Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-03-21


the problems of agricultural organi-
cation before what is no less than
a tremendous economic revolution
can be put into operation. Whether
1t Is worth while making this effort
depends upon the view we take of
the part which agriculture is playing
III the economy of the United States
today. | propose very briefly to give
MY reasons for holding that the con-
clifton of what is your chief industry
presents an extremely grave prob
lem which calls for the very best
thought which the economists and
statesmen of this country can de-
vote to it.
For three and thirty years l have
been a somewhat close observer of
agricultural conditions in the great
food producing section of the Middle
West and | have tried to keep myself
generally informed as to the posi-
ton of agriculture throughout the
Union. | am afraid If / were to
speak my whole mind l should de-
scribe your agricultural economy as
the most extravagant in the world.
Or course, | am aware of the circum-
stances to which this is due. The
opening up of vast tracts of virgin
soil is necessarily demoralizing to
husbandry. l have seen almost a
generation of so-called farmers in a
portion of the corn belt, which has
been opened to settlement since
have been coming to this country,
passing like locusts over the soil,
robblng it of its fertility Tin order
to meet the financial exigencies arts
ing from purchasing on credit more
farm land than they could cultivated
selling out on a profit made by i'm
migration and railroad development
and passing on to repeat the process
further west, Canada is now getting
what, let us hope, is the last of these
human locusts.
Meanwhile how does the country
as whore fare while it's food pro-
ducers are indulging in land specula-
ton instead of farming?
This is no occasion for statistical
details; the broadcast generalities
must suffice. 1t will not, however,
be denied that the output from the
farmlands of the United States is de-
plorably low. In practically every
crop the yield is markedly lower
than in even the most backward Eu-
ropean countries with the exception
OF Russia. The census figures make
1t quite clear that the population is
Increasing far more rapidly than the
lood production. AS the president
stated just now, unless things are
radically changed the United States
will very soon be a food importing
country. And this depressed condi-
ton of the greatest of all national
IEdustries-indeed, for the matter of
that, the only really necessary in
dustry-exists in spite of the fact
that you are spending millions upon
millions in giving the best scientific
education and advice obtainable by
farmers in any country in the world
and that your farmers have had the
further incentive of a rise during
the last ten years of some 80 per
cent in the value of their product!
No man entering upon a productive
industry has any right to figure on
more than level of prices. Imagine
what would have happened to tne
American farmers if, during these
ten years, prices had remained sta
tionary or had not risen more than
the cost of production and the stand
ard of living may be said to have
risen. One thing | am certain would
have happened: all the American
farmers would have been driven, as
the Irish farmers have been, to learn
the continental lesson, which | de-
voutly hope this commission is going
to teach.
The evil effects of this wasteful
extensive farming do not end with
the restriction of the nations food
supply and with the exhaustion of
the fertility of the soil, which threat
ems to perpetuate the shortage. One
of the false economies OF the present
system is the employment of large
amount of labor at a high wage dur
ing harvest time and the minimum
employment Of labor for the rest of
the year. This tends to maintain an
army of hoboes, whose not very in
spring rural existence during the
open season of the year is followed
by most undesirable accession to
the ranks of the unemployed in the
cities during the winter months.
Then, again, the absence of intelli-
gent and provident husbandry is
/, IL