Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1899-11-28
FARMING IN THE UNI ED STATES

FARMING IN THE UNI ED STATES
At the last meeting of the Woodlawn
Farmers Club October 2l) paper was
read by George z. Holmes, assistant
ststisician. department of agriculture,
on certain economic conditions to
which farmers are subject. He spoke
of the wages of farm laborers and said
that in 1895, an agricultural laborer on
the average, for the United States, re-
csived S17.69 per month without board
during his actual employment. This is
decline of 81 .49 from the average for
1898, when the financial depression be-
gan and when the farm laborers wage
rate was higher in this country than OF
any time since 1869, when it was $l9. .49
in gold. In the eastern States, the av-
erage wage rate per month without
board, in 1895, was S29; in the middle
States, $23 so; in the southern States.
$127l; in the western States $21. 50; in
he mountain States, $50 04, aud in the
Pacific States, S3l6S
The department had also collected
sta islics of III wages of farm labor with
board, and il appears that in 1895, rs
al average for the United States, the
farmers allowance for the board OF his
aborer was 1857 per month. and the
highest allowance within the time COW
cred by the investigation OF the depart
ment, beginning in 1866 was S7.05 in
sold in 1869. The allowance in the
southern States is 81 .O3,
The average yearly earnings of an
agricultural laborer in the United
States in 1890, based upon the average
wage rate and the actual time employ
ed, amounted to $215. In the south,
the average earnings were only S147 in
North Carolina; $140, in South Caro-
lima; S162, in Alabama; $176. in Mis-
sissippi; and $15S, in Tennessee.
Now the question naturally arises,
said Mr.. Holmes, why is the farmer iu
this condition? II is a question that
has been agitating the farmers mind
for years,9io say nothing of economists
and politicians. His own explanation
was that the farmer and the farm
laborer do not produce enough wealth,
as measurered in prices and exchang /,
to make the situation any better than II
is. It would seem that the application
of unskilled human labor, even with
the cid of the very excellent labor saw
ing machines and implements that are
used in agriculture, fails to produce
wealth enough per capita of workers
TO afford the payment of better wages.
The situation, Mr.. Holmes said, was
one in which cooperation among farm
ers was desirable, and he called atten-
ton to the large number of farmers'
cooperative associations that hava
been organized in this country. These
associations are, many of them, virtua.-
ly trusts, in that they aim to suppress
competition, to regulate prices, and, in
some cases, to establish monopolies.
The trust of the California fruit grow
ers vas mentioned as being called for
by the existence of the conditions in
which the fruit growers found them
selves some years ago. They were
compelled to form trust for the pur-
pose of getting remunerative prices,
for the purpose of suppressing competl-
ton among themselves, for the purpose
Of getting lower freight rates, and for
the purpose of finding responsible GUS
toners in the East and elsewhere, un-
der the manae emeDt of competent tus-
mess men who should be empowered
to speak for the large number OF pro-
ducers. and who should keep them
selves we'll informed with regard to
market conditions. This is the largest
fruit trust in this country, but there are
similar ones iu Florida and in va'lous
narts of western New York, and In
New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan, and in
nearly all of the other fruit growing
States.
Another successful farmers trust is
the Milk Producers Union that supplies
Boston with milk. Until some years
apo the milk market situation in Boston
was this: "The buyers, that is the deai,
ers. 10 Boston had an association, aud
although q milk producer in New
Hampshire may have been selling to q
dealer under a contract directly and
nominally with him, yet, as matter OF
fact the farmer was dealing with TINS
association of milk dealers, because each
Individual dealer was acting in agree
ment with the combination OF dealers,
while the farmer had to deal with this
combination unaided.
The farmers were at great disac-
vantage. contracts being made under
such unequal conditions. and IN the
conrse of time they formed an assocla
ion for the purpose of dealing 10 a body,
through their representatives, with the
representatives of the Boston milk deal
ers. an
renresentatives of both organizations
meet every year and agree upon prices
for fort the remainder ofthe year. This ar
raneement is satisfactory to ootn par
ties les and the individual farmer mas IS
himself 10 position much better ISan o
the one which ne previously held "nen n,
making his bargain alone. he now
has back of him The entire comolna.ioh
of farmers thai supply milk to Boston. ).
The speaker went on to mention tne
remarkable divers fcation OF COOPER
tive undertakings by farmers. inero
are thoussr ds of them in this country
independent of irrigation associations
aud they include cooperative lnsul,
4f fn