The Advocate and news., 1899-03-01
FoRECAs TING PRICEs.

II farmers could fOretell the prices that
they would get for their products they
could adjust their work accordingly and
get ahead much faster than they do un-
der present methods Of producing and
selling their crops and stock II they
could tell anywhere near what the price
OF hogs would be next year they could In
crease or decrease the number Of their
swine so as to meet the demands OF the
market. II they knew about what the
price of wheat or corn would be year
ahead they could make the acreage Of
these crops large or small so as to pre-
vent an OverprOductiOn for low mar
ket or they could grow larger amounts
for high market But they have no
means Of forecasting the prices not even
as much as they have for foretelling what
che seasons will be and what crops will
be likely to produce the surest yields, for
most farmers, to some extent at least, do
make a study Of the variation in the sea-
sons and the surrounding conditions,
which seem to indicate poor or pro-
ductive year for their crops. They learn
from experience and study that there is
some system OF equalizing oversight in
the mysterious and not fully understood
workings Of nature and they try to put
themselves, so far as possible, in har-
mOny with these conditions. II the pros
poets seem favorable for a good wheat
year they SOW more wheat and IL the
indications seem favorable for a good
corn year they plant more corn. II
chinch bugs are abundant they quit SOW
ing small grain and 80 more into grass
and stock.
But so far as future prices are con-
cerned they are always very much at sea
and have little or no means by which
they can be guided or even make a rea-
s0nable guess. They sometimes try to
figure out that wheat win bring higher
price another year or that there Is a
scarcity in cattle that will keep the prices
up FOR some years to come. But this is
always much more Of guesswork than 1t
10 for them to foretell what crops their
farms are most suitable to produce. A
few years ago the whole country went
broke in raising horses. They fell from
$3.50 each to almost nothing and millions
OF dollars were lost In this great shrink
age. The farmers had not means OF fore
casting this decline In the price OF horses
or they would have quit buying $4,000
stations and would have given their at
tention more to something else and less
10 raising horses. What the farmers Of
this country need Is some system OF or
ganlzatlon that will better enable them to
forecast prices for their products, and
enable them to foresee more clearly the
sources OF supply and demand and put
them In condition TO hold their prod
ucts when the prices are low until they
can be sold at profit over the cost Of
production instead Of at loss and to
forewarn them against 0verproduction
In any particular product Other voca-
tIons have unions for their mutual benefit
and protection. They keep their MEM
bers informed as to the supply and de-
mand in that particular vocation. To a
large extent they regulate the prices that
shall be paid and in time OF need encOur-
age and protect their memberA
Why should there not be farmers
unions, not only local and State but ma
tional and. worldwide, that would keep