New-York tribune., 1899-06-29
rgP TRIALS OF AGRICULTURE.

Possibly it is for the benefit of society but
certainly Il Is not for the good or farmers' 'la'
agriculture is the one occupation INTO "hcn
men enter without sufficient capltal OF hho"F
pdce There have been some curious dlscloSuIcs
lately in the testimony before the lhuuStilaI
Commission. Southern testimony has descrioeu
how cotton planters begin by raising crop OH
,,odi and never get out of debt go on year
after wear working for their creditors are never
froo to ,ncreose or decrease their cotton crop
according to their judgment, and have not
orouch knovledge to Increase or decrease IN
,ou,contIv The witness from the neighborhood
of Atlanta nut a fine point on his testimony ny
observing that the main difficulty there was
"too much politics in the schools
rben an official charged with investigation
% ooricultural conditions in NewJersey tesu-
sod thot there were few farmers who could
cover the cost Of raising crops, and attributed
their failure to their want or KnoWledee III
suficiencv of capital was factor there aiso'
but the farmers did not know what 10 pro-
drco according 10 this testimony nor when to
increase or decrease production ana lnaue Ne'!
small gains. Precisely the same testimony has
come from the interior of this state Whe'e
freight rates to New-York are said to he higher
than from Montana to New-lork. ana from
Ohio. Indiana and Illinois, where FARMERS are
prone TO produce more of the great stapieS
than they can sell at a profit In compcu'ioh
with the farmers of the prairie states
When one considers IT fairly this Is n pitt
able state Of things The greatest of all INDUS
tries in this country is deprived OF cons'd-
erable share Of It's legitimate prolt by causes
which are largely within the control OF the
farmers themselves 1t Is not more unaVoid-
able for farmers than for other people 10 run
into debt for the greater part of their crop De-
fore II is produced. II they only have capital
anouch to do business with ten acres, nothing
compels them to try TO handle one hundred
acres The farmers who start with Govern
ment lands. putting up the last cent they nave
In order to begin with ns many acres as pos
sible know that they take large risks Even
greater risks are taken at the South when farm
ers mt all that they have into land. and from
rho start are compelled TO run into debt for
practically the entire cost Of the first crop.
The other disability to which these state
ments refer is even more plainly within me
| S1ntrol of the farmers themselves. II Is not
| possible for them to know accurately what
| Quantities of wheat or cotton other farmers are
| planting in any season. II Is true. But IL IL
| everywhere possible for them to provide them
selves with much more information than many
OF them ever obtain. There are good news
papers which will always help the farmer TO
| determine whether he wants 10 put more or
| less land into his principal crop. lie can al
| WAYS learn II he wishes. whether the crop year
ends with unusually large or small stocks OF
his chief products In sight. But. more broadly,
the farmers almost everywhere err In devoting
labor and land too largely 10 the production Of
a single crop. II at the East they should study
| all the opportunities which the markets OF
Eastern cities offer, and at the West should
raise more Of various kinds Of grain and ami
mails. instead OF nothing but wheat or corn
for marketing, as SO often appears, they would