The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-14
WILD VISIONS OF
D0LEFlL DREAMER
VIII the Trusts Invade the Farms
and Run the Waole
Earths
QUESTION BY A PROPHET
a Forewarning That May En-
able Folks to Get Ready
in Good Time.
QUESTION BY A PROPHET

d ". Shroycr. who lives at a Mace In
Nebraska called Humboldt, or at least
that Is the name OF tho county from
which he halls q don't know his post
cfhce addreag). has been writing Some
curious letters to the Inland Far-nc-
o. Louisville, Ky. I have not hereto.
'ore taken much stock in Shroycr's
views and do not now. blu. since he has
commenced to poso az a propbet
nave been getting moro Interested In
hlm and his ideas or prcphesies.s
90 not believe very much in Mr. Shrov
or yet but I believe there is arzood
OLD saying that to be forcwarned ia
20 DC forearmed. Therefore, I am go
Ing to give TO the farmer readers OF
the Industrial Section Showers nro.
phecy of what may be coming. to the
ehc that the aforesaid readers. with
the help Of tho Industrial Section and
AZ the other sections of The Times
Dispatch, may be In time prepared to
avoid the cslamities OF 6hroyers nro-
precies.
A Prophecy of Evil.
Here Is what Shroyer says:
have been pEophcsytng that there
are going to DO more wonderful
changes In farming in the next score
Of years than any generation has ever
seen. I believe that we are on the
r.rge of a greater evolution than the
past twenty years has seen. The big
tnaacicrs are turning toward the en-
rioitation OF the land. Slowly the
chang has been started. but It will
progress with rapid strides.
Machinery has been coming into
general use. but 1t has been limited to
small methods. such as can be prac-
ticed as economically By the email
farmer as by the big one.
While we have had to farm with
horses, 1t has been possible for the
small farmer to hold his own but
now we see the big engines sweeping
across the fields, turning many acres
under. The economy lies in the big
ger engine We small farmers can not
own these big machines that use ten.
twelve or twenty plows. IT takes too
much money TO buy them, and a big
farm Ola which to use them and &c,
back rcturns
Some Quick Work.
over in Indiana. they sent a great
machine across the field, blowing hf-
t. eight feet and over at d single
through. Just think Of II, they plow-
cd an acre IN less than fvc minutes.
Up In Canada they plowed an acre III
seven minutes with 4 smaller engine.
Where Will the eighty or i60-acrc
man be when these mighty machines
get fully developed and modern giants
OF finance get Up to operating In the
agricultural world?
These machines will dispense with
three fourths OF the hired help prob
lem, and the other fourth will be easier
TO solve. for II will be easy to find
men TO hold such important Jobs as
running powerful agricultural ma
chine.
LoI~
do al! the blowing, preparing. planting,
teivestins and hauling. In fact. they
viii do everything but drawing the
check for the grain and spending the
ncEsy, and the agricultural magnatc
car. do that easily enough.
when a big engine will cut the
wheat and plow the ground at the
that can keep up with tina, speed and
farm with old Dick and Ned?
Capital Required.
Section farms will be most cconom-
ical. and as land is passing the $3.50
mark. /; will take capitalists to own
farm Even then q section farm will
lot keep big siXty-horse engine
busy. and we are apt to see them larG-
or than that in a short time. 1t will
take many thousand dollars to buy and
outlit farm that can compete with
cereal factories Of the future.
These mighty flnanciers are now
reaching out and grasping great areas
OF the richest lands of the unsettled
world, and some day We North Amer
lean farmers will ind that from the
pa mpas of South America. great loads
Of wheat. corn and meats Will come
over the seas and compete with our
farmers in the markets of our land as
world.
'.Of course, they will let down the
tdrim bars. There will he a stirring
up OF the bread famine scare and the
wording men Of the cities will be a
Unit fcI cheap living.
Horrors of Prophet.
at is an unpopular thing 10 p.o.I
rhcSy things that arc not pleasant. and
the cry. .croaker' may be sounded. but
Just open your eyes as the eyes Of 9TH
or tradcsmen have been opened when
n.e.dcrn appliances have become so cum
bcrcome and expensive ;hat the small
operator WAS not able to continue in
business.
Look at the steel trade, look at
the oil business, look 1T any OF Il;
dozen things that the fsrea, hnanciersj
have boon able to engage IN and
smother out tho small try because in.
ycnticn stopped in and made costly
Me chimes that enabled only capitalists
10 own them. or course, you say the,
small farmer can operate the small en-
einc Yos, We may, but not 70: long:
for in this, us iii other lines, lareeness
will mean economy OF production.
The big machines that plo"cd al
acre in ave minutes OF less. cost over
$4,000. and an iInpcnse sum would
represent the land that would enploy
them. but cconom% OF production
" Guild follow in their wake. !.
Samples n PLENTY.
Fly immense machinery and costly
cperaIions the STANDARD Oil Company
secures d score Of superior products
tom the oils that flow from single
well. No small owner can compete
with them.
Monopoly has taken the business
world. and now is picking the lock Of
the front gate OF the rural home. We
r., -.-,1,.1d r,rnrr q a nd his " be