78 The Condition of the Western Farmer. [356 



that the number of farmers failing in comparatively late years 

 from what seemed unavoidable causes directly connected with 

 their. farming operations, has been larger than at any other 

 period in the history of the township. The drought of 1890 

 had undoubtedly very much to do with this fact, but a cause 

 is also to be found in the temporary cessation of increase in 

 land value in the years just prior to 1890 or '91, and the con- 

 sequent inability of the debtors to increase their loans so as to 

 make good past deficiencies with the proceeds. 



With the knowledge now arrived at of the condition of the 

 farming classes, let us pass in review the various economic 

 influences which have affected them so far as these influences 

 are exhibited by the material collected in this monograph. 

 What is said about these forces must be understood to apply 

 to the farmers of normal ability, who have at their service an 

 average amount of capital. Unusual shiftlessness or misfor- 

 tunes may have accelerated the failure of some, and unusual 

 ability may have given positive prosperity to others, but such 

 elements we may for the time leave to a certain extent out of 

 consideration. It seems sufficiently evident from Part II. of 

 this paper that over and above those who have failed owing 

 to personal causes, there are men whose ruin or financial 

 embarrassment has had behind it causes which cannot be so 

 localized ; and their lack of success has been described as due 

 to prevalent agricultural conditions, a phrase, which we are 

 now to analyze. 



However, of the conditions possibly unfavorable to the 

 farmer, we evidently have no data here from which to exam- 

 ine those which may be connected with the whole economy of 

 our industrial society, such as indirect taxes, changes in the 

 value of money, the modern distributive process, and perhaps 

 also the influence on prices of the greatly increased produc- 

 tion from the recently opened prairie states. Other matters, 

 however, of a less wide-reaching character we are in a posi- 

 tion fairly to examine. 



From our account of the farmers' condition, it is clear that 

 the central fact is the rise in the value of land. For it is this 

 rise that has given the opportunity for the continued increase 



