Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-03-27
HOW CROP SERVICE
IS OF BENEFIT
To FARMERS
GOVERNMENT PUTS WISE
CONSUMER AND PRODUCER
Interesting Statement by Agent
Of Department Of Agriculture
Who Will Arrive in AIbuQuer-
que Soon,

e. r. Kaufman, statistical agent Of
the department of agriculture station
ed at Phoenix, will arrive in Albu-
querque soon on business connected
with the crop reporting service of the
government and viii spend the most
Of the month of April in New Mex
leo. Mr.. Kaufman sends the Morning
journal the following statement of the
plans and aims of the crop reporting
service which will be of interest to
New Mexico farmers:
In the work OF collecting statistics
relating TO agriculture, the writer is
nvaria bly, met with the statement that
the.farmer has no interest in letting II
be known if the condition and yield Of
his crop has been good or bad. This
is a decidedly erroneous view of the
situation and in no case has he found
that when the matter is thoroughly
understood, is there disposition to
withhold information Of value to all
Prices OF agricultural products are
governed by supply and demand. This
statement is, no doubt disbelieVed by
many, but II must be remembered that
competition and freight rates, as well
as many other things, must be taken
into consideration.
This is no less an age of specialtieS
in agriculture as well as in all other
lines of industry. Consequently, We
md the farmers of one locality grow
tot a tod
10 soil and climatic conditions of that
particular region and depending on
the exchange of such crop with an
ether locality especially favorable for
the production of a desirable commo-
dity Other things being equal the
supply OF one locality is governed in
price by the demand from some other
locality Such being the case. the
producer is particularly interested in
the quantity and quality of the entire
crop of the country similar to his own
production. In like manner the con.
sumner has an interest in crop pro-
duction, for he does not like to be put
in the light Of paying high prices if
the supply is sufficient to warrant his
purchasing his commodities at greatly
reduced rates. Likewise the man who
takes the raw material ana turns II
INTO an article OF food or clothing has
an interest in knowing the conditions
affecting supply ana demand. In some
cases, individuals or firms knowing or
believing the relations existing be"
tween supply ana demand are not gen
orally known, endeaVor to take adj
i.
vantage of such Knowledge ana in
furious speculation results.
For these reasons, the government
undertakes to keep both the producer
and consumer informed as to the dt-
rect relation between supply and de"
mand through the medium of its crop
reporting service, And contrary to the
ideas Of many who should otherwise
know better, the farmer is the great
est beneficiary. The wheat grover
should be the first party interested in
knowing that the country AT large had
produced a large crop OF wheat. For
the same reason, he should be aware
of the fact that the crop had been 4
failure in certain states ana the rea-
son for such failure,
The same reason holds good on any
crop grown, be 1t wheat joats, corn
hogs, cattle or sheep,
Many speculative firms Spend thou
sands and thousands of dollars in try
ing to obtain advance information re-
Garding the condition or Yield of vari-
Gus crops. If such Information could
always be relied upon, 1t would, then,
not be necessary to have official re-
ports. But in too many gases the re-
ports are colored To SUIT the already
FORMED opinion OF the Collector and
instead of having facts, }the producer
Is lead to believe the crop is good orr
poor, as the case may be, and the con.
auner suffers in consequence as wen
rs the producer. The government hav
ing no interest to serve but the good
Of all concerned. reports conditions as
hey really exist and serves as a check
10 the INSCRIPTIONS Spectator.
The bureau of statistics estm 1tas
hat, if there were no adequate CIV
i"nment service. and tby misleading re- |
ports, spectators should depress the /
price of cotton one eent per pound. |
he growers would loSe 100000, 600 or
more; if the prices were Improperly
the consumers of cotton and
,otton products wou4d suffer to a like !
-Xtent. Like results would prevail
With all crops depending more or less
upon the total yigld OF each CROP
grown,
Thus It will be seen that the gov
'rnment crop-repofting service acts as