The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-09-18

,4r falling OIL, the decrease then
lo|u,f7g TO more than $4,000 tons per
am buns report of July 21st stated
"o. .ra WOODEN mills were running at
t"'. -nau half their capacity; and even |
il" ,r, the cotton manufacturers have |
!.. threatening to either reduce wages
been down temporarily. According to
Oh rarort. the business failures nave |
pun ~sater during each month of 1900 |
1.a they we're during the same months
tI'' .r0ps. and when two wars are in |
progress,
.pPTTRARY FLUCTUATIONS.
--- Contractor can figure with some ac-
So long as natural laws control,
81, cannot protect himself against the
...r. fluctuations. which are not only
r-r hut profitable when a monopoly
+....rs he market.
-fa farmer is one Of the most import
....ors IL our national life. Some
r. said to him. THE hand that
.. the plowshare feeds the world"
not a stakeholder in any of the
.. Int he feels the extortion prac-
.. r.- them all. l am not farming on
-.-.. scale, but the mileading reports
-.. have been circulated concerning
u.- crop justify me in making ref
-.-... 10 my own experience. The New
v.,t. tribune recently printed q dispatch
- Nebraska to the effect that / had
.. ..1I forty-eight hundred bushels of
.- 90 cents per bushel (supposed to
t. tho Weld of 120 acres). and that the
...a.at received tor the oats was more
.t.u double the price paid for the land.
~fa Tribune article then proceeded to di-
r-ta uron the prosperity of the farmer,
ana asserted that the farmers of Nebras-
4. were becoming so opulent that they
.ara Joining the Republican party. The
facts ere. first. That ! had five acres
...s instead Of one hundred and
evenly acres: second, That the oats
,7va not get been threshed. so that the
Weld is not known; third, That oats are
srI-rg for less than % cents in Chicago,
.rerart Of 80 cents in Nebraska. and
t.-.rth That the land upon which the
os-. were raised cost me over 500 an
ARE frstead of Sc. If. when threshed,
my oats Yield 30 bushels to the acre,
and / sell them in Nebraska for 30 cents
,ar lasAaI. the total income from the five
acres viii be SO. or less than eight per
cent en- The investment. After taking out
tho cost Of blowing, sowing, harvesting
and -nrgshinG. the net income from that
five acre tract VIII not exceed four per
cent on the none invested. l do not
mean TO Judge others by my own expert
erce. but I mention the facts in this case
10 show how the Republican papers ex-
ggrarate the farmers prosperity, and
credit a Republican administration with
good crops. making no allowance for the
5ro9 failures which occur from time to
tire.
DECLINE OF FARM PRODUCTS.
But while on the oat question let me
cell attention to the statistics given in
the Investment Guide already referred to
According to Henry Clews & Co., the
uara-e process received by farmers fol
GALS. during the seven years beginning
With 1898, and ending with 1899, were as
Flows: 1883, 29.4; 1891. 32.4; 1895, 1876
Ht. 1871: 1897, 21.2; 1888, go; 1899, 24.9
.eording TO these figures oats averaged
3 cents a bushel during the four years O
Nr. CIeveland's administration, and onll
AGENTS. per bushel during the three year:
OF Mr.. McKinley's administratiOn-tht
PRESENT year is not yet complete, bu
cats are at the present time below thu
average.
According to the same authority tn
average prices received by the farmer:
for corn were as follows: 1898, 36.5; 1894
81. 1888. 26.4; 1896. 21.5; 1897, 26.3; 1898
81. 1893. 3G.3. making an average of abou
Cub during the -four years OF Mr.. Cleye
lands administration and PSI during tn
three years OF Mr.. McKinley's admins
traton-the fourth year is not yet com
plere. but corn is at this time above tn
average.
Wheat, according to the same autho
Tty brought to the farmers the follow1ni
prices. 1898, 53.S; 1894, 49.1; 1898, 500
1896. 726; 1897. sos; 1898, 58.2; 1899, 81
showing a higher average during the las
three years than during the four proceed
I1g-rhe fourth year is not complete, Blu
Wheat is now above the average.
According to the same authority cotto1
planters received the following prices
1893, cog: 1894, 4.G; 1895, 7.5o; 1896, &C
-N1, 80; 1898, 4.75; 1899, rs, shown
o higher average during the four years Q
@f. Cleveland's administration than dur
ing the three years of Mr.. Mckinley's ad
MIalalra.iOn-the fourth year is not We
complete bat cotton is now above tn
average price.
Taking these four staples of agricul
'afe IT viii be seen that three out of fou
nave not On the average brought as niue
I1e-fn to fEe farmer, under the presen
@.4lht5tration, as under the previous al
".a-@ ration, and the fourth product
wheat. IS more Influenced than any othe
"~fA product by foreign conditions.
ADVANCE IN MERCHANDISE.
"h@a, however. the farmer attempts t
use MS income III the purchase of the nee
'aafIes Of life he finds that the trust
L@'' raised prices. He must pay NOR
"' lumber, nails, wire, harness, hard
''i"' stoves and agricultural imple
"9".5- More, also for oil, sugar, clotf
ing. furniture, etc, and in addition t
"'5" drains upon his income he mus
"7- an Increase in federal taxation.
me parent calculate how long
a farmer to become independef
PRESENT conditions; let him COZ
The lot Of the farmer with the Il
me man who profits by government;
..''''.m and grows rich by the explol
'i his countryrnen through the II
N-o-a'1taIIty Of monopoly, and the
"-. answer the question:, Us II
'"5 man, Absalom, safe?" Has tt
S son, or the farmer himself al
.l Tor giving support to the II
'..lan party?