Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1896-02-04
AMERICAN
THE CONDITION OF AMERICAN
FARMERS.
The following query has been sub
mitted to this department:

United TO this department:
American farmers have learned that. whils
much remains to be done To improve their condi
tion, they better OF than farmers In any othei
part OF the world" What Il your opinions
READER.
There may be higher form Of dis
content and unrest among American
farmers than on the part Of those OF
other na,ionalitles, but IL so, il is due 10
greater activity and higher living on the
farms of America than elsewhere. The
very success OF our farmers has created
large demands and opened their vision
10 still greater possessions OF those
things that constitute higher civiliza-
ton. Measured by the character OF the
homes and the comforts within aud
around them, by the roads, schools.
churches aud the annual expenditures
of the farm family upon itself, the con-
dition of American farmers Is superior
10 that of any of the nations that
compete with Us for European markets
for farm products.
Ii is well known that in Argentina,
India and Russia, the great wheat selling
sections of the world outside of America,
few OF the comforts of life are command
ed by the ruralist. Australasia does
better, but not as well as the American
farmer. 1t Is q matter OF popular knowi-
edge that In European countries even
the women and children are compelled
10 enter into srduous outdoor farm labor
in order 10 wrench from the hard condi-
tions that surround them a miserable
living when compared with that receiv-
ed by as. In England, where sgri-
culture has been NJ the zenith OF pros
perity, rents and sale value OF lands
have fallen one-half. Renting Is almost
the universal plan. and even those who
are forced 10 tin another mans soil aud
improve II at their expense have been
discouraged for a decade or more by the
steady vanishing OF personal capital es-
sential for conducting the business.
The question Is broad one, requiring
for detailed demonstration massing o!
figures that would occupy very large
space. 4 reference 10 the annual COM
pilaiions OF the great English ststistl-
elan Mulhall will show that the Ameri-
can farmer produces more per capita
and receives more than any other Sgri-
culturist Of the world. 1t is true that
Australasia aud the river Platte pro-
duce more per inhabitsnt than the Unit
ed States BY far, but its value Is very
small at the point OF its production and
comes from roaming herds grown until
recently almost wholly for wool and
hides.
In production Of grain per inhabitant,
the measure OF the agricultural or till
age operations. this nation far exceed
ed that of any other country OF the
world, being about three-fold that oil
Europe per capita and double that Of
Australasia per capita. IL Is well-known
that the unit value of grain In this coun-
try is greater than that OF Australasia or
Argentina. Even Russia, our greatest
competitor. near It's point of marketing
wheat produces less than one-half that
of this country per capita, while its in-
habitants live on rye, poverty prevent
ing their use of the more palatabie and
nourishing cereal wheat.
General Fairchild, who lived nearly
ten years IN Europesn farming COM
munities, said at Wisconsin institute
last winter that: There are no working
farmers on the earth In any land outside
OF America that stand anywhere near
the intellectual plane OF the working
farmer Of America. There are no
farmers families in the civilized world
that have one-twentieth Of the comforts
and amenities of life that the families OF
the working farmers OF America have.
There are more pleasure carriages in
Green County alone than you will hnd
among the working farmers of all
civilized Europe put together" General
Fairchild carried this enumeration To
musical instruments, and stated that II
held good in other directions.
The discomfort of our farmers springs
from contrasts. About him he sees the
wealth and luxury that have grown up
out OF the past expansion OF new
country in the arts aud sciences that
necess sarily lead TO sudden augmentation
OF wealth. wealth that necessarily
falls into the laps OF those who develop
the resources of new country so Vastly
rich In natural resources as ours. This
discoutent has been heightened by his
own material and intellectual develop
ment. as before stated. The higher
man rises in the scale OF culture the
broader the field that he is able to sur
vey and the more anxious he becomes TO
possess all that is in his power to secure.
discomfort from contrast Is losing its
force, for it is perceived that the period
Of rapid wealth gaining from develop
ing new resources Is waning with the
of the nation. By contrast
with other farming areas, certainly the
American farmer has much 10 be CRATE
full for.-Mirror Il Farmer.