The representative., 1899-11-16
DOES FARMING PAYe
An Interesting Discussion i'm an Illi-
nOis Paper-Facts and. Not Fancies

An Interesting Discussion i'm an Illi-
nois Paper-Facts and. Not Fancies.
Two weeks ago the Plainfield Enterprise,
ed1torially, gave me two nuts to crack. The
first nut is: farmer east of Plainfield
last year bought with the products of his
40 acre farm, 1850 gold dollars and only
paid $15 for help. How did he do it? Let
us figure:
Oats-To pay for i $50 gold dollars with
22,cent y oats. he had ITO acres. which yielded
68h bushels per acre, or $500 bushels
Corn-If he purchased the 1 $50 gold dol
lars with 30-cent corn, he planted 10 acres
which yielded so bushels to the acre or
$500 bushels. ~
PQtatoes-If he traded 35-cent potatoes for
the 1850 gold dollars he had out Al II
acres OF potatoes, yielding 100 bushels per
acre.
Cows-If he traded dairy products for the
1850 gold dollars, and suppose each COW
made him $50 a year, then he milked 33
cows. e'f5
Pork-But if he bought the 1850 gold dol
lars with pork at $4.25 per 100 pounds, he
turned off 129 21-51 hogs, Weighing 300
pounds apiece
Hence it surely follows that that farmer
is a tempest in a 110-acre oat field; a
cyclone in the same sized corn field;
tornado to pick up potatoes; maelstrom to
milk cows and hurricane to handle hogs.
What crops OF grain and potatoes, what
floods of milk. and litters of pigs that
wonder can raise, and think Of =, only
paid SIS for help. =
AS to how he raised the feed for his
cows and hogs let him explain.
1t is possible he may be in the patent hen
business. If lso, it reminds me Of a
story told by nay friend, Putnam, once edi-
tor of the Aurora Blade. put as he
was Familiarity known among the boys, was
something of a;ssportman. with great eye
oh Ho
owner of fine Irish setter. she presented
him with large litter of blue-blooded pups
He sold one Of them to a friend In Lake
Forest, Cook county, for IS C. o. d. When he
delivered the pup at the express Office the
agent eyed the figures on the tag. and said:
Put. what do you take me for. You surely
don't expecte me to believe that you will
get $65 for that pup. Scratch OF the 6
then the tag will read IS, all it is worth"
A few days later Put met the agent on
tRs street re- nosd who said p has IA. ss%s cox ~
that pup" Then he grew confidential and
said: Put. there must be- money in rails
ing blooded pups. would like to form
partnership with you in the dog busi-
ness" "All right said Put. ION what
terms" asked the. agent. WELL" drawled
Put, you raise the damphools, and I will
furnish the pups" But we cannot all go
into that business, for there are not enough
damphoOls to 60 round.
The second nut given to crack, is that
tenant farmer, west Of Plainfeld, will
clear this year (Which I assume to mean
over and above paying rent and all other
expenses). $4,000. Give it up. I cannot
crack it. but. suggest that he be given the
subject at the next farmers institute. How
to buy enough gold dollars with the prod
ucts Of farm, pay gold dollars an acre
rent, live and have 1000 gold dollars left"
He ought to have 4 crowded house.
II farming pays, as the meaningless fig
ures given indicate, crack this nut. or crack
at It. Why is 1t that no man In Wheat
land, and I believe l may safely include
Plainfleld, has been able to buy enough gold
dollars with the products of his farm to
pay for it since silver was demonetized in
1873? hope to hear more on this subject
from any source.
:" WILLIAM M. GLOW.
There are always men ready to be-
tray their class and caste for the smiles
of the enemy We have them here in
Minnesota. The workingmen have
them. They get some temporary fame
and perhaps a1few dollars by furnishing
munitions of war to their oppressors.
May Beelzebub get them! Id.