The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-01-21

" ceedingiy fortunate in Iii
situation. He is snrer Of /
crop than farmers ia many other
States. He plows a soil 81 exceeding
fertility. and is generally out OF debt.
He has the most approved farm ma
ehinery. good stock. and usually Il
windmill 60 pump the water and grind
feed for them. He looks with compla-
cency upon Ills co-worker on the flint
hills Of New England. who IS trying to
make living on the farm Ia spite Of
nature that has done So little for him.
and SO much for his Western brother.
Here the picture changes. The New
Englander is a free man. He can
drive to town over good road any
day In the year; he can sell his pro
duce whenever the price suits him: he
can go 10 church; the higher schools
Of village and town are accessible to
his children; be enjoys A friendly in
tercourse with his neighbors: he keeps
In touch with the geeat outside. ever
changing world.
With the Ides Of November comes
the winter Of discomfort to the habf-
tant Of the Western prairie. He knows
that for the next FIVE or six months
he is to be the buried vassal Of King
Mud, that for weeks at a time he can
not turn wheel He VIII be in large
degree isolated from the world. Let
1t be remembered that the ground
freezes ordinarily after the November
rains when the roads are badly cut
up. This leaves them rough ana al
most impossible He must sell his
produce, not when the market Is right
but when the roads viii permit. He
has produce that the city wants, and
is ready to pay a good price for. but
he cannot deliver it. When the roads
are bad prices are generally at the
best, as the supply is short on account
OF the roads. When the roads improve
prices usually go down. owing to heavy
shipments and over supply.
The inability 10 take advantage Of
the market Is costing the farmers IL
Illinois at the lowest estimate. two
cents upon every bushel Of grain they
raise, to say nothing Of the inconve-
nlence and discomfort Of being mud
bound. and the extra expense or haul
ing produce to market over poor roads.
The reports Of the Bureau of Agri- |
culture show that the cost of hauling
farm produce 70 market in Central |
Europe, over the splendid roads found |
there, is from five cents to eight cents 4
per ton per mile the average being
about six and one-half cents; while
over dirt roads In America the expense
Of the same service is from twenty
four cents to twenty-six cents per ton
per mile. over three times the cost in /
Europe.
Ninety-nine per cent Of ali farm
products moved by railroad, express
and steamship companies is first
hauled in wagons. II often costs more
to move produce six miles from the
farm to the railroad than it costs to
freight It 200 miles to the city market.
The Maryland Geological Survey.
composed Of experts Of high standing.
has made an exhaustive study OF the
good roads problem as related 10 that
state, and their report shows that the
present wagon roads Of that State cost
the people S40O0.00O more per year
than it would with uniformly good
hard roads. and this amount OF money
Is a dead loss each year This repre-
sents SS.75 for every man. woman and
child in the State.
The secretary Of the Farmers Ma.
tional Congress estimates that wagon
Of the United States
reaches the enormous sum 600.0O0.O 900
tons for an average Of eight miles, or
$500 million tons transported for one
nlle at an average cost Of twenty.
i've cents per ton, making the amount
equal to three-fourths Of the national
lebt, or over SIS for every man. WON
IN and child in the United States
lwo-thirds OF this sum would be saved
this country had such country roads
Is France, Belgium. England and Ger. {
many. /
An eminent authority on agriculture q
avs that the farmers in any commu-
Iity having hard roads which win en- q
bile them to market their crops any &
ay in the year. can by watching the t
aarket and taking advantage OF good
riees, gain from three cents to five n
ents bushel on his grain. and one y
af to one cent a pound on his hogs. C
yer ana above what he can ordinarily b
ct when, for weeks at 4 time. lie Is G
lud-bound. and cannot deliver his q
rop. nor keep in touch with the mar &
cts. He goes further and SAYS: This <
ieans ain increase Of the cash profits Il
q the farm Of from seventy-hve cents d
S2 per acre There can De no doubt
lat good. hards every-day.ln-the-year d
oads are worth 500 to $500 per year "
'r every quarter section reached by 8
iem.r &