no longer expect to
make a living for a whole year by
six or eight weeks work raising. cut
ting and theshing Il wheat crop. In
no other line Of occupation can a.
man support his family twelve
months by two months OF active Ia
Dor; yet that is just what lie wheat
farmer OF the northwest used to cal
cnlate on doing a few years ago.
There are certain regions OF the
globe that epeculiarly adapted for
the raising Of wheat. Tie valley oil