The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1898-08-20
FARM TOPICS.
REGULAR MEETING OF THE CECIL
FARMERS CLUB.
Cecil Agriculturists Discuss Points on
Successful Farming The Club
Will Attend the State Farm
ers' Institute.

ers' Institute.
The regular monthly meeting Of the Cecil
Farmers Club was held at 'Idlewild' ia. m,
the attractive homestead of Mr.. John p.
Wilson, near Symar. on Wednesday, the
18th inst. At II o'clock the president
directed the call OF the roll Of members.
when the following responded to their names;
A. J. Michiner. John p. Wilson. Alfred Kirk,
Morris G. Reeder James II. Maxwell. G. W.
Clifford and H. R. Torbert. Visitors present by
invitation were Messrs. John Dewitt. Charles
w. Shippers, Robert T. Cameron and L. L..
Duycknck.
Experiments being in order Mr.. Clifford
said he drilled early in April on stock ground
ten bushels of barley and oats mixed equally,
on four acres. applying $50 pounds phos-
phate and light coat of barpyurd manure.
He has cut 124 bushels of the mixed grain,
of which three-iourths are oats He thinks
it profitable crop, when II" barley taE' 5.
but in this case it did not take. although the
ground WAS in good order.
Mr.. Maxwell reported that ON two acre. OF
stock ground pIowed, contra.ted with two
other acres worked with the cultivator, the
result showed eight dozen sheaves of wheat,
in favor of the plowed portion Mr.. Morris
C. Reeier reported L simiIar experience, the
wheat grown on the p.owed portion showing
better grain generally shan that grown on
the cultivated portion.
Mr. Dewitt said he was in New Jersey last
red Il, Alsike clover mixed. He sowed this
year in April Il mixture OF one-;hird Alsike
to two-thir,ls red clover, and il looks exceed
ingy promising.
Mr.. Duyckinck said he plowed down and
sowed in buckweat four acres of oats ground
without artificial fertilizer. and another four
acre portion with fertilizer at the rate of 200
pounds The oat land portion looks quito
as good as that on which fertilizer had been
used.
Mr.. Wilson said he was not willing to let
90 the idea of cultvating stock ground for
wheat because cost was saved in work. with
equally good results. He never succeeded as
well in blowing stock ground. 1t seemed to
work well for oats. but for wheat he did not
think it so good The disk harrow should
be set to cut fou7 inches for successful cuti-
vation by this method,
Mr.. Cameron thought that taking year by
year, the cultivating stock ground resulted
better than plowing.
No other reports being available and the
regular essay being in order, Mr.. Wilson
presented the following written by Mr.. E. E.
Ewing at Mr.. Wilson's request:
FARM PROBLEMS
There was once an ancient philosopher
think he was Il Greek--who said he could
tell what the people of Tyre would be think
ing about the next day at ia O'Clock. What
would they all be thinking Of? How to
buy cheap and sell dear. That answer is as
true to day of the Americans, the English,
the French, Germans and all of the civilized
nations of the earth; as it was of the mer
chant princes of Tyre. To buy cheap and
sell dear is the problem that all our ''busi-
ness" men are trying to solve. every one for
himself but not for his neighbor.
Our enterprising farmers are trying to
solve the impossible problem that puzzled
the merchant princes of ancient Tyre. That
problem is a sphinx that cannot be answered.
Cheap buying means cheap selling. And
when the producers OF wealth are compelled
to exchange the products OF their labor,
which is the wealth OF the world, for little
money they must in the very nature of things
forever remain poor. To avoid this neces-
sity is the farmers problem as well as the
manufacturers the miners and all producers
of things to be exchanged for money.
There are forty billions debt pressing down
the producers OF wealth in the United States,
computing national, state, municipal corpo-
ration and individual Indebtedness. Forty
billions is so vast Il sum that the human
mind cannot grasp it. That debt is drawing
interest night and day-it never sleeps. Ii
we place the average interest at per cent.
per annum. the interest amounts to one
billion six hundred millions annually
The experts who handle statistics tell us
that the profit on productive industry, in
Guiding every form Of productive labor is
less than three per cent. This is the cOndi-
tion today in which capital and labor stand
facing each other-that is, the debt owner
and the debt payer.
The farmer has an immense interest in
the solution of this problem. He is the last
OF the Independent workers left. The me-
chanics, the manufacturers, who used to
drive an independent business. build up a
trade and live their own masters, and trans
nit their business to their sons, have all dis
appeared.
The single-handed farmer alone tilling his
nOTlHiS'u itiuS, IL INIt' ol thV lhsSS'u
edge of want, he manages to hold on by Il
system Of rigid economy and financiering
that his father never dreamed Of. As a class
his generation can never throw off their
share Of that forty billions Of debt which is
steadily gaining, and increasing by com
pound interest, not diminishing for interest
Is greater than the profits of labor.
The corporation has licked up every line
OF independent, individual industry. Com
petition which used to be considered the
''lfs of trade has reached its fruition, and
developed into the trust and monopoly,
and the trusts, under the pressure of compe-
ttion. are going together and forming a
socialism of capital in whose Titan grasp the
individual is poweress.
How can the farmer escape this economic
revolution which steam. electricity and in
vention have brought about and are every
day working toward completion or a break
down? without radical economic change
takes place the mortgage and the executor
must sweep the land in generation into the
hands OF monopoly, and the small farm and
farmer become things Of the past or remain
but relic on some rough, rocky, barren
spots, forlorn, poor and wretched in his
nominal freedom.
Every line of business has formed associa-
tions to study its interests and protect itself,
except agriculture. The farmer has made
some feeble attempts, but has attained only
innnitesimal success. The manufacturers