328 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[November, 
Dried Fruit for Soldiers. 
This matter, first proposed In the American Agricul¬ 
turist, last month, is meeting with a general response. 
The subject was laid before the Sanitary Commission at 
Washington, and Secretary Olmstead immediately tele¬ 
graphed, not only here,'but to the press of the country 
generally, that dried fruits would be most acceptable, and, 
that too many could not be provided. Imagine the home 
table spread three times a day with nothing but soldiers’ 
rations, (mainly bread and meat), and every one can 
judge how acceptable would be a dish of dried apples, 
or peaches, even if stewed in water only. Most camps are 
supplied with sugar, however. We repeat, that all par¬ 
cels sent to the office of the American Agriculturist, will 
be forwarded hence without further expense. Mr. Lilien- 
thal, who has an immense tobacco manufactory, gene¬ 
rously volunteers to detail a sufficient number of his em¬ 
ployees to repack all fruit sent here, to do all the neces¬ 
sary carting, and to provide for the expense of forward¬ 
ing from this city to Washington and other points. As a 
general rule, however, it may be well to send fruit direct 
to some favorite regiment. The Express Companies will 
carry such parcels cheaply. Any surplus, after providing 
for your own regiments, please forward for those sol¬ 
diers who have no country fruit-growing friends to look 
out for them. Let the fruit be well dried, so that it will 
keep well (but do not crisp it by the fire). Probably it will 
keep best in small bags or parcels, packing these into 
large bags or barrels for transportation. Let the “ paring 
bees,” and the evening home circles employ many active 
hands in preparing dried fruit for the noble soldiers. 
I*. S.—Since the above was put in type, Mr. Lilien- 
thal has called to say that he has extensive lofts suitable 
for drying apples by steam heat, with a large number of 
employees whom he can set to work, and he will be 
happy to prepare and dry, at his own expense, any sur¬ 
plus fruit which others are willing to contribute, and 
which they cannot attend to themselves before it would 
decay. We trust that this proposition will be freely re¬ 
sponded to, and that a very large amount may be 
contributed. We know Mr. L. to be the man to carry out 
anything he undertakes. Those sending fruit will, of 
course, deliver it here free of expense for freight and 
cartage. Better send it direct to his principal office, No. 
217 Washington-street, (west of the City Hall.) Ac¬ 
knowledgment of all fruit received will be made to the 
senders.-It is proper to state that Mr. L. requested 
that his name might not appear in this matter, but to 
have it done privately, or through the Agriculturist 
Office. We thought it necessary, however, to the success 
of the enterprise, to state who is at the head of it. Were 
we at liberty to do so, we could tell of very large contri¬ 
butions for the comfort of the soldiers, made by Mr. L. 
since the war commenced. We only refer to the matter, 
in this connection, to incite others to co-operate with him 
in this well-timed endeavor to contribute to the pleasure 
of those who are so nobly fighting our battles for us; 
Notes on the Breadstuff Markets. 
Columns of figures are not usually very in¬ 
teresting reading, but the condensed tables and 
the list of prices current now and one month 
ago, given in the Market Review of the American 
Agriculturist (page 347) will attract the atten¬ 
tion of farmers, and even of the general reader. 
In table 1, it will be seen that the receipts of 
wheat for 25 business days, ending October 18, 
amounted to 5,079,000 bushels, against 3,270,000 
bushels for the 26 previous days; or allowing 
215,000 bushels for the less receipts of flour, the 
increase is still equivalent to more than a million 
and a half bushels of wheat, with one day’s 
less transactions. The increased receipts of 
com, barley and oats are correspondingly large. 
The sales of wheat have been over a million 
bushels greater, and of flour twenty eight thous¬ 
and barrels greater. The exports of breadstuffs 
for three years, given in table 3, are the most 
important features of the market. It will be 
seen that unprecedently large as they were last 
year, they have been still greater during the 
first 9i months of this year. During that 
period this year, we exported from this city: of 
wheat, 19,097,373 bushels; last year 18,642,887 
bushels; and the previous year only 8,101,018 
bushels. Of flour, we exported this year 2,436,328 
Dtaels; last year 2,121,403 barrels ; and the 
previous year 1,340,981 barrels. Of corn we 
exported this year 9,228,402 bushels; last year 
9,280,595 bushels; the previous year only 
2,170,894 bushels. Of rye, we exported this 
yearl,060,018 bushels; last year501,795 bushels, 
and the previous year barely 450 bushels. 
These figures, and the fact that the export 
demand at this moment is as great as ever, con¬ 
firms what we have insisted upon for some 
time past, viz.: that there is again this year a 
material deficiency in the cereal crops of Great 
Britain and the rest of Europe. In the London 
journals, up to the harvest season, and in our 
conversations with the leading dealers of that 
city, it was constantly held out that then- greater 
area of growing wheat, and the constantly ex- 
p<xled favorable weather, would give them at 
least an average crop. Our personal obser¬ 
vation of the actual condition of the growing 
grain, and information from many private 
sources, led us decidedly to the contrary opinion, 
as we informed our readers at the time. 
