Norwich bulletin., 1912-09-14

NWTihten OPoStdhy ioi i"S
 They say misery loves company. We New England farmers think we've been having 8 rather hard time or IL, thfs cantankerous year. What with slush and mud all the spring, parching drought all the summer, and frosts ca vorting around any old time when they were wanted least, we've felt as if our cups were mighty near the brim-
 But we aren't the only ones. I've just been reading a, dispatch from London which tells a story of even worse luck among our fellow farmers in England. It seems the'ye been hay- ing two steady months <of indictment weather, which has done damage amounting to many millions of pounds sterling. Even in case September should turn out perfect crop weather, they cannot save enough from the wneckf for self subsistence during the wintef- The dispatch goes on:
 sThousands of British farmers stand face to face today with hopeless ruin unless help comes from some quarter outside their control Tens of thou sands of iaborers are suffering now and will suffer still more during the coming winter from the c1rtaflment of employment, and all signs point to the fact that the prosperity of the British horticultural community has suffered a blow from which it will take years to recover"
 That's rather worse than anything we have at home It looks as if we might yet be appealed to for contribu- tions out of our little for the rescue of those who have less.
 nEx1 ~1.s. h atrks d the papers with Intelligence know that the high cost of living, about which we are so much troubled Is worse all through Europe than 1t is here. The rise in the price of all living necessi- ties has been greater abroad than in this country. Some of the politicians are trying to make out that 1t is the laws of the United States which cause the high prices Pefhaps some of them believe 1t. A man can believe almost anything, if he tries hard enough and wants office bad enough. But 1t surely does seem little queer to a sane and reasonable person to be told that the laws of the United States cause flour and sugar and coffee and bran and pork and leather to go up in price faster and higher outside of the United States than inside them The facts seem to be that some uni versally working cause is sending uT prices all over the round world--in England and France and Germany and Australia as effectively as in this coun- try. It doesn't seem to make any diff Ference what the various laws or sys- tems of the countries may be, prices are on the boom everywhere.
 As think have remarked, the rist in the prices of agricultural products ought not to be a source of discom- fort to real farmers. The higher oul products are, the more money is com. ing to us-provided only we rais, enough for our own needs as well a. some to sell Of eoiifsess the special izing farmer who raises only one, croJ and buys what he needs of all others feels the overcharges most. Righ there is one of the arguments for gen. eral, all-around farming. There ar, arguments for special farming too don't forget that Something can bi said for both sides. But present higi prices of grains. etc, certainly furnish one argument for growing on the farn all that is to be consumed on the farm and which 1t can be made to produce Of course, the farmer. who raises onl, potatoes must buy flour and corn mea and bran and butter and eggs and mea and so on, as well as sugar and coffeD and tea and nutnegs. And, equally of course, he has got to pay out bil money for the said four and bran etc. as we'll as for tea and coffee an, nutmegs. But the farmer who raise on his own farm his own wheat an, corn and pigs and lambs and chicken and potatoes, and who keeps cows an makes his own .hntter-that farme isn't worrying a little bit about tn high prico. of cereals and meats an dairy products. He doesn't have t buy them while he is able to get fanc prices for, the surplus which he ma have to sell. sea
 Pm not arguing, here, as an advc cate of general farming for everybod x Our farms are very different: W haven't all the same sort of market come of us simply cannot get adequat labor. What is good businessp fo one may be dunn foolishness for an