The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-12-06
THE WEST IS ALL RIGHT
NO SHRINKING OF VALUES IN THE
PRODUCING SECTION.
FARMERS BETTER OFF THAN EVER

While Wall Street Stocks Are Tumb.
ling Farmers and stock Raisers Are
Getting Higher Prices for Every.
thing-Fine stock Holds up Well.
Orom the Omaha Sunday Bee, Nov
10
That real and genuine prosperity
abidcs in the west Is best shown by tho
comparison of values in the stock mar
kot of Wall street, with prices in the
grain markets of the west Nearly all
railroad industrial and mining stocks
listed on the New York exchange have
declined 30 per cent in value since Jan
uary !. One year our United States
Steel common was selling at AZ, today
II Is quoted at %. At that time ST.
Paul railroad stock was worth 1S4, or
a slow sale at 81. Missouri Pacific has
dropped from 81 to 81, and Union Pa
cific common from 1S4 to 107. This
last named stock touched par last
week. Reading railroad stock has
dropped from 146 to II, New York Cen
trail from 1913 to %, Pennsylvania Rail
road from 1879 to 106. American Smelt-
ing and Refining stock, supposed to
be one of the best buys in the market
one year ago, has dropped from 1876
to &c.
In the Corn Belt.
Over against this record of loss and
disaster is the bright contrast in the
prices for all kinds of agricultural pro-
ducts. The farmers of the corn belt
and of the cotton fields in the south
hold the prosperity of the country in
in their hands. They are supplying
the wheat, corn, oats, cotton and live
stock that is turning the tide of gold
from Europe money centers to this
country. For an average crop of grain
our farmers are receiving from 10 to
20 per cent more than average prices
One year ago cash wheat in Chicago
was quoted at rs cents, cash corn at
AZ cents, and oats at 33 cents. Today,
after the slump in prices, caused by
the furry in Wall street, cash wheat
in Chicago is worth 95 cents, or 20
cents per bushel more than last year,
when our prosperity was at high tide.
Cash corn in Chicago IS today worth
55 cents per bushel and oats are worth
4G cents. Corn, wheat and oats are
worth more on the farm today than in
Chicago one year ago. Grain Is worth
almost as much as before the panic in
Wall street. When the price of grain
dropped from its high point three
weeks ago, the farmers of Nebraska
and other western states quit selling.
They didn't need the money, and they
knew the price would come back.
Another indication of the prosperity
of western farmers is found in the
prices now being paid for all kinds OF
pure bred live stock. Public sales of
horses, cattle and hogs have been as
good or better than last year. George
Briggs & Son of Clay Center, Neb.,
held public sale of pure bred Duroc-
Jersey hogs on November 8. A year
| ling SOW sold for $500 and a 6-months-
old pig brought $405 Twenty-Five
head brought $4,567.5O, or an average
of $15S.20 each. The Flynn Farm COM
pany of Des Moines, Iowa, held a pub
lie sale of Shorthorn cattle on Novem-
Der 7, and realized $4,000 on forty
seven head, an average of $685.. 10 each.
A number of animals in this sale
brought more than $500 each. On No
vember 8, n. A. Lind of Rolfe, Iowa,
sold fifty-siX head of Shorthorn cattle
at public auction for $13,95O, an av-
erage of $249.10. The buyers at these
sales were farmers from Iowa, Illinois,
Nebraska, Missouri, Minnesota and
Michigan. Kansas and Missouri farm
ers have been liberal buyers Of pure
bred stock at recent public sales.
William Wingate of Trenton, Mo-,
paid $4,250 for Poland China hog to
head his herd, and at the same time
t. NJ. Chambers of Oswego, Kan, at
tended public sale of Poland-China
hogs of the Goodrich Stock farm, Ell
don, Mo, and paid $5,125 for one hog,
the record price of that breed. On
June 10, 1906, Howell Reese of Pilger,
Neb., paid ST., 500 for Choice Goods, a
noted Shorthorn bull. At the recent
American Royal Live Stock show in
Kansas City, a bull calf, sired by
Choice Goods, won the championship.
1t is reported that Mr.. Reese has since
refused $4,000 for this calf.
Western Farmers Have Money.
These fancy prices for individual an
imals are exceptional, but hundreds
of public sales have been held in the
west since the panic began and in
nearly every instance good prices have