The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-12-30
Estimated 1t 10 Billions BY Az.
ricultural Department
II DOES NOT LOWER PRICES
Retailers Are Always In Control
of the Situation.
A Large or . Small Yield Makes
Little Difference.

lar vortb Of products, flve billion dol
lars of cash lncome-a bumper year IL
spite Of drouth and other setpacks-lS
me 1919 record Of six million farms.
The most successful year Of husoandry
IN the United States brought 1ortn
ss.1oo. 900 ooo worth Of crops, OF wnicn
resls alone. and $ss5o.ooo. 900 worth OF
erimaIs eold and slaughtered and AMI
Tia value Of the 1913 crops Is twice
a. ~reat "A that Of 1859 moro than .
hutton dollars over 1909. and suostan-
tiaIiv greater than 1912. OF all tine
crops. however. It Is estimated tnA'
g per cent Will remain on farms Wnese
they were produced. and that ~ per
cent Of the animal production will re-
main. On that basis the cash lncome
= estimated by the department OF aef1-
culture at $s.s47. 100000. .
hut despite Q record year OF crop
value-Nlthough the record OF proouc-
ton has fallen-and the fact that the
number OF farms has increased II Per
cent since 1910. until there are esu-
mated to be 100000 farms m the coon ~
try, the department. In discussion oI
the subject does not take the view
that q lower cost of. living will follow
- q consequence.
Does Not Help Consumefs-
However desirable increased produc-
ton ON farms may appear to Dc nom
the consumer standpoint. 1t does not
follow that such increased production
would result in any increase In the
cash income per firm or per capita OF
farm population or that prices paid by
consumers would be any lower" says
the report. Had the total production
in 1913 equaled or exceeded the 1912
production Il seems probable that the
cash income per farm would not have
been greater. and might have been less
than in 1912, but It iSextremely doubt
full whether the cost to the consumer
would have been any less becasiae re-
tail prices are promptly raised on a
prospect Of under production. but are
very slow to decline II there is over
production.
The long line Of distributors and
middlemen between the farmer and the
consumer are in position to take adj
vantage Of the market and to q GER
tain extent control the market in both
directions because they are better or
ganized to keep Informed OF crop and
market conditions and to act more
promptly than either farmers or con-
Sumers. who are not organized and
as individuals are helpless.
Room for Lower Cost.
"The high prices paid by consumers
ranging from to nearly 500 per cent
in seine cases more than the farmer
receives indicates that there il plenty
Of room for lo,. ring the cost of farm
products to consumers and at the same
time largely increasing the cash income
per farm without increasing farm pro-
duction. This condition IL Undoubtedly
q marketing problem which will have
to be solved by better organisation Of
farmers and improved methods of mar
keting. When as the result Of such
organization and improved methods the
price of farm products can be MAIN
tanned at a higher level without in
creasing the cost to consumers, farmers
put Of their farms with . fair proepect
Of realizing reasonable prN1t on their
investment Of time. lhhdt ana money.
which in the aggregate IL enormous"
Corn, with q value Of 81. 602, 900, 900
comprised q per cent Of the, value of
all crops, although the volume was
under the record. The other principal
crops with values are given in the
order in which they come. Cotton,
$79S, 900. 900; hay. $4,000. 900; wheat-the
largest crop, ever raised in this coun-
try. $50 .O00, 900; oats. $40, 000. 900; pota-
toes. $22S, UV0000: tobacco. $4,000. 900:
barley. $s7. 100000; sweet potatoes. $4s.-
100000: sugar beets, $34. 000. 900: Louisi-
ana cane sugar. SEC, e00. 900; rye. SEQ. 000.-
900: rice. $22. 900 900: max seed. S21. 600. 900;
hops, $15.000.000; buckwheat. $4,000. 00O.
Many Records Broken.
'In quantity Of estimated production
the record has been broken in wheat,
rye, rice. sugar beets. beet sugar and
the total of beet and cane sugar. OF
the remaining crops, oats. barley, cot
ton and hops have been exceeded twice
In production. The estimated produce
ton Of the other crops Of which separ-
ate account is made was relatively low.
The value of the crops Of 1918 Is
value IL made by the total Of. all ce-
reals. and separately by corn, cotton,
cotton seed. tobacco and sugar beets
Only once has there been higher esti-
mated value for oats. rye, rice. pota-
toes. hay. hops and the total of beets
and cane sugar. Only twice has the
estimated value of wheat and beet
sugar been exceeded.
DAIRY products Of 1918 are estimated
ct more than 1914 100 900. Eggs and
than 1878 200 900.
The wool production Of 1913. esti-
mated ms at so4.ooo.ooo pounds. was over
The common phenomenon Of record
yield and crop value below the record
production II presented by more than
half dozen Of the crops Of 1913.
If the farmer gets a high price, per-
maps very high price per bushel. or
other unit Of quantity, in case OF q crop
low In production. on the other hand.
he usually gets but low prices for the
crops which he produces in abundance.
Prices of Crops.
The prices Of II principal crops
average about 20.2 per cent. higher than
q year ago and 4.6 per cent higher than
two years ago. Their total values
average about 3.8 per cent. higher than
. year ago and 7.6 per cent. higher than
two years ago.