Imperial Valley press., 1913-10-04
Haskin Letters
Crop Failures i. The Effect Of
Short Yields.
lRM Erederick / Haskinl !

| The failure of the corn crop IN the
United States this year may not have
as far reaching effects as similar
shortages have had in years gone by,
but at the same time it appears GER
tain that it will be felt in no little
degree.
When the American corn crop fails
the principal crop Of the nation is
affected. The farmers Of the United
States annually plant hundred mil
lion acres Of land in corn In other
words, the American cornfield is as
big as all Japan, is larger than Eng
land, and is as great in extent rs
Italy and Greece together. 1t is more
than twice as big as all the rest of
the cornfields of the earth together,
and it is the most productive of all
the earth's cornfields, for, while it is
only twice as big as the others it
produces three times as much as all
of them. The annual crop now ranges
between 2,5OO,OOO,OO0 and 3,OO0,O00,-
900 bushels, annually approximately
the latter figure.
Some idea of how much corn this
represents may be gathered from the
statement that if all of it were put
into a pyramidic pile with a base a
mile square, it would tower 400 feet
into the air. Loaded in ordinary grain
cars it would require nearly 2,000,-
600 Of them to carry it, more than a
load for every box car in the United
! States. And when we remember that
; our meat supply is partially the fin
ished product of the corn crop, it viii
be seen how intimately the outcome
of the corn harvest touches every
table. The extent of the effect of tht
J yield of corn on the price of beef may
be illustrated by citing the fact that
the difference in the price of corn ir
Pennsylvania and Iowa may make
at least $40 difference in the cost OF
getting steer ready for the block
The farmer who gets 60 cents for his
corn must make each bushel add ter
pounds to the weight of his steer
when cattle brings 6 cents at tbs
farm, or else he will find himself
working for charity
The farmer does not always profit
by bumper crops. Indeed, there have
been many times when record crops
have been his undoing. For instance
in 1906 the corn crop showed yielt
Of 1927, 100000 bushels, while tht
crop of 1909 amounted to only 2,772,
100000 bushels. Yet, according t
the figures, of the department of agr
culture, the yield of 1909 was wortt
nearly S5OO,OOO,OOO more to tn,
farmer than the crop of 1906. On ths
same principle that fruit company
may sometimes make money BY
dumping whole shiploads of banana!
in the sea, in order to prevent too
plentiful supply reaching the marke
and forcing down prices, so there ar;
times when the farmer reaps bene
fit from crop failure.
1t was this idea that Andrew Car
negie had in mind when ne said tha
a war between European nation ant
! the United States could not last
great while. He asserts that the cor
sequent stopping of the expectation
of foodstuffs from America to Europe
would force the price to sucl
heights that a starving continen
would demand peace in order that i
might eat. After a certain point il
food scarcity the price scars mucl
more rapidly than the supply decline
until, at last, the point of prohibition
is reached and the people must starvt
because they have no money will
which to buy.
1t has so happened in the Unite,
States that there has nearly alway.
been either very favorable or very
unfavorable crop condition an year!
, of economic legislation. When specie
payment was resumed after the panic
: of 1873 there were some bumper
crops which permitted the sale of ;
: very large surplus to foreign coun
tries, and this brought in supply
) of metallic money that was necessary
to the success of resumption. Aftel
the panic of 1907 it was the large
; crops that permitted an inflow of golc
in sufficient amounts to wipe out tn;
shortage and place the financiers Of
the country on healthful basi!
: again. Likewise, the crop failure o
the middle 90's had very intimat,
and important effect upon the fnan
cial situation of that day.
1t is not a general shortage of foot
that seems responsible for the higE
prices of the present day. For in
stance, in 1880 there was a per capits
yield of corn amounting to thirty
! Il -