The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1912-05-15
CORN VERSUS WHEAT.
Waliaces' Farmer Calls Attention to
the Peculiar Condition Of the
Grain Market.

mere NOulu appear " Uc SOuicliItlIS
wrong in our farming when corn
brings in the markets about four
tifths of the price OF wheat instead of
one-half, as was formerly considered
the normal relation, while hay is with
in from two to five dollars a ton OF
the price of corn. The wheat market
more than any other is governed by
world competition. The export price
of corn appears to be fixed by the
home competition. In other words,
America fixes the price at which she
will sell her corn, and the foreigner,
gets it of us if he cannot get it any
where else cheaper and pays us our
price for the little he must have. In
asmuch as we grow from twO-thirds
to three-fourths of the corn of the
world the worlds price for it is fixed
by what the American manufacturer
and the feeder on the farm pay tor 1t.
The high price of hay has I'M
doubtedly good deal to do with the
price of corn 1t costs a much greater
propOrtiOnate expense to put hay on
the market than corn. for it has to be
baled; and this winter in a good part
of our territory corn has actually been
cheaper than hay and much cheaper
considering it's nutritive value. This
indicates that there is something
wrong with our whole system of farm
ing; in other words. that We have too
many acres in corn and too few in
hay; or perhaps it may indicate that
we have not yet learned to provide
substitutes for hay, which is one Of
the easiest problems which the farmer
has to face.
For years We have advised our
readers to sell their timothy hay. and
of course their prairie hay, and use
corn fodder, of which We have such a
wonderful abundance, as substitute.
It was hardly worth while to tell the
farmers to use corn fodder or silage
in place of hay. when hay was worth
only about four dollars ton on the
farm; but when that price is doubled,
trebled and more, it should not be
hard for any man to see the profit in
harvesting his corn fodder and eth
er shredding it or putting it in the
silo. We hope that our farmers will
take this seriously into consideration
this year.
1t is ridiculous when prairie hay
or timothy hay is now selling in the
Des Moines market at twenty-five
dollars a ION and upwards, an equiva-
lent of over sixty cents for corn, that
the equivalent of thousands of tons
of hay went practically to waste with
in reach of this market. We presume
this is no different from any other
market.
1t therefore stands the farmer in
hand to take care to see that 1t is
cut at the right time, that it is stored
in the barn, baled and marketed when
the market will take it at twenty, fiji
teen or even twelve dollars ton. For
timothy hay is not worth that price
to feed to any live stock on the farm.
Sell your timothy hay and seed corn
fodder; or better still, put up a silo
and feed silage. The only animals
to which we think it best to feed tim
othy are the work horses from the
time spring opens, through the sum-
mer or until new hay comes.
While we have frequently advised
our readers to sell their timothy hay,
we have never advised them to sell
clover, for two reasons; one, because
it is worth a great deal more than tim
othy for farm purposes; and the 9TH
er. that it will not bring nearly as
much on the market.
There is surely something out OF
joint with the farming operations the
country over, when this proportion
between the price of hay and grain
exists. Will someone tell us how the
United States is to come anywhere
near keeping up its supply of live
stock, even for our own consumption,
unless we grow both grass and more
corn? And how can we grow more
corn unless we grow more bushels to
the acre, and unless We take care that
we are not caught mapping in the fu-
ture, as we are this year, and do not
have seed corn that will grow?-Wal-
laceS' Farmer.
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