Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1914-12-03
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
WE ARE LONG ON PRODUCTION,
SHORT ON DISTRIBUTION.
BY Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union.

The economic distribution of farm
products is today the worlds greatest
problem and the war, while 1t mas
brought its hardships, has clearly EN-
phasized the Importance of distribu-
ton as a factor in American agrlcul-
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 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
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, Whlle
another surfeited, but the world as a
whole has ever been a land Of plenty
We now have less than one-tenth or
the tillable land of the earth's surface
under cultivation, and we not only
have this surplus area to draw on but
il ia safe to estimate that in case OF
dire necessity one-half the earth,s
incubation could at the present time
knock their living out of the treee
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 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 6 1902, 10000 idle acres Of till
able land where they can make
living by tickling the earth with
forked stick, but we do not need then
so far as increasing production is ION
cerned; we now have all the producers
we can use. The city man has very
ideas Of agricultural condl
lions. The commonly accepted theor!
that we are short on production is al
wrong. Our annual increase in pro
duction far exceeds that of our IN
crease in population.
The World as a Farm.
Taking the world as n big farm
we find two billion acres Of land il
cultivation. Of this amount there
approximately $50, 000, 900 acres on tn
western and 1850 900 acres on tn
eastern hemisphere, in cultivation
This estimate, of course, does not IL
clude grazing lands, forests, etc
where large quantities Of meat ar
produced.
The worlds annual crop approx
mates fifteen billion bushels of c
reals, thirteen billion pounds Of fbl
and sixty-ive million tons of meat.
The average annual world crop fc
the past five years, compared with tn
previous five years, is as follows:
Past Half Previous Ha
Crops Decade. Decade.
Corn (Bu.) ,934,174,OOO 3,409, $3.50
Wheat(Bu.) 1922 100000 3,257,526,O(
Oats (Bu.) 4,120,O17,000 3,50S,315,O'
Cotton(Bales) 19,S63,S00 17,541,2'
The world shows an average
crease in cereal production OF 10 p
cent during the past decade, compare
with the previous five years, while Il
worlds population shows an increa
of only three per cent.
The gain in production far excee
that of our increase in population. al
it is safe to estimate that the farm
can easily increase production % p
cent if a remunerative market can
found for the products. In text
fbres the world shows an increa
during the past half decade in prod
ton of Is per cent against a popu
ton increase of three per cent.
The people of this nation shot
address themselves to the subject
improved facilities for distribution.