Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-09-01
The American Farmers This Time.


For long time to come agriculture
in this country except under very rare
conditions such, in fact. as were never
known, will raise enough OF the lead
ing staples for the subsistence OF our
own people. Accordingly the home
market is one which the farmer desires
to see at it's best, labor employed at
good wages, the consuming capacity Of
the people encouraged to it's fullness.
Agriculture abroad is more uncertain
for several reasons. Much of the
wheat is grown by an ignorant, i'm
provident peasantry under greater un-
certainties of climate. Occasionally it
happens, therefore, that the demand
for our food products is greatly in
creased above the average.
For the past two years when our
home market was depressed, many
people were out of work and many
others were compelled to reduce their
consumption of food and other nee
essarics, the crops abroad were good
was lessened. Argentina came for
ward with a bountiful supply of wheat.
1t was then the mouthpieces of the sill
yer syndicate went abroad in the land
telling the farmers that the only
remedy was free silver, a fifty cent
dollar. OF big crops abroad they said
nothing. The real causes of trouble
they utterly ignored. Theirs was the
reckless venture of the quack who
diagnoses the disease to suit his own
purpose and treats it solely with d
view to his own advantage.
reversed in less than year. how the
Bryanitc theories are discredited from
one end of the land to the other every
body knows We had been having a
poor market at home and poorer one
abroad. Now we are having an inn
proving market at home and every pros
pect of vastly improved one abroad.
And the American farmer taken as
class, is reaping the lions share of the
benefit a, benefit that a stable cur
rency medium renders all the nearer
certain and lasting.
1t is estimated that Europe will want
300, OOO, coo more bushels of our wheat
than usual. The tremendous shortage
in her rye crop which affords a staple
food for many of the poorer classes, is
| likely to call for substitute, perhaps
| some of our corn and more of our
wheat. 1t is also likely, judging by re-
cent estimates, that Europes shortage
in potatoes will reach nearly billion
bushels, and this country will not have
some substitute must be sought to take
the place of this food product in some
degree, while our home market for po
tatoes is pretty sure to be such as to
afford the grower more of profit from
| his partial crop than he obtained
for the abundance last season pro-
| duced.
With the exception of potatoes there
| is no product Maine farmers raise
| the shortage abroad, although all We
have to sell will probably rise some
what in sympathy with other rising
prices, and the increased home demand
better conditions in this country are
bringing about. For our meats, for the
pork, beef and mutton and eggs our
| farmers have to sell, there will prob
ably be better market. Later re-
ports from Aroostook indicate much
and the farmers there already feel the
first flush of better times as they read
lily dispose of their early yields of po-
tatoes at good prices. While it is prob
able the speculative price of wheat has
been forced too high and possibly that
of flour, and while Maine farmers viii
buy rather than sell Of this food pro-
duct, nevertheless there can be no
doubt that the farmers of the country
are to see one of the most profitable
harvest seasons they have ever known
and the impetus it will give to business
will not be spent before it reaches
Maine. We too are entering better
times, when there will be confidence
fancy and hope where there has been
almost despair, and market which
will want what we have to sell and
pay a profit thereon.
Lat A. -