Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1897-02-02
THE FARMER AND FARM LIFE.


IL is customary for persons engaged
in any business enterprise to take ret
respective view Of officers at the close o
the year, and also to carefully conside
the probable conditions that will exis
during the year to come. This enables
q person to act more intelligently and
shape the course Of his business NOR
In accordance with the conditions thai
affect his success. This should be prac
ticed by farmers above all classes OF In
dustrialists because their success de
pends upon intelligent and timely actor
more than any other line OF business act
ivity. In this matter is il profitable &c
not ouly study the details direct
ly affecting the production OF crops and
the growing Of stock but IL Is also vel
10 take a comprehensive view OF sgri'
cultural matters in general. In this line
we find a very encouraging and hopeful
letter in the National Stockman from
Hon. j. K. Dodge, formerly ststisticisn
Of the department OF agriculture, from
which we take the following extract:
mo country in the world has such
growth Of population or such rate OF
consumption per head as this. In ten
years 20 million bushels more OF wheat
must be grown for home supply, and
everything else in proportion. This Is
the direction in which salvation will
come to farmers, and not from abroad.
In a couple Of decades, or before 1920,
we shall have 100, ,0O0. 600 people, and ere
long 205 ,000, 900. Yet they will not
stsrve. The supply will be ready and
without famine prices farmers will reap
a fair advantage. High prices, the ex-
ceptional prices of some former years,
except in years Of crop failure, need not
be expected in the present generation,
whatever the increase OF population.
1T Is a period Of adjustment, OF re
duction Of redundant areas, OF planting
for new and needed products, Of diminu-
it;on Of unnecessary sharing with mid
dlemen. or avoidance Of farm wastes, OF
economies and methods that will reduce
the cost Of production, and finally OF
fairer division Of the results OF labor
saving and science and inventions In the
abundance OF products.
1.-The year, opening In depression, has
advanced with cheering omens, and Is
closing with higher prices in nearly all
lines Of production, including most oil
the cereals, hops, potatoes, peas, onions,
rice, cotton, cottonseed, faxseed, horses,
cattle, sheep, beef. bacon, cheese, hides
and MANY others. In wheat the advance
has been almost 40 per cent since mid
summer.
..For months wheat and -four will
surely bear a good price, for the coming
year conditions are more favorable for
higher values than have been obtained
since 1891. Australia and India are now
purchasers rather than sellers. Argen-
tina has much smaller surplus than
usual. and the Russian supply is consid-
erably depleted. Our competitors are
all suffering from declining production,
and our crop Is only a medium one.. The
stocks OF the world are lower than for
several years. The higher prices now
will stimulate production in Ia Plata
region, in southern Russia, the Caucasus
and Siberia, and possibly lead TO lower
prices again.
The outlook for 1897 Is in many re
spects more cheerful 10 the American
farmer than il has been for years. iu
all kinds of domestic animals there Is
tendency TO appreciation, especially In
sheer. which may boom sgain In the
future. The better employment OF
workers will increase consumption and
advance prices, aud the farmer should
confidently expect q better time CON-
ing"