Some Very Interesting Figures

At a recent meeting of the Saline Farmers' Club, held at the resklence ot' Mr. and Mrs. S. 1!. Crittenden, the question : "Resolved, Tliat tiuaes are no harder for farmers than ten years ago," was disüutfed. Mr. G. L. Hoyt opened the debate for the afflrmative, and from a repirt of the meeting published In the r-viliue Observer, we take the followiug: Mr. Hoyt handled the subject in an iib'ti nimmer, backing hia statements witb figures tliat he had taken pains to prepare. His remarks were maile off hand, without notes, a fact whieh preventa our giving them in full. He believed the out-look for Intelligent farmers not at uil unfavorable and thouglit il. a detriment to their profession toiiecontinually showing the ilark side of everything. While priees for all produce were lower, j'et it was equally true tliat everythlng uswl by the farmer whs even lower, proportionntcly, than the produce he gold. A dollar's woitli of produce would go farther in inucliasiiiti what the farmer had to buy tlian at any time during the past ten years, and to back this statement he qtioted the following ligures, taken from his book, where he had tor years kipt. a record of every article bought or sold. The list comprlses only a tvw of the articles tliat go to make tip the list of farmer's pinchases, but Hit y are a fair comparison: 1S80. 1890. Salt Í 1.60 $ .90 Susar-grau 11 @ .12 .17 @. 07 Hugar-cuflae 10% .07 Tea 60.80 ,Ï6 @ .50 Matches box .05 for 3 Wool Twlne 12 .08 Plow Polnl 50 .25 Krrosene Oll 18 .13 CarpetTacks 10 .05 Mowlng Machine 7000 88.0U Hay Rake 28.00 20.00 Spring Tooth Harrow 28.(10 14.00 Paris Oreen 40 .20 Sultor Clolhes 20.0D same 13.U0 The following figures show the price Mr. Hoyt sold hls wheat and wool for during the past eight years: wheat. wool. 1882 $ .88 1882 $ .Jl 1883 90 1883 21 188 78 1884 16 1885 1.00 1885 15 l(j0 78 1886 15 1887." 85 1887 14 1888 80 188S 14 18811 9J 1889 20 liy these figures it will be seen that the I price of these two staple farm producía is at present fully up to the average of the past eight years. Mr. Hoyt also quoted figures showing a considerable decrease Ín the valne of farm mortgages recorded in several counties of this state, from which he concluded that farmers had paid some debts despite the " hard times." It was the man who had contracted debts during the booming times duriiig the war, that now lound it hard to catch up. Young men who Etarted then had intlated ideas he thought, and lound it hard to come down to the stern realitles of life, as experienced by their fatliers. Many otber points in favor of his side of the question were brought out by Mr. lioyt, which we will not attempt to give. He was followed by Mr. E. C. Warner who did not a;ree with him entirely. He humorously iiUrihuted the reduction in value of farm moitgagi's reooriied to the fact that so many mortgnges had been foreclosed. He tiured that it took more busliel's of wheat to purchase a binder than it did ten years ugo. Mr. Gilbeit Hurd thouglit he could not make the money farming he could ten years ago, but kept no boitks and could givé no definite figures. E.Ion Kuckmau seemed well enough satistied with proflts of farming. He bad ralsed good crops and thought he could pay debts as easy now as ten years ago. A. A. Wood was anotlier who thought the cry of hard tintes had become chronic, and many farmers had no one to blame but themselve9 for many of their seemlng failures. This was au nge of advancement in farm stock as well as everything else. He could raise a pound of pork now at four cents, aa easy as at six cents ten years ago. Wheat had averaged about as high in pricu while there had been a great reduction in price of many things the farmer bought. Farmers must breed better stock to make that branch of their business protitable He agreed tliat the man who contraoted able debts in the past now lound it harder to pay them.