Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1914-10-30

the Democratic nominee. -
|Harrisonburg News-Record.
The War and American Farmers.
Will the European war, by
causing an increased demand for
! agricultural products. benefit the
farmers of this country ? 1t is
by no means certain that it will.
The savings Of the world in
one year may amount to IS, O0O,.
600, 900 or Sc, 900. 00O,O 600 the
war will destroy that amount OF
wealth in three or four months,
Consider the resulting scarcity
of capital throughout the world,
the consequent restriction Of pro-
Iduction, the diminished supply
i of labor, the increase in the rate
Of interest. Farmers cannot es-
cape the effects of such economic
disturbances.
Suppose that most farm pro.
ducts do advance does it follow
that there will be a real increase
in profit to the farmer ? Will
farmers as group lose more
than they gain on account of the
higher prices thew must pay for
Everything they buy ? Farmers
are consumers as we'll as produc.
ers they are buyers as we'll as
sellers, even of agricultural pro.
ducts.
Suppose that wheat goes to
$3.50 or So a bushel. How many
farms in one hundred raise
wheat :? Only twenty-.hree. Con-
sequently, seventy-seven farmers
must pay exorbitant prices to
ltwenty-three farmers for one of
the principal articles of food.
Most wheat farmers buy their
| flour from the merchant; they
will have to surrender in that
way some of the profit that they
may receive for unground wheat.
No farm produces everything,
or nearly everything, that its
owner needs. Potatoes grow on
only one-half OF all the farms,
and sweet potatoes on only eigh-
teen per cent. of them. Cotton
may go to fifteen or twenty cents
a pound, but we must remember
that less than one-quarter of the
farms raise cotton. Sugar, dry
beans and rice are raised on only
a small proportion of our farms
Moreover, if the war continues,
the prices of clothing, and of al.
most all sorts of manufactured
goods, will rise.
1t is not even certain that
there will be an increased effec.
tive European demand for our
farm products, not excepting
wheat. Europe has suspended
credit payments, and will take
only gold; consequently it must
pay gold. AS a rule, the nations
at war are. hot paying, and can
not pay in goods, and the loan
market of this country has been
closed to them. Cotton manu-
featuring is paralyzed in the war
ring nations, which have taken
yearly about two-thirds of our
crop. Fruits have been export
ed from the United States to the
countries at war to the value O
$50, 100000 a year. That de-
mand has ceased absolutely.
We have no meat that we can
afford to export. If we do ex-
port it. the price of meat, and of
meat animals, will advance, and
there will be a wasteful slaugh-
ter of immature cattle. It would
be a misfortune both to the
farmers and to the nation to in
crease or even to continue the
overslaughter of meat animals
that has occurred in recent years.
The European war cannot
really benefit the farmers of the
United States. Small groups of
here and there may
profit by it, but when the actual
results of the great upheaval be-
gin to make themselves felt, the
farming population as a whole |
must face a diminished market |
ind lower prices.-The Youths
Companion.
ELECTION NEXT TUES
DAY, NOV. BIRD. DON'T MISS
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