Dublin Core
Title
Fall Commodity Prices, 1859-1865
Description
The livelihoods of Western New York farmers were tied to commodity prices on the world markets, particularly those in London, and so The Genesee Farmer often devoted space to trends. Factors like global weather, crop failures, and emerging producers (like those in the American West) all were sources of anxiety.
Disruptions caused by the Civil War were a new cause for concern: not only was the supply of farm labor greatly impacted, but relatively longstanding assumptions couldn't be taken for granted. For example, New York corn had been shipped south to feed hogs, but that had come to an end. A surplus of commodities like wheat had allowed for export, rather than strictlly "home consumption," but that now longer was clear either. The chart here was created to show "the price of some of our leading agricultural products in New York at this seasop, for the last seven years." We see fluctuating prices that suggest why information in agricultural newspapers was valued in this era.
Disruptions caused by the Civil War were a new cause for concern: not only was the supply of farm labor greatly impacted, but relatively longstanding assumptions couldn't be taken for granted. For example, New York corn had been shipped south to feed hogs, but that had come to an end. A surplus of commodities like wheat had allowed for export, rather than strictlly "home consumption," but that now longer was clear either. The chart here was created to show "the price of some of our leading agricultural products in New York at this seasop, for the last seven years." We see fluctuating prices that suggest why information in agricultural newspapers was valued in this era.
Creator
The Genesee Farmer
Date
1865-11
Contributor
Cooper, Ken
Source
Format
jpeg, 671 KB
Type
Still image
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Chart