-------------------+----------+--------------------------------------- | | Average price of the year ending | | June 30-- | +--------------------+------------------ Commodities. | Unit of | 1873. | 1889. | quantity.+-----------+--------+--------+--------- | | | | | In | | In | In | In | silver | | currency. | gold. | gold. | bullion. -------------------+----------+-----------+--------+--------+--------- Bacon and hams | Pounds | $0.088 | $0.077 | $0.084 | $0.108 Butter | do | .211 | .184 | .166 | .212 Cheese | do | .130 | .113 | .092 | .118 Corn | Bushels | .617 | .539 | .508 | .650 Cotton: | | | | | Unmanufactured, | Pounds | .188 | .164 | .099 | .127 not sea Island | | | | | Cloth, colored | Yards | .166 | .145 | .065 | .083 Cloth, uncolored | do | .162 | .142 | .068 | .087 Iron and steel: | | | | | Bar-iron | Cwt | 5.480 | 4.784 | 3.183 | 4.074 Pig-iron | do | 2.498 | 2.181 | .953 | 1.220 Railroad-bars | do | 4.114 | 3.592 | 2.169 | 2.776 Lard | Pounds | .092 | .080 | .076 | .097 Leather | do | .253 | .221 | .185 | .237 Rice | do | .071 | .062 | .055 | .070 Sugar: | | | | | Brown | Pounds | .092 | .080 | .056 | .072 Refined | do | .116 | .101 | .066 | .084 Wheat | Bushels | 1.312 | 1.145 | .874 | 1.119 Wheat-flour | Barrels | 7.565 | 6.604 | 4.703 | 6.020 -------------------+----------+-----------+--------+--------+--------- What does an examination of this table show? It shows beyond dispute that gold has risen in value. A bushel of wheat that, according to the figures of the Bureau of Statistics cost $1.14 in gold or silver in 1873, and which, as will be seen by the table, still commands $1.12 in silver bullion, will to-day bring only 87 cents in gold. A pound of cotton that in 1873 cost the purchaser, in gold or silver, 16 cents, and which still commands 13 cents in silver bullion, will bring only 10 cents in gold. A pound of cheese that in 1873 cost the purchaser 11-1/3 cents in gold or silver, and which now brings 12 cents in silver bullion, will bring only 9 cents in gold.