Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-31
OsSE RVATIONS.
va Notes of the Farm e4

while ago no one thought of the
price of corn because the farmer was
robbing his fields and giving it away.
making it SO cheap that the Missis-
sippi valley became the granary OF
the world, so cheap that the eastern
states were compelled to stop trying
70 grow grain because they could not
compete with western corn which was
grown and shipped to them at prices
far below what it could be produced
for. That was one prime reason for
the decline in the value of those
lands, they could not be made to pay
a profit on the investment. In case
We take the advice of the bankers and
the agricultural boosters and grow
more bushels OF corn and sell it for a
less price, and these farms cannot be
made TO pay fair return on the
money invested in them, what is to
prevent them from decreasing in value
in the same proportion that the lands
| in the east have? The writer submits
/ it as probable that the recent crops
| OF corn have been large enough; large
enough to supply the demand for corn
/ at a price that the grower could af-
/ ford to produce il, when he con-
siders the profit on the investment.
and the loss of the essential elements
that il takes from the soil. But il is
not intended TO have to say anything
against the growing of more corn per
acre by intelligent methods. The
southern states are perhaps in the
condition with the cotton crop that
northern corn growers will find them
selves in soon, if all this gratuitous
advice were taken seriously. There
they are advised TO grow more pork
and poultry and the things that they
have been trading cotton for and not
try to grow so much cotton. that they
can realize but meager returns for it.
Are not the corn growing states in the
same boat, are they not growing a
large surplus of corn and trading il
for many things that might as well be
produced on their own fields, and
wearing out the phosphorus and grain
producing elements faster than if they
grew a diversity of crops?
While We have been surfeited with
advice about producing larger crops,
but little has been said about the ire
mendous waste in taking care of the
crop after il is grown. They have
not heralded the fact very prominent
ly that nearly 40 per cent of the feed
ing value of the corn crop is never
! saved, except by those who have
erected silos-Or are using the whole
crop for feed in some other way. Nor
have the corn belt farmers been ad.
vised and readvised as have been
the southern farmers TO grow other
crops that shall make their farming
a paying proposition. The country is
suffering for many necessaries OF
life because of an attempt to grow too
, much corn and not enough of things
that are required on every ones table
, every day in the year, such as butter
and milk. eggs and poultry, potatoes
vegetables and fruit To produce
these would not require more acres OF
corn but less. and better use of what
Is grown. The silage can be used to
feed not only the dairy cows, but the
beef cattle, the hogs and horses, anC
poultry: and employment found fol
men and women on the farms during
the entire year, instead of the spas,
modic employment made necessary by
the one corn crop method. The bis
bankers and boosters, at least one o
whom is more of a promoter than 4;
banker. have put their heads togethel
and decided that the general govern
ment should now turn farmer anC
show the farmers BY demonstration
farms just how 10 grow these large