Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-01-23
The Slow Progress of Marketing Grain.

Inc SLOW Progress of Marketing Grain.
1t is estimated that not more than
% per cent of the corn raised in the
central West is marketed directly,
the balance being fed to live stock
and thereby marketed through that
medium. At first it might seem
that this is an exceedingly small
percentage and that the showing is
a good one in favor of high type
of agriculture engaged in by corn
raisers.
However, we consider the percent
age much too large. In state like
Iowa 1t means the marketing of
practically l00,O0O,OOO bushels of
the 1906 crop. 1t is doubtful if the
money actually received for this
grain would purchase the fertility
removed by it in the form of com
mercial fertilizers, and as that day
has not arrived in the central West
when much attention is being given
to the introduction of commercial
fertility, it becomes apparent at
once that right here we have an
enormous leakage. just how long
our soils will stand this is little
difficult to estimate, but one thing
is certain that unless this leak is
stopped, soils will grow less produc-
tive than they are at present in the
very near future.
But apart from the fact that sell
ing grain from the farm takes from
it the very essence of productiveness,
the system in itself is wrong. One
might spend the entire winter haul
ing corn to market at thirty cents
bushel and not realize more than
enough to pay the wage bill and
taxes on 200 acre farm. The labor
of ha,ling is exceedingly arduous
and motonous, apart from the fact
that it means the tearing down Of
the productiveness of the soil.
Let the grain that it would re-
quire winter to haul be put into
any kind of good live stock and
there is no question but what one
will realize more on it than the mar
ket is paying for the grain. Further
more by this system one introduces
an entirely different kind of labor.
The feeding of either horses, hogs,
cattle or sheep is pleasurable work,
and during the winter all the labor
can be performed in daylight hours
It is true that the care of live stock.
creates the necessity for being
regular, and in a sense >one who en-
cages I in this line of industry is
more or less tied down. In this
respect. however, the farmers bust
ness differs but little from the mer-
chant, the lawyer, or the doctor, be-
cause these men are at their grind
'praetfeaay everJ da5, year- IN ard
year out.
We often think that men calculate
wrongly when they estimate that
their feeding operations have beer
a losing game when only market
price is received for it through the
medium of live stock, in addition to
covering the cost of labor. True,
the feeder should have more than
this. On corn at the present time
he ought to have fifty, sixty or sew
enty cents bushel at least. but ev-
EN- though this margin is not real
lied, if the grain is marketed
at grain prices it means the starting
of the right system on the farm
The manure pile should be regard
ed as the chief corner stone of ones
whole operations, and the feeding
out of bunch of steers, accompan-
led by hogs, means that a start can
be made in the building up of the
soil. OF course men have lost mon
ey in feeding steers, and we advise
no man who is badly handicapped
by debt to undertake it too exten
sively. However, our advice in thi
is to the man who owns the eighty
or quartersection of land he lives ons
and who is content to get along with
such income as is realized by the
marketing OF a few hundred bushels
of corn, oats, and possibly wheat an
nually. We say that for the benefit
of the man who is on the farm now,
for the benefit Of those who come
after him, and for the benefit of the
commonwealth, it is better that this
grain be put through live stock be-
fore it is marketed. Homestead.