Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-08-11
FARMER AND PLANTER.
IMPROVED CONDITIONS.
A Marked Change of Feeling Among
Farmers Within the Last
Few Years.

In agricultural conditions Col. j. Ill.
Brigham, assistant secretary of agri-
culture, says:
'Within the last two or three years
| have noticed mark change of feel
Ing among farmers There is less COM
planning and more interest in farm
operations. Methods are improving;
careful experiments are being made
with fertilizers; improvement in the
breed and care of farm animals is ap-
parent; farmers are paying their debts,
and if not able to pay in full can easily
| secure extension at lower rates of in
| terest. They are also more careful
| about contracting debts; they are inn
| proving their buildings and home sur
rou 1dings, and in many ways are man
ifesting a more hopeful feeling than
prevailed a short time AGO. do not
| wish to discuss the causes that have
| brought about this change; | simply
desire to show the facts and answer
briefly some of the writer's who maize
business of trying to discourage far
mers and checking any disposition on
their part to take more hopeful view
of the future.
Compare the two years of 1895 and
| 1898 with regard to the value, acreage
and average value of the principal
| crops and the number and average
value of farm animals and we find
that the corn crop increased in value
| from S544,9S5,53 in 1895 to $3.50, 023,-
t2S in 1S9S-over 5000, 900. The wheat
| crop increased in value from $751;
9SS, 99S to $500, no, $50; the Oat crop IN
creased in value S23,0OO,000; and the
cotton crop increased in value from
s203,35s,S56 TO S310,29l, 4l2, The latter
figures being for 1891 The value Of
the great farm crops Of corn, wheat,
cats, rye, barley, hay, buckwheat, po-
tatoes and cotton increased from ST.
760,322 $50 in 1895 to Sl,96S, 537,1 14 in
1898.
| at is not merely in the total value
OF the crop that there has been an in
crease, bat in notable instances there
has been an increase in the farm or
primary market value per unit of
measure, In the case of wheat, for
example, the farm value increased
from 500 cents a bushel in 1895 to 5S.2
cents in 1898; bushel Of oats, On the
average, increased in value frou 1919
cents to 2j.5 cents; rye increased from
40 TO 1863 cents; barley increased
from 1871 to Alb cents; buckwheat in
creased from 4j.2 to 500 cents; while
the prominent crop of potatoes had
an increase of value a bushe from
26.6 cents to Ala cents. IT is true that
on account of immense over-produc-
ton, the price of cotton declined con-
sderably within the period, and that
corn had the slight fall of one-half
cent bushel, but it is general fact
as the figures show, that the farmer is
better off in the profit Of his crop, as
well as in the aggregate of its pro
duction, within the period under con-
sideration.
with regard to farm animals, the
raising of which is so important to the
farmer, there has been 4 distinct i'm.
provement since 1895 in most cases
On January /, 1896, the aggregate val
ne of horses, mules mich cows, oxen
and other cattle, sheep and swine, was
$;,727, o26,0S4, which was increased tc
1907, 010,40 on January /, 1899. Here
is an increase of over $500, 100000 with
in three years.
an order to demonstrate beyond
doubt that the increase in the aggrc
gate value is not due TO increase oil
numbers, average values are computed
the result showing that horses in
creased in value per head from $500
TO $37.40; milk cows, from $22.50 t.
$1,000, oxen and other cattle, from
$3.50 to S22.79; and sheep from S1.7t
TO $2.75. The average value of mule'
has slightly decreased and that %
swine only a few cents, yet it is trr,
that the value of farm animals hai
shown a marked advance since 1895
both in the aggregate and individual
ly.
ut thus-ppears that theincrease il
value of these products Of the farm
over that CT 1895 reaches The enormous
sum of nearly 100000, 900 not very
6iscouraging fact for the farmers. Ev
cry practical farmer will notice tha
the figures representing values o
farm products are very conservative
considerably below the actual amour
received by them when they marke
their crops. Farm and Fireside.