The table of prices current now, and a month 
ago, show a very large advance in wheat and 
flour, and considerable advance in corn. Thus: 
State flour has risen from an average of $5.40 
per barrel last month, to an average now of 
$6.65—equivalent to an advance of over twenty 
three per cent. Other brands have similarly 
advanced. All brands of white wheat have 
risen from an average of $1.44 per bushel to an 
average of $1.55. All kinds of red wheat, 
from an average of $1.20 to an average of $1.33j 
per bushel. Corn (mixed) from an average of 
57 cents to an average of 64i cents. The bene¬ 
fit to farmers of the increase in exports, and .the 
advance in prices is discussed elsewhere. 
The Rise in the Value of Gold, and its 
Effects upon Farmers. 
One of the marked events of the month is the 
rise in the value of gold, as compared with the 
legal tender currency of the country. At the 
time of this writing, gold is quoted at $132—that 
is, $100 in American gold coin will buy $132 
of bank notes, or United States Treasury Notes, 
either of which pass current in trade or in the 
payment of debts at their par value. Any 
one having $100 in gold can buy 100 bushels of 
wheat of a grade quoted in the market at $1.32 
per bushel. Or, vice versa, a farmer having 100 
bushels of wheat which in a foreign market 
would buy only $100 in gold and enough. more 
to pay the expenses and profits of export, can 
sell it for $132 of a currency that will pay his 
debts to the merchant, or on his farm. Again, 
suppose a London grain dealer, whose purchases 
are on the gold basis, desires to procure l5,000 
bushels of first grade wheat. In his own country 
or elsewhere in Europe, he must pay, say $1.50 
per bushel, or $15,000. The same grade of 
wheat is quoted in New-York at, say $1.60 per 
bushel. Add 20 cents per bushel for freight, in¬ 
surance, and other expenses, and the 10,000 
bushels of wheat would cost him delivered in 
London $1.80 per bushel, or $18,000 in all. But 
his $15,000 sent in gold, or laid out in exchange, 
would buy in New-York $19,800 of the par 
currency, from which he could pay $18,000 for 
the 10,000 bushels of wheat at $1.60 per bushel 
and $2,000 for expenses, and yet save $1,800. 
The same reasoning applies to other articles of 
export—flour, corn, provisions, etc. 
These figures, though not representing ex¬ 
actly the actual difference in prices, are a fair 
illustration of the effects upon our breadstuffs 
and provision markets, of the recent rise in the 
value of gold as compared with the legal cur¬ 
rency of this country. The exporting of grain 
and provisions has been greatly stimulated, 
and shipments abroad have gone up to unpre¬ 
cedented figures, as detailed in another article. 
We are not discussing the advantage or the 
disadvantage of this disturbance of the currency 
of the country. The country at large is not any 
richer because a hundred million bushels of 
wheat are represented by a hundred and thirty 
two million dollars of legal currency instead of 
one hundred million gold dollars, for the real 
value of the two are the same. The particular 
point we are here aiming at, is, to show that 
this great advance in gold is inuring to the spe¬ 
cial benefit of farmers, even doubly so. First, 
it has created a greater foreign demand for our 
produce, as illustrated above, thus enlarging 
the market as well as increasing the prices. 
Second , the greater prices Farmers receive for 
their grain, butter, meat, etc., though not in gold, 
are in a currency that is a legal and acceptable 
tender in the payment of their debts to mer¬ 
chants, their land debts, etc. The nominal rise 
during, the past month, of 10 to 20 cents per 
bushel in wheat, of $1.20 to $1.30 per barrel in 
flour, of 8 cents per bushel in corn, of 2 to 4 
cents per bushel in oats, of 4 cents per pound 
in butter, etc., is so much clear gain to farmers, 
in the payment of debts previously contracted. 
But the rise in articles which farmers must buy, 
is nearly equal to the advance in what they 
have to sell, and more, on some articles. 
(The price of the American Agricultwrist is about 
the only thing that has not gone up lately.) 
The advance in sugar, coffee, cotton and other 
cloths, however, is due more to the high tariff, 
taxes, and other causes growing out of the 
war, than to the advance in gold, and nearly the 
same prices would have prevailed had not farm 
products gone upward. It is evident, therefore, 
that however unfavorably others may be affected 
by the present disturbance in the currency of 
the country, farmers are clearly the gainers. 
The practical lesson we would impress upon 
farmers is, that they should improve the present 
opportunity to pay off their liabilities, and get 
upon safe ground. ' Because their products can 
be sold at higher figures than formerly, they 
should not increase their outlay by more ex¬ 
pensive living, by running in debt for dress or 
carriages, or for more land. Debts contracted 
now, may have to be paid when money is of 
comparatively greater value—when a bushel of 
grain, or a pound of butter will buy much less 
money. Better take in sail, and be ready for any 
storm that may suddenly come. Stick to the 
old coat, and hat, and carriage. A cheaper dress 
will suffice for a year or two. Patch up the 
old dwelling, it will keep the family comfortable 
a year or two longer. Put in a few extra acres, 
or rather provide for better cultivation of 
those already planned for. The inflation of the 
currency, may continue a year or two yet, in 
which case products will continue to yield large 
nominal returns in the market. When they 
fall, you will need the more of them to sell. A 
financial pressure must come, when values re¬ 
turn to the gold standard. The change may be 
gradual and extend over years, and not all at 
once, in a crash and smash. The fanner who is 
then out of debt, and can raise from his" own 
soil crops enough to supply his actual neces¬ 
sities—his bread and home-produced clothing— 
will be able to look out serenely upon the 
financial storm around him. The summing up 
of our discourse is: Now is the time for far¬ 
mers to get out and keep out of DEBT. 
