ADVOCATE A ND GUIDE. 69 



ness of producing large crops for less money than smaller 

 ones. Nobody but farmers are now foolish enough to work 

 for others free and board themselves, and pay a big bonus 

 for that privilege. That is because all other classes are 

 unionized to fix in advance the price they are to receive for 

 labor or service. They look after price-making first and 

 perform the service afterwards, while the farmers produce 

 first and allow others to set the price afterwards. 



To illustrate the foolishness of Kansas wheat raisers, a 

 few of the worst cases of misapplied energy will suffice. In 

 the even millions only, in 1883 we raised 30,000,000 bushels, 

 worth $22,000,000. Then we got work crazy and raised 

 40,000,000 bushels in 1884, for which we got $20,000,000. 

 Raised 18,000,000 bushels to give away free and had to put 

 up $2,000,000 to get them to take it off our hands, as com- 

 pared with the price the previous year. Could anything be 

 more foolish except more of it? And here is more : In 1891 

 we raised 58,000,000 bushels for $42,000,000. Then the 

 working fever struck us harder and we put in 395,919 acres 

 more, raised 74,000,000 bushels in 1892 and got $40,000,000 

 16,000,000 bushels given away with the same bonus for tak- 

 ing it $2,000,000. What do you know about that for a 

 clear case of work brittle stupidity? In 1893 on 24,000,000 

 bushels $11,000,000 was realized, while 28,000,000 bushels in 

 1894 brought the same price four million bushels given 

 away after paying all the expense of raising and marketing 

 it. But, of course, we are glad they didn't charge anything 

 that time for taking it. We didn't get off so easy the next 

 time, for in 1897 we got $34,000,000 for 51,000,000 bushels, 

 while only $32,000,000 for 60,000,000 bushels the next year. 

 They held us up for $2,000,000 for being so generous as to 

 raise and give away 9,000,000 bushels. In 1904 we realized 

 $51,000,000 on 65,000,000 bushels, while the year before we 

 got only $52,000,000 for 94,000,000 bushels 42,000,000 

 bushels for only $1,000,000 more 2J cents a bushel. In 



