Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1907-01-18

cess In 1906. the Dawn al i""' -
M Les. PramIsing-iie Sets the race
For Industrial Activity and Wall
street Finance-Corn L. KING TOT
ton Queen.
Crops that have swelled yearly To
more and more fabulous proportions
have made the American farmer the
most important factor IN orr natloiiai
pro sperity. writes W. q. Johnson man
aging editor of the American Agrleui
turist. in the New York llrrahs an
nual financial aud commercial review
lie is the dictator OF the world OF COM
merce. His wonderful achievements
during the last few years have as
founded the world. All other classes
OF producers drop into insiShiicaiice
when compared with him.
Wall street was shaken to its very
foundation when he demanded SO.ilJ,-
100000 in cash for his 1919 crop Ran
road managers stood aghast and were
unable 10 speak becau they realized
their inability TO hanl this WONDERFUL
man a clean bin of ladinG TO transport
his products.
Ii required S4.9O0O00,000 in hard
cash in 1904. but financiers had to
make provision for an Increase OF ST.
| $1,000. 600 10 take over the crops OF
1908, as their total valuation was 81,
4l5 100000. Such unthinkable figures
ami demands paraiyzed both financial
and commercial institutions. The
worlds history had no such marvellous
records. Willie captains Of industry
were maxi II prov sion for delivering
the cash and for handling the products
of 1908, up to that time the most boun-
tiful and wonderful crop ever pro
duced, the sturdy farmer had his hand
on the pillow looking toward 1906.
Not satisfied with the achievements
of former years. he set his standard
still higher and plunged into the fu
/ ture As II result the modest demand
of the American farmer for SG.S0O.uUJ
W0 cold hard cash to cover his harvest
of 1906 came like bolt of lightning
from Il clear sky. Neither financial
nor commercial institutions We're pre-
pared to 1.eet any such demand.
II has brought from the secretary OF
the national treasury, Mr.. Shaw, the
statement that I'VE who pray shoulC
ask God to save us from any increased
prosperity. We have all we can stand
We are growing more crops than VIZ
can harvest ana harvesting more thar
we can haul to market
! This is indeed radical statement
and reflects more or less the actua
conditions confronting the farmer. bu
do not think for II moment that the
hard handed plowman will look back
ward. He is advancing step 10y Sel
and season by season. He encounter.
and oyercomeS meteorological anC
economic conditions that would deadci
the iron nerve and zeal of the mos
successful Wall street veteran. Tn
! favorable weather conditions, lack OF
help to harvest his crops and inefiicien
facilities to market them are not fac
tors that will force the American farm
er to SIT down and idly fold his hands.
Marvellous AS was his success for the
year Just closed. the dawn OF 1907 is
no less promising. He has made plans
for still greater things. His winter
! wheat crop. now seeded for the coming
midsummer harvest, is more than 4
million acres in excess of that of 1906
Who can fathom the future and say
where the wonderful producer will
stopg He has confidence and implicit
faith in the ability of financial and
transportation leaders to pay for anC
transport his products; hence his un
faltering and interchangeable belief ii
the future of his profession. for mos
exact profession is agriculture.
The American farmer has set the
pace for industrial activity. 1t is ht
who Is first consulted before Wal
street ventures far into the future BY
reason of his successes the last tel
years the man behind the plow has be
come a dominating influence In every
branch of our Industrial life. Bankers
reckon with him first, railroads regu
late their rolling stock and track ia
cilities after CHANGING at his crop re
ports. ocean liners base calculation,
for service on his harvests, brokers are
at sea until the farmer opens his gran
aries, cities clamor for recognition be
cause their millions of occupants are
dependent solely upon the farmer-ht
feeds the world.
Is there any reason, then. why so pc
tent factor in our national life as the
American farmer should not hold his
head high and look straight ahead? He
Is happy and contented; his home is
comfortable and Independent, perhaps
more so than that of any other class
his granarIes are bullying and overflow
ing. his barns are filed with live stock
his cellar is packed with fruits ant
vegetables, his bank account has beer
increased considerably with each Sue
cessive crop. his credit is unlimited. al
together, there are on our 6.000.00(
farms freedom and an independence
of life that reflect the stability ant
character OF our basic wealth in agri
culture.
The year Just closed may be sum
married. as one of uniform and almos
unparalleled excellence in crop produc
ton. The liberal bulk of tonnage, y@tl
reasonably good prices, means contin
ued prosperity for farmers, and that il
very large way points to further
business health Of the country at large
1t is not often that season has show1
such uniformity in excellence of farm
yields. Climatic conditions proved ia
voraDle throughout the growing sea
son and disappointed some OF the pes
simiSts who expressed fears that the