The Springfield herald., 1913-04-18
COOPERATION MAY AID SOME
In Endeavor to Grow Bigger Crops
Farmer Must Not Forget That
Success Comes With Ability.

success Comes Witn RptlitJ'
Occasionally word of protest is
heard against the teaching for bigger
crop yields. The usual argument Is
that when the crop is big the price Is
low, SO what's the use trying to grow
bumper crops p"
Aside from the lesson Of statistics
which proves this theory fallacious.
there is not farmer in the land who
would rather pick 25 bushels Of corn
per acre than 100 bushels.
Prices are fixed by the unvasying
law Of supply and demand. not by
spectators who thus arbitrarily gov
ern prices to their advantage. writes
H. A. Bereman. in the Farm. Stock
and Home.
In ten years the total wheat yield
in the United States has increased 50
per cent, but its total value has in
creased So per cent. Corn has in
creased so per cent. in total yield and
100 per cent. In value. Other crops
show similar records.
After pretty steady gait for 40
years (about Is bushels per acre for
the United States) except that for the
last 20 years the average yield per
acre of corn IL IN bushels less than
for the former 20-year period. any
sudden increase in yield per acre or
aggregate for the whole country. 10
highly improbable. The total produc-
ton of corn huctuates slightly year
by year. according to the weather in
the corn belt.
In view of all these facts, 1t be-
hooves the farmer who decides to
grow corn. to see how far he can beat
the average. In this direction lies all
hope Of immediate profit.
Il the smart farmer can grow 100
bushels per acre. while his neighbor
with the same land and labor. grows
only twenty-five. 10 there any doubt a.
to which will get rich nrst?
Farmers sometimes forget that they
are subject to the same laws of COM
petition as other enterprises. Under
the fierce competition of 5000. 900
farmers. the only way to make ordi-
than the other fellows.
One drawback with the average
farmer 10, that he does not know what
1t costs him to grow bushel of corn
or wheat of potatoes. Hence he does
not know what he can afford to take.
He blindly accepts the market price,"
The cost Of production Of corn for
instance. will vary with the farm man.
agement. the soil, season, cost Of Ia
Dor etc. II one finds he cannot grow
corn at profit. his chief recourse is
to quit and try something else or
change his methods.
Cooperation may help some. but 1t
is developing slowly In this country.
In the meantime let US not forget that
the man who raises average crops
makes no profit as general thing. 1t
10 the man who raises above the aver
age who buys the automobile. Usually
the difference lies in the quality of his
mind, and not in the size of his muscle
nor the amount Of luck" which drifts
his way.
The writer has inspected u great
many farms in q large number OF
states. He has never yet seen q big
success without superior quality. The
successful men are usually those who
form the habit OF independent thought.
who put their farms on sound busi-
ness basis. and who. either through
natural instinct or superior training.
manage to do things better than the
rank and file. and thus cut out COM
petition.
Instead of seeing how little we can
grow, which is an absurdity in itself.
why not try to grow a. big crops A.
our brains and land will permit. or
quit the business and try something
else?
In the long run the man who grows
small crops will dream Of debts while
the man Of larger crops will realize
luxurieA n5