Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1913-06-26
Farmers Waste Responsible
for Dollar Wheat Of Today?

sary farm machinery than he does in
automobiles, and the efficient farmer,
in proportion to his investment, stands
with the efficient merchant and can
afford equal luxuries
But if the farmer does not get the
money, may he not throw it away7
May he not lose lot of his own-a
lot that he might have-and a good
deal more of ours along with it1
If he does not farm efficiently-if
he does not produce what he should
produce from his land-he does just
that thing. The same general state
ment may be made Of others in other
lines of business, for all waste is a
tax on the cost of living, but we hear
more Of it with regard to the farmer
because it is generally believed that
a larger proportion of farmers are in
efficient For that reason, as well as
for the fact that he is the great pro-
ducer, he must be considered first.
Later we will follow his wheat and
other products through other hands and
see just how the tax we pay is levied,
but it is amost necessary to begin with
the farmer.
. There are inefficient people in every
inc of business, but if the percentage
is small they do no great harm to any
but themselves. All inefficiently is
costly and in some measure affects the
cost of living, but it is not particularly
noticeable unless the inefficiency is
general enough to affect materially the
output or marketing of a product, and
its effect and Importance increases
with the necessity for that product.
That is why the farmer holds such an
place in all discussions of the
subject. What he produces are the
IllillS nSbNoSlblto VI lllbs
#*###
The farmer, of course, believes him
self to be efficient Even the poorest
farmer usually thinks he is doing all
that he can with his land and blames
nature or lack of cash for operating
expenses, or something else, for the
poor results.
There are many, efficient farmers,
and farmers, speaking generally, are be-
coming more efficient every day, but
the question now is merely one of the
extent of inefficient farming. If ex.
ceptional, it is of no consequence; if
fairly general, however, it is taking
a whole lot of money out of our pocket.
books.
The United States Department of
Agriculture gives pretty good general
idea Of conditions in its soil surveys.
These relate primarily to the nature
Of the country surveyed and what it
will best produce, but incidentally
there is comment by an expert on the
present methods of the farmers there.
Taking a nubmer of these survey re.
ports at random, covering different |
parts of the country, the following re.
suits are secured:
In Iowa County, Wisconsin, "wheat
oarly became the most important crop,
md it soon gave rise to an improvideut |
system Of farming, this crop being
grown year after year until the yields
we're extremely small" Later flax was
handled in the same way, and with the
same result. Now there is Of necessity |
more Stock.raising and diversified |
and with much better results
% those who have gone into it sys,
.ematically. The land still devoted to
wheat, however, averages only about
'ourteen bushels to the acre.
####
In Rice County, Minnesota, as a re-
iult Of improvident farming, "the
Fields have decreased and quack grass
md other pernicious weeds have at. !
aimed general distribution. " In the
anne county, "after thrashing the
yrain, fire is set to many of the straw
'iles, thus destroying a great deal of
organic matter that should be returned
o the land The loss which this
Irea thus sustains in fertilizer values
j indeed serious one. "
In Windham County, Connecticut,
hey are wasting fertilizer by their
Methods of farming, and then buying
t back for cash Also there has been
! considerable decrease in improved
arm acreage,
In Platte County, Missouri, "the |