The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1910-08-27
FACTS FOR FARMER
SOME PLAIN TRUTHS WELL TO
REMEMBER.
A Glance At the Exchange Value OF
His Products Should Determine
Him How to Cast His
Vote This Fall.

While the prices Of practically all
commodities have shown some ad-
vance during the last few years. the
products. of the farm show much
greater advance than do the products
OF mines and factories. The financial
condition OF the grain raiser. the gen.
eral farmer and the dairyman 10 bet
ter than ever before and never was
the purchasing power OF farm prod
ucts SO great.
Senator Reed Smoot, In a speech be-
for the United States senate. May
n, 1910, declared farm land itself had
advanced In value rapidly and every
thing produced on the farm had risen
materially. Financially. the farmer
has become independent. The rural
free delivery and the telephone have
placed him in touch with the world
and he is as familiar with current
events as is the city dweller.
The average prices Of the principal
farm products In March. 1910, and
March. 1896. as shown by the bulle-
tins of the United States bureau Of
labor, reveal in a striking manner
tn prosperity of the farmer.
The real value Of any article Is its
exchange value. The real worth OF
farm products is measured by COM
parison with the value Of articles
which the farmer wants to purchase.
Figuring on the general wholesale
price of articles, ten bushels Of corn
In 1896 would buy 21 pounds Of Rio
coffee, in 1910, 10 pounds; ten bushels
OF corn eQualed In value SO gallons OF
re fined petroleum In March. 1910. 70
gallons in March, 1896; ten bushels Of
corn equaled In value 1.040 brick in
March. 1910. and 519 in March. 1896:
ten bushels of corn equaled In value
337 pounds Of wire nails in March.
1910, and 95 pounds in March. 1896;
ten bushels of corn equaled In value
131 pounds Of sugar In March. 1910.
and 50 pounds in March. 1896. etc.
A 30O-pound hog. when valued In
merchandise at the Wholesale rate.
equaled SO barrels of salt in March.
1910. and 16 barrels in March. 1895.
Twenty pounds Of butter showed
values as follows. when measured In
the wholesale price Of staple articles:
Coffee. No. Z Rio. in March. 1910. 70
pounds. in March. 1896. 20 pounds:
granulated sugar. 100 pounds In
March. 1910. as compared with 81
pounds in 1896. etc. A case Of eggs
which would have bought 72 yards OF
Amoskeag gingham In March. 1896.
would have bought 10 yards of the
same material in March Of this year.
These comparisons might be CON
tinued Indefinitely. the same state of
affairs existing in every line of goods
which the farmer buys, whether to
eat or to wear, whether to house him
self and his stock or to operate his
farm-in every case the rise in the
value of the products Of his farm has
been greater than the rise In the
value of the products he desires to
buy.
Agriculture is the foundation OF our
national wealth. Farmers constitute
our greatest class. When the farmer
prospers everyone else must neces-
sarily prosper. and the whole country
goes ahead.
Does the farmer. in the light OF
these comparisons. desire to turn
back the hands on the clock dial?
Does he prefer Cleveland penury to
Taft prosperity? Let him answer at
the polls this fall.