Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1914-1915, 1914-12-17
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
VIZ ARE LONG ON PRODUCTION;
SHORT ON DISTRIBUTION.
BY Peter R.dferd
Lecturer National Farmers Union.

By. Peter Radford
Iecturer National Farmers Union.
The economic distribution Of farm
products Is today the worlds greatess
problem and the war, while 1t has
brought its hardships, has clearly en-
phasized the Importance Of distftbnr
ton as a factor In American asricuF
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 a, 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 o. the farmer tellina
him how to produce, the farmer has
been dumping tons of products in the
nations garbage can for want OF .
market.
Tho World Will Never Starve.
At no time since Adam and Eve
were driven from the Garden Of Eden
have the inhabitants of this world
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 a change in diet and n local.
ity has felt the pinch of want, while
another surfeited, but the world as .
whole has ever been a 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 it 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 a market, and regard
less Of the demands Of the consumer
Back to tho Soil.
The city people have been urging;
each other to move back to the farm,
but very few of them have moved.
We welcome u city cousins back to
the soil and this earth's surface con-
tains 1902. 10000 idle acres Of TN.
able land where they a make .
living by tickling the earth with .
forked stick, but we do not need them
30 far as increasing production is con-
cerned; we now have all the producers
we can use. The city man has very
erroneous ideas of agricultural condi-
lions. The commonly accepted theory
that we are short on production IL al
wrong. Our annual increase In pro-
duction far exceeds that Of our in
crease in population. =.
The World a. . Farm.
Taking the world as one big farm.
we find two billion. acres; OF, land, in
cultivation. OF this amount there 10
approximately $50, 100000 acres on the
western and 1,260,0o0,o00 acres on the
eastern hemisphere in cultivation.
This estimate, Of course, does not in.
clude grazing lands. forests, etc,
where large quantities of meat are
produced.
The worlds annual crop approx
mates fifteen billion bushels Of CO
reals, thirteen billion pounds Of fibre
and sixty-1ve million tons ,of meat.
The average annual world crop for
the past five years, compared with the
previous five years, is as follows:
Past Half Previous Hall
Crops Decade. Decade.
Corn (Bu.) 3~,934.174,0oo 3,4o3,e est, 90
Wheat(Bu.) 1922, 10000 8,257, 5000
Oats l(Bu.) 4,1%2o,017,Q00 3,6os, $1,000
Cotton(Bales) 1s,,se3.8oo 17,541,3oe
Tho world shows an average H.
crease in cereal production of 10 Per
cent during the past decade, compared
with the previous i've years, while. tie
worlds population shows IN increase
Of only three pei. cent.
The gain in production far exceeds
that Of our increase Id: population, ana
It q safe to estimate thattths farmaf
can easily increase production Is ypss
cent IL q remunerative market can b
found for the products. In text1lo
dbres the world shows An ,inereaso
during the past half decade IN p,roaduiao.
ton Of IL Per cent against . popula-
ton increase o. three Per. cent. >, y.
The people Of this nation sholA
address themselves to the subject e
improved facilities for diaribution.
oyersproduction ana crop mortxass
6orcs ths:s.farmsrs into ruindus, Sonr
petition with each other. The rGae0r
hss IN organization ~. h eeoD~
aea IN marketing, y
WILL SELL my piano for 10. Must
sell my interest IN contract On uiane.
vvhfek I. xno-as 49, fScH1S ,I@s 4.