The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-01-06
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Corn Production and Prices

To the Editor of The Age-Herald
Your issue of January 2 contained an
editorial headed, Corn From Brazil"
The article in question assumes that the
corn crop of 1913 was enormous, and that
present values are the result of combi
rations and manipulation, from which the
producer received no material benefit.
The assumption of fact regarding the
size Of the last crop is erroneous The
crop of 1912 was a bumper crop of
S,35o 000,o00 bushels. The crop of 1913,
from all information at hand, will fall
short Of 100000. coo bushels. The large
Yield of 1912 was consumed with no slump
in values, and at reasonably high prices.
The consuming power of this country has
expanded in the past decade to such an
extent that a crop which would have de-
moralzed prices 10 years ago, barely
meets the requirements of today.
Corn was formerly regarded as merely
stock food Today 1t is used largely
for human food and manufactures in
many different forms About 50 per cent
of the normal crop is consumed on the
farm where produced, and probably ~
per cent enters into commerce. Twenty
per cent of the crop of 1912 is in round
figures 670,00O,600 bushels, and the crop OF
1913 is short of that produced in 1912 in
round figures over 900,O0o.o00 bushels. IN
| other words, if the same number Of BUSH
els of corn should be consumed on tne
farm from the crop of 1918 as was con-
sumed from the crop of 1912, there would
not remain a single bushel for CONNER
r;o
Three factors have combined to relieve
such a serious condition First. the
winter has been extremely mild and open
| with splendid fall pastures, greatly re-
ducing the quantity of corn needed on the
farm. Second, the wheat crop was large,
and in many sections, notably Oklahoma,
Missouri, Nebraska and Kansas, wheat
has been used as stock food in the place
of corn. Third. imports of oats from
Canada to all the territory tributary to
the great lakes and also to the north
eastern seaboard and the import of Ar
gentine corn to the gulf and Atlantic
seaboard has lightened the normal de-
mand on the corn production of this
country.
Except for these conditions corn prices
would have scared. and before the next
crop is matured the supply would have
been exhausted.
sumner in this district. Cash corn is
worth to the farmer at country stations,
taking a 30-cent rate of freight to Bir-
mingham, about 63 cents per bushel: the
rate of freight to this territory is IL cents
per bushel; the country elevator makes 2
cents per bushel. and sacking costs Z
cents per bushel: corn is selling in Bir-
| mingham for 81 cents per bushe The
profit of the dealer here, the sacSing and
| the profit of the country elevator all COM
bined. are under IA cents per bushel. while
the railroad earns over II cents per bush Il
for carrying from point of production to
point of consumption.
| What is the remedy? The profit of the
dealer is very reasonable (none of them
have retired with fortune). the cost Oh
| sackng is at a minimum. transportation
charges are claimed by experts to yield
less than a reasonable return on the cap
| ital invested. Only one solution Is in
| sight-raise the corn needed in Alabama
| on Alabama farms, reducing the trans
portation haul from 500 to 200 miles, and
| the charge from over 30 cents to 10 cents
per hundred pounds, thus saving about
4 u cents per bushel. or about 15 per cent
| Of the cost. The Alabama farmer can
send to the Birmingham market the prod
| uct of an acre planted In corn for at
| least IS less than the producer in the
| northern grain belt. This is 8 per cent on
| 500 valuation for corn land. Second. the
! money now paid the western produce,
| would remain in Alabama banks for in.
vestment in Alabama enterprises
! The corn consumer hare is paying no
| tribute to arbitrary prices or fabulous
profits to organized trusts. but is paying
| the penalty of poor agricultural methods,
and is paying tribute to lack of educa-
| ton as to present requirements, and lack
of enterprise in meeting present condi-
tons.
The Birmingham mineral district means
a consumption of farm products costing
between % and 80 per cent of the value
of the lint cotton raised in the entire
state. Unless the cotton Yield Is material
| ~ increased the Birmingham mineral
district will soon use agricultural prod
| ucts wor "ant of the value OF
| the lint ',tlr entire state of
Alabama t actu,ing district
| means f,t- les of the entire
| state W g. reatly enhanced II
! farm ov Ia advantage of the
oppcrtu w by ncerness to one