The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-08-12

each ton they work. Basing that esti-
mate on present prices for oil, meal and
hulls, and deducting $3.50 per ton to
cover the cost of freight and manufac-
ture, leaving the mills s1.00 profit per
ton, the present price of seed should be
$l9.Oo per ton, or about 80 cents per
buShcl.
These figures are based upon cold blood
Cd facts which the oil mills can neither
deny or refute. At the opening Of the
ginning season. for some reason the
price OF oil is always forced down, and
the price of seed based upon existing
low markets for oil. For the same rea-
son, doubtless, the price of cotton is de-
pressed at the opening of the season, SO
that the spectators and s~pinners can
get the staple cheap while the rush is
on. Cotton seed oil is several cents a
gallon cheaper now than it was three
months ago, although the demand, in
view OF the fact that no oil is being
manufactured should be higher.
SOME WHOLESOME ADVICE.
There is no need to be extravagant
with printers ink in condemning the oil
mill people for buying their seed as low
as they can get them. They are not in
the business for their health. The oil
MILL man Will depress the seed market
as quick as the cotton buyer. They both
nave the same object in view and that
IS 70 BUY the raw material as cheap as
possible and sell the manufactured pro-
duct as hlg as possible. What the pro-
ducerS should do, is to keep themselves
posted and demand the true value of
thelr seed. which at the present time is
50 cents pcrbusheI. 1t does no good to
sell your seed at S12 or $14 per ton and
then "cuss' out the oil mill people for
getting the best of you in the trade.
Stand firm for your rights and you will
receive them. Protect the local. indie
pendent homo mills by selling your seed
to them, instead of strengthening the
power of the oil mill trust by selling
your seed to the agents of the trust.
The independent mill can and will paw
just as much for your seed as the trust.
If the trust can live and grow fat, give
the local mills the preference and the
best chance. 1t is on the line of pro-
tecting a homo industry and making the
power of the trust weak for the future.
L nave given you all the figures need
full to work out the value of a ton of
seed from the oil mill standpoint every
day in the year. These market values
Va always printed III the market col
umns of your paper. If the price of oil
should drop for any cause, hold back
your seed until prices advance DOM
sell on q low market just to get rid OF
your seed and then after the seed are
hauled from the farm and delivered to
the mills see the price of oil advancing.
The farmers can certainly control the
seed market if they will.
The effort is certainly worth maEiDr
IT a farmer wants to exchange his seed
for meal and bulls, get the full market
price for your seed and pay the mill. -
market price for meal and bulls. A fan
exchange at present valuations would be
one ton Of seed for 600 pounds of mea1
and one ton of bulls, or one ton of seed
for 1,530 pounds of meal. OF course such
ali exchange cannot be perfected if yoI
allow the mills to price your seed al
Sl4 per ton. The fight for better prices
can be easily won if farmers will stane
stcadfaStly together and simply demand
their legitimate rights.