The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-07
GOOD TIMES FOR FARMERS.
s. II. X. PRIME SArS THEY ARE NOT
DUE TO LEGISLATION. ,

High Prices Are Caused soiely by the Law or
supply and Demand. and the Farmers
Prosperity Leads 10 General business pros-
pcrity-Prosptcta OF This Years Corh Crop.
S. T. X. Prime of Dwight, Ill, a close stu.
dent of Tho country's agricultural interests, is
stol ping at the Imperial Hotel. lie was visited
yesterday by n reporter for The Sun, and in
answer to the question, Twill you give to the
readers of THE SuN some general idea OF the
crop outcome Of the present season and what
you think its present and future effect upon
the country ut large viii bcl'' he said:
The country did not need big crops Of corn,
wheat, or oats this season, and so far they
have not been gathered, and there is no pros.
poet that they will be. The crop year of 1897
started in with the largest reserves of corn
ever known in our history. This showed, In
the first place, that the farmers were not driven
to poverty by low prices, but had such faith
In their work that they would hold on until
doomsday before they sold their products al
such low prices as have prevailed for the last
two years. On the other hand. the reserves Of
both winter and spring wheat had been re-
duced to just exactly the opposite condition,
namely, they were exhausted. Millers all
over the winter wheat belt had been driven to
grain centres for their supplies from the clos
Ing OF 1895 until the opening OF the present
harvest. Consequently when this crop of
wheat. came Oh the market there was a grees
demand Tor 1t.
But millers, like everybody else directly or
indirectly interested In the consumption and
manufacture OF the crop, thought they would
get the new wheat ut old prices, and conse-
quentiy never stocked up with wheat at har-
time prices advanced and another fact devel-
oped. That was that the world was short OF
now getting in nearly all the winter wheat
states and will get in tho spring wheat states
as much for one bushel of wheat to-day as they
got for two bushels a year ago. That is what 10
giving the railroads all they can do night and
day and keeping our merchants busy simply o
direct outcome OF the law Of supply and de-
mand, and thanks to no man. no special leRlsla-
As TO the corn crop, it is coming out just ex-
actiy me way hoped to zee II about 100 days
the local wants Of the community where il was
grown. give them a small surplus to feed. and .
still smaller surplus to sell. We were embar-
raised at the opening OF The corn season with
immense surpluses. Probably there was more
corn on hand on the LIST of April. 1897. than az
and had We made another crop as big as the
crops OF 1898 and 1896 tn. present crop would
have been hardly worth burning.
The present corn crop Will probably mature
by The 10th or the 10Th OF September. l am
not much for figures, as I do not claim to be .
stati9tic:an, but from my past experience I
should say that We would make this year be-
tween fifteen hundred and seventeen hundred
million bushels of corn. The country will never
know one way or the other as 10 its effect upon
the business interests whether we mako the
larger figure or the smaller.
six months ago THE Sun published a state
ment OF mine of the excellent condition in
which the farmers were at that time. Time
has proved the correctness Of the assertion, for
the ngures have shown that while our great
trade centres were complaining OF dull times,
farmers were exercising strict economy and
paving off their Indebtedness; and I do not hos
itate to say now that they never owed less or
had moro good stuff on hand to buy not only
what they need from day to day but also t. IN
vest in Injuries. Furthermore, / do not think
that the country at large or even its great husi-
ness interests have the slightest conception Of
what this year OF average crops with good fair
reniuneratlve prices means to us In every loRdt
innate avenue and walk Of life.'