The Somerset reporter., 1908-02-06
Up In "Rodstic. +"
A Correspondent Tell a Rather Doleful
Story--Is 1t True?

A Correspondent Tell a Rather Doleful
Story-Is 1t True?
Editor Commercial Farmer and
Villager:
Say is it hard times or do we just
think SO? If its merely matter of
thought come up here In Aroostook
and change our minds for us. Our
tax collector says 'its no use to put
on long face and tell how poor you
are" and one of our Patrons says, "If
a man has only half as many potatoes
as he had last year he is better off for
he doesn't have them to handle"
Right he doesn't have them to
handlel
Some great diplomat said: "Chick-
en- is cheap at so cents per pound II
you have the 30 cents, but high at 25
cents If you haven't the quarter"
Well, we haven't the quarter of last
years crop to pay nearly double of
last years bills.
| ate dinner lately with a farmer
who hired Ave acres of potato ground
from one of his neighbors in hopes to
get out Of debt on the extra amount
Of crop. Well, he's got them planted
for next year and almost $500 more
debt than he had before. His other
IL acres gave him less than 500 barrels
of market stock and they are rotting
in the cellar. A whole army Of faith
cure paragraphers couldn't make him
believe that he's richer than he was
last year. He bought another horse
this fall to help haul the extra crop,
but the horses stood still while the
old man, his son and daughter sorted
the rotten potatoes and sought anx-
iously for Canucks to help them.
Last year we lost by not having
storage room, more teams, etc. This
year we lose the team which we
bought, the new potato house we
built and the land we built it on.
From April to November we hunted
for men and when we captured one
gave him all the spare change we had
in vain endeavor to keep him. We
ran between showers and dug cell
lars or coopered barrels the rest of
the time 30 as to give the hired man a
chance to earn his board, and to no
avaiI-the man left when we needed
him most and the crop didn't fill the
barrels, let alone the cellars.
Now the farmer must sell his hay
a1d oats to pay his phosphate bill and
put his teams in the woods to earn
their board but the woods are full of
the men who refused SO day and
board last fall and team must work
as never before to earn the small
wages that are paid. So the farm ar
gets it in the neck whichever way he
turns. The phosphate companies
sold him sand in big barrels to be re-
turned full of spuds aud if he didn't
contract they are after him for the
cash and he's got to pay it whether
or no.
If bank pr esident squanders other
peoples money he is forced to resign,
If phosphate concern sells more po-
tatoes than they can deliver they
make stock company and go on
with a good recommended from
everybody in particular, but If
measly old farmer can't get money
enough together to pay the corpora
tions, tax collectors, horse dealers,
macninery agents, banks and other
deserving parties after squaring up
with his hired men, he is a dishonest
old sneak and ought to be in Thomas
tvn-and unless his farm is In his
wife's name and he stays In New
Brunswick until his creditors have
RODDleu up nlS peTsoHdi property hhN
the sheriff has tired of watching for
him, he'll get there. Yes, this is a
good, profitable year and potatoes are
almost 81 90 barrel; snow is plenti-
full and all things going fine if you
could only induce the farmers to think
so, but they are pig headed set and
hard to convince.
A potato buyer said "The farm
ers read too much, if potatoes go up
cent in Boston they think they ought
to go up five here" So, maybe, that
is the trouble-we're too well read to
swallow everything that's told us.
But like all other panic years it may
end some time and then we'll jump in
and buy phosphate as of old. Here's
hopin'!
l.. NJ.
Cary, Jan. 25, 1908.