The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1910-12-13
VALUE OF OUR
FARM PRODUCTS
Secretary Wilson Fixes 1t at
$S,926, DOC, 600 in 1910.
WAY TO CHEAPER LIVING.
Farmer Gets Very LittIe-Nothing to
Prevent Purchasers From Pro-
curing Potatoes in Car
load Lots.

Washington. - The consumer ID
largely to blame for the high price
of living, according to the report of
Secretary of Agriculture Wilson.
why do not the consumers buy d.
rect from the farmers?" he asks. "A
distribution of farm products In this
simple way has already begun in Eng
land, where cooperative organiza-
tons of farmers are selling by direct
consignment to cooperative organi-
cations of consumers in cities.
Farmers cooperative selling as
sociations are numerous in this coun-
try, but cooperative buying associa-
tons among the people of the cities
and towns are few. 1t is apparent,
therefore, that the consumer has
much to do with regard to the price
he pays.
Potatoes, for example, were SELL
ing last spring in some places for 8
cents per bushel at the farm, while at
the same time city consumers in the
East were paying SO to IS cents per
bushel, although there was nothing
to prevent them from combining to
buy carload directly from the grow
err and for delivery directly to them
selves.
Secretary Wilson shows that the
farmer, in spite of all his work, his
capital invested, his risk of having
his crops destroyed by storm, fire,
flood and pests, gets little more than
the middleman, who only handles his
products.
In the sale of milk in 78 cities in
vestigated by the department, the
farmer gets scant SO per cent, the
railroads Z per cent. and the retailer
the remaining 43 per cent.
cat no time in the world S history"
the secretary says, 'has a country
harvested farm products within one
year worth $8,926. 000,0 900, the value
of the agricultural products of this
country for 1910.
1.-THE corn crop of 3,121, 1881 900
bushels exceeds that of the record
year 1906 and is greater than the av-
erage crop of the preceding five years
by IA per cent It's value is estimated
at $1,5O0,O0O, 900. The growing inn
portance of the South in corn produce
,tion is becoming conspicuous In
1889 it produced hardly more than
one-fifth of the national crop; now 1t
produces one-third.
1.-THE cotton crop of this year may
be worth in lint and seed about
5000, 100000 at the farm, or more
than the corn crop was worth in any
year prior to 1901. This value is 10
per cent. above the five-year average.
1.-The value of the hay crop is about
$720, 100000, an amount which has
been exceeded but once, and that in
1907; it is 13 per cent. above the avs
erage of the preceding five years.
1.-THE production of spring and win-
ter wheat is 691,767 600 bushels, or
substantially the average of the pre-
ceding five years, whereas the value
is about 1925. 100000, or 7.6 per
cent. above the five-year-average
"The fifth crop in point of value is
oats, the value of which this year is
$3.50, 900, 900, or ~ per cent. above
the average of the five preceding
years.
1.-The potato crop has been exceed
ed only in two or three former years.
The preliminary estimate of the de-
partment is 328,787,000 bushels, or
8 per cent. above the average of the
preceding five years.
THE tobacco crop has slightly ex-
ceeded the production of the record
year, 1909, and its 967,150,000
pounds, are &c per cent. above the
average production of the five preced-
ing years. Its value will be about
sos 900, 900, or about the same as
that of the crop of 1909, and fully
$50. 100000 more than any tobacco
crop antedating that year.
BARLEY has hardly maintained the
average production of the preceding
five years, the crop OF this year being
1853, 1SS,000 bushels. but its value,
$s7 900, 900, is IS per cent. above
the fiye-year average"