The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1904-07-01
FOR DOLLAR WHEAT
Farmers Are Urged TO Hold Their
Wheat by the A. =. OF l..

ty, the farmers national cooper
alive society, headquarters at
indianapolis, Ind, isin the field
TO maintain wheat at an equit-
able price. We know that ST.
per bushel is no more than a fair
and equitable price for any crop
of wheat this country has grown
In many years or can grow under
[. existing conditions. We appeal
to you to JOIN us in demanding it,
ami help us to sustain that de-
mand.
The average price of wheat at
Chicago for % years has been IS
cents per bushel.
In these 80 years there nave
been seven years when the aver
age price was over ST., viz: 1874,
1876, 1877, 1880, 1881, 1882, 1888.
The lowest yearly average of
the'period was 81 cents for the
year 1864. The lowest price was
90 cents, which was reached in
September of that year, and the
highest 654 cents in April.
Considering the % years in two
groups of 149 years each, we have
the average price of the firsf
group, 1874 to 1888, 994 cents,
and for the second group, 1883 to
1902, 768 cents.
As will be seen the price has
averaged lower in late years be-
cause the buyers are better or
ganized to pound the farmers
price down to the very lowest
limit and yet not drive them out
of business. AT no time in re-
cent years have production and
consumption been live factors in
the wheat market until 1901
when farmers were taught by the
A. 5. of K. how to force an equi-
table price.
The average yield of wheat is
about Ii bushels per acre. True,
many farmers raise much more.
IT. follows, also, that many raise
less. In any movement for the
general good we must consider
the average individual-the aver
age farmer. Thirteen bushels at
the average price. 76s cents is
1895. This is for the use of an
acre of ground one year, labor of
preparing, seed, sowing. care,
harvesting, Irvine, threshing and
marketing. To this must be adj
ded interest on investment, loss
of fertility in the soil, wear and
tear of machinery, and Operators
profit. If all the actual expen-
SEES and losses were subtracted,
and the balance was allotted for
the farmers labor he would not
get more than 5I cents day for
wages, to say nothing about prof
it. The boy in the factory and
the girl in the Office get better
wages than this, and work short
er hours.
Selling farm produce without
an adequate return is like taking
from the meal sack and never
returning; or like taking tn 2
life blood from our body. Our
farmers have sold their birth
right (the stored fertility in the
soi) for a mess of pottage.
Most of our farms are in an
impoverished condition from long
cropping, and the returns from
grain and other farm products
are not sufficient to Justify the
expense of returning the fertili-
ty. This is a very serious prob
lem. 1t can only be met by
equitable prices for farm prod,
ucts.
The 1900 census shows that the
average income of all farmers il
only $643 per family, while the
average income of other laboreri
is ST., l46 per family. Two and ;
third million farmers families
have an average income of les
than $500 per year. Four mil
lions have an average income o
less than si00 IA year. Are pric
es of farm products equitable
when two-thirds of the farmers
families are limited to anincom'
of 800 a year? For this the,
must work from sun to sun, win
ter to winter, at the most exact
ing labor, and oftentimes unde
the most disagreeable conditions
while the laborers in towns an
cities. who largely are engages
in producing the goods the farm
ers buy, work short hours, unde
pleasant conditions, and receiv
three times the reward.
Bradstreet's has figured tina
manufacturers, with an invest
ment of ten billion dollars, pre-
duce thirteen billions OF prod