The Clio messenger., 1914-12-11
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
WE ARE LONG ON PRODUCTION,
SHORT ON DISTRIBUTION.
BY Peter Radford
cturer National Farmers Union

Lecturer National Farmers Union
The economic distribution of farm
products is today the worlds greatest
problem and the war, while 1t has
brought its hardships, has clearly EN-
phasized the importance of distribu'
tion as a factor in American agricul-
ture and promises to give the farm
ers the cooperation Of the govern
ment and the business men the
solution of their marketing problem.
This result will, In measure. COM
| pensate us for our war losses, for the
business interests and government
have been in the main assisting al
most exclusively on the production
side of agriculture. While the depart
ment of agriculture has been dumping
tons of literature on the farmer telling
him how to produce, the farmer has
been dumping tons of products in the
nations garbage can for want OF a
market.
The World VIII Never Starve.
At no time since Adam and Eve
were driven from the Garden of Eden
suffered from lack of production, but
some people have gone hungry from
the day of creation to this good hour
for the lack of proper distribution.
Slight variations in production have
forced change in diet and one local
ity has felt the pinch of want, while
another surfeited, but the world as a
whole has ever been land Of plenty.
We now have less than one-tenth of
the tillable land of the earth's surface
under cultivation and we not only
have this surplus area to draw on but
it is safe to estimate that in case Of
dire necessity one-half the earth's
population could at the present time
knock their living out of the trees
of the forest, gather ii from wild
vines and draw it from streams. No
one should become alarmed; the
world will never starve.
The consumer has always feared
that the producer would not supply
him and his fright has found express
sion on the statute books of our states
and nations and the farmer has been
urged to produce recklessly and with
out reference to market and regard
less of the demands of the consumer.
Back to the Soil.
The city people have been urging
each other to move back to the farm,
but very few of them have moved.
We welcome our city cousins back to
the soil and this earth's surface con-
tains 1902, 100000 idle acres Of till
able land where they can make
living by tickling the earth with a
forked stick, but we do not need them
so far as increasing production Ia con-
cerned; we now have all the producers
we can use. The city man has very
erroneous ideas of agricultural condi-
tions. The commonly accepted theory
that we are short on production is all
wrong. Our annual increase in pro-
ductioD far exceeds that of our in
crease in population.
The World as Farm.
Taking the world as one big farm,
we find two billion acres Of land in
cultivation. OF this amount there is
approximately 750,000,O00 acres on the
western and 1890, 100000 acres on the
eastern hemisphere, in cultivation.
This estimate, of course, does not in
clude grazing land7, forests. etc,
where large quantities of meat are
produced.
The worlds annual crop approx
mates fifteen billion bushels Of ce.
reals, thirteen billion pounds OF fibre
and sixty-five million tons O meat
The average annual world crop for
the past five years, compared with the
previous FIVE years is as follows:
Past Half Previous Half
Crops Decade. Decade.
Corn (Bu.) 3,934,174, 900 3,4O3 ,665,0Oo
Wheat (Bu.) 3,522,769,0O0 3,257,526,000
Oats .(Bu) 4,12o,017,00O 3.5OS,315,Oo0
Cotton (Bales) 19,S63,S00 1854 200
The world shows an average In
crease in cereal production Of Is per
cent during the past decade, compared
with the previous five years, while the
worlds population shows an increase
of only three per cent.
The gain in production far exceeds
that of our increase in population. and
II is safe to estimate that the farmer
can easily increase production 25 per
cent If remunerative market can be
found for the products. In textile
ibres the world shows an increase
during the past half decade in produc-
tion Of Is per. cent against a popula-
tion increase OF three per cent.
The people OF this nation should
address themselves to the subject Of
improved facilities for distribution.