218 



Low Prices. 



Vol. VII. 



For the Farmers" Cabinet. 

 Low Prices. 



Messrs. Editors, — For the first time in 

 my life — now a pretty extended period — I 

 have this day sold a fine fat hog, Weighing 

 100 pounds, for 3^ cents per pound ; receiv- 

 ing for it just three dollars and a half! Which, 

 as it was of real, pure Berkshire blood, is a 

 less sum than I was offered for it at six 

 weeks old. We are, indeed, fallen upon 

 eventful times, and are tempted to ask, first, 

 what has caused the before unheard-of de- 

 pression of farm produce ; and second, what 

 will be the end of it? Now, as I live in a 

 retired part of the country, and see but little 

 of the world, and hear less of it, except on 

 market days, I suppose I am not expected 

 to know much about it, except that " such 

 things are ;" and yet, when one is made to 

 feel so severely, and to smart under such an 

 infliction as that which now oppresses us, it 

 is but natural that we should complain, and 

 then it is but reasonable that we should be 

 able to say what ails us. 



You must know, then, I purchased the 

 small place which I now occupy, ei^ht years 

 ago: it was then almost in a state of nature, 

 and for the first four years I had enough to 

 do, to "clear my teeth," as the saying is; 

 but when I had any thing to sell, I obtained 

 a fair price for it, and got forward, although 

 it was by slow degrees : but after four years 

 more of hard labour, and now that I am able 

 to raise better crops, the prices which I am 

 compelled to accept for them, brings me 

 back to the state of destitution which' I suf- 

 fered at the first, without the hope that by 

 my exertions I shall ever be able to over- 

 come my difficulties. I may be wrong, but 

 it strikes me that one cause for the very low 

 prices of agricultural produce is, the over 

 supply of our markets; for unless I am much 

 deceived in my powers of observation, there 

 were not such enormous quantities of pro- 

 duce brought to the markets eight year- ag4| 

 as now. And this brings me to assent to the 

 doctrine, promulgated by what are called 

 "Political Economists;" that "the low price 

 of labour in Europe, is caused by the glut of 

 that material in the market." If this be so, 

 I see no probability of things growing bet- 

 ter ; for the preference which is at present 

 given to agricultural pursuits, fostered by 

 the numerous periodicals and other works 

 which are continually springing up around 

 us, serves to increase the evil, by propa- 

 gating the notion, that no other employment 

 is at all comparable to that of husbandry; 

 while the high prices paid for agricultural 

 labour, add to the difficulty, by enabling 

 every industrious man to become a land 



holder, whose only chance of success is 

 sought in the further supply of those arti- 

 cles, with which the markets are already 

 filled to excess. To particularize — the land 

 adjoining me, which has heretofore remained 

 a waste, 500 acres in extent, has just been 

 purchased by a person hitherto engaged in 

 business in the city. His object is, to culti- 

 vate roots, cabbages, &c, and breed hogs and 

 poultry on a very extensive scale, depending 

 entirely on Philadelphia for a market for his 

 produce; and he informs me that many of 

 his acquaintances will be soon compelled to 

 follow his example; remarking, their habits 

 of life in the city have entirely unfitted them 

 for a distant residence. And if to this be 

 added the facility offered by rail-roads and 

 canals, to pour in the produce of lands once 

 quite out of the reach of the sea-board; with 

 the continually increasing stream of emi- 

 grants from foreign countries, whose grand 

 resource is agriculture — how, in the name 

 of " Political Economy," are times for the 

 farmer ever to mend ? Some, to whom I 

 have applied for a solution of the difficulty, 

 are of opinion, that the prices of land and 

 labour must fall ; but will not this add to the 

 pressure, by inducing a greater number of 

 farm labourers to become land-holders, and 

 grow food for themselves'? It has been pro- 

 posed in the Cabinet, that various articles 

 should be grown, other than those that are 

 now furnished for the markets. — Well, this 

 might stave off the difficulty for a time, but 

 soon every demand will be supplied, and 

 competition will again reduce the price be- 

 low the cost of raising — witness the article 

 of castor oil, which once brought six dollars 

 a gallon, but is now supplied for sixtv-two 

 and a half cents ! 



Since writing the above, an old and ven- 

 erable neighbour has looked in, and in an- 

 swer to the inquiry, Will things ever be bet- 

 ter for the farming interest? said, "I once 

 was young and now am old, yet have I 

 never seen the righteous forsaken, or his 

 righteous seed begging their bread." As in 

 all other things, so in the business of agri- 

 culture, there will ever be ebbing and Mow- 

 ing: have you so soon forgotten, how that a 

 few years ago, the people ceased to eat beef, 

 because the price was so high that few could 

 afford to purchase ? when pork was 14 cents 

 per pound, and flour 8 or 10 dollars per bar- 

 rel? I remember when I was a young man, 

 the price of wheat in the old country was so 

 low, that a neighbour of ours determined to 

 build a granary for the purpose of stowing 

 away his crop until the price should rise; 

 but all the people laughed, and assured him 

 that wheat would never again he higher — it 

 was then 62 cents per bushel— but he rea- 



