Accomack News, October 27, 1906

Untitled

Farmers -- Farmers' organizationsInfrastructure -- Commercial - Real estateLaborers -- FarmProfessionals -- Commission merchants

The Department of Agriculture at Washington, D.C., has just issued a bulletin on local conditions as affecting farm values in the various States during the years 1900 to 1905.

The report concerning our county, says: "Land is away up in this section. About the year 1900 the price of farms was low, on account of sweet potatoes bringing low prices. Since that time the Eastern Shore of Virginia Produce Exchange has become firmly established, and has been the means of getting good prices for all our farm products; therefore the price of farm products has advanced."

The report from Northampton county says: "The farms of this county have increased in value the last five years, owing to the paying prices received by the farmers for their main crop -- Irish potatoes -- and the increase of population, especially of young married couples, seeking homes, making new settlements and improving old ones.

It would seem that the correspondent from each of these two counties had hit the nail on the head when both named the cause for increased values of our lands, and the effect is readily seen by those familiar with conditions five years ago and now.

Try and buy a farm here that you know sold for a certain amount five years ago, and the present price will be one-third or more of that value.

Our Accomack correspondent named the exact cause when he stated it was due to the organization of the Eastern Shore of Virginia Produce Exchange whereas our Northampton correspondent stated that the increase was there owing to the "paying prices received" for their main crop -- Irish potatoes -- but he failed to give due credit to the organization of farmers which has forced the markets handling our produce to give fair recompense to the producer for the food stuff supplied.

The conditions existing before we had the Produce Exchange, when the farmers would ship his potatoes to the city commission merchant, and receive in return almost anything the merchant chose to send him, were by far worse than the present labor question among our people. We only got what they chose to send us, and were it not for the consciences of some of the merchants, who were ashamed to send less, we might not have gotten anything at all.

In other words we were at the mercy of the commission merchant, who did his year's work in a few hours during the shipping season each day by making out account of sales for what he did not care to keep for himself. "In union there is strength." Organize! Organize for your own protection good people of the Eastern Shore, and if there is another serious problem staring you in the face -- and it certainly is -- get ready to show a solid front.