34 



THE ILLINOIS FARMER. 



Feb. 



standard. It is, therefore, not so much to 

 an over supply for the world's, use that has 

 depressed the price of our o^reat western 

 staples, as it is to an accidental high rate 

 of freight. Our readers can, therefore, 

 draw a long breath, and confidently hope for 

 better times. The world yet is in want of 

 our great staples. 



A LOOK NEAR HOME. 



An immense army is now in the field, all 

 non-producers ; these must not only be fed, 

 b«t tl>e immense waste that they occasion, 

 must be «uppli^d. A large per centage of 

 this army is directly drawn from the produ- 

 cing class, and thus will lessen the ability to 

 produce as much the coming season, for it 

 will be recollected that they have been drawn 

 from the farms gradually, as the several 

 erops matured so as to spare them, butifce 

 coming spring they will not be here to put 

 in a crop, if they are to harvest one ; 

 therefore, it is settled that Ie?s than the 

 usual area will be planted, resulting from 

 the above cause. It is said, and doubtless 

 with truth, that throughout the rebel 

 States the crop was a very large one, and 

 will go far towards, if not abundant to sup- 

 ply them the present year, at the same time 

 an immense army ip gathered on their bor- 

 ders ready to march on to them, and at that 

 season of the year when they are making 

 provision for the season's crop, this if car- 

 ried out, will arrest to a great extent the 

 planting in thnse States along the Atlantic, 

 as well as in Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas. 

 The crops in Virginia, Kentucky and Mis- 

 Bouri for the past year have been destroyed, 

 and the country laid waste, and it is not pro- 

 bable that during the coming season that 

 these States will any more than supply the 

 home demand, if they do even that, for the 

 season of planting is too near at hand to 

 make arrangements for this purpose. It 

 cannot be otherwise than that the field of 

 strife must soon be transferred to the States 

 : south, which must, of necessity, to a great 



extent, not only arrest the spring planting, 

 but permit no small amount of last year's 

 crop to be destroyed. We will suppose that 

 the war will end with the close of the cur- 

 rent year, leaving the result, whatever that 

 may be politically, out of the question. The 

 condition of the three border States named, 

 and the rebel States, cannot be other- 

 wise than in want of large amounts of food. 

 This will not only increase the demand on 

 us, but withdrawing from the northern line 

 of transportation now gorged with freight, 

 will reduce the price of transportation to the 

 seabord, which will be so much added to 

 the price, and cannot fail of making the 

 market satisfactory for all of our leading 

 staples. If this view is correct, we need 

 have no fears of a fall in the price of grain, 

 even should the crop of 1860 be repeated. 

 Should the war continue beyond the current 

 year, it would result in disorganizing the 

 whole praductive population of the South, 

 and of necessity producing a want of food 

 that could only be supplied from the North. 

 In such an event, it it might be said that 

 the South would have nothing to purchase 

 with, but the emigration from the North 

 would carry with it South both energy 

 and money to reorganize the business de- 

 stroyed by the war. 



It is an old adage, that it is an ill wind 

 that blows no one good. In this case, how- 

 ever disastrous this war may prove, it will 

 bear the lightest hand on this State, for it 

 will furnish a ready market for our labor 

 and farm products. We therefore urge our 

 farmers to put in as full a crop as the labor 

 at their command will warrant, but they 

 should be careful not to sow or plant more 

 than can be thoroughly attended to; remem- 

 ber that it is the number of bushels of grain 

 wanted, rather than the number of acres run 

 over, half tilled, and dignified with the 

 name of farming. As we have shown that 

 all the great staples will be wanted, and 

 that at better prices, it will be proper to 

 reason together in regard to the most profit- 

 able crops. 



