The true Democrat. [volume] (Bayou Sara [La.]) 1892-1928, 1914-02-21

the annual aggregates of produ ction !
the facts relative to It's proper division, |
but the efforts did not meet with over
much success. Even individual effort
to present the facts through other
channels than the Department were
mot encored or even encouraged.
Nor is it so long since the solicita-
ton of the Department of Agriculture
for information as to the average of
farm incomes elected the somewhat
amazing statement that the Depart
ment could not say because it did not
know; that even the farmer himself
did not know. There are only two
classes of persons who do not know
what their incomes are, those whose
wealth is so great and so constantly
and rapidly increasing that they can
not keep track of their incomes, and
those whose net possessions are so
relatively trif1ing that it is not worth
while keeping track of them. There
| is not the slightest evidence that the
farmer belongs to the former class,
and the failure hitherto to give all the
facts germane to the matter has aided
| in making many thoughtful persons
wonder if he did not belong to the
latter.
To deal more specifcly with the an
inual statement of the Department OF
Agriculture referred to, this latest re-
port tells the farmers of the country
and any others who are deeply con-
cerned with the welfare of the agri-
culturists-tha of the grand total Of
production for 1918, amounting to near
lily ten billions being $500, 100000 for
crops and $3.50, 100000 of animal pro-
|ducts-the net cash sales of both crops
and animals amount to only S5,S47,-
10000 Five billion plus does not ring
nearly so loud and hence is not nearly
so popular figure for what the farm
er got for his crops last year" as ten
lblllions, but it possesses the essential
Equality of accuracy and aids consider
ably in assisting the average citizen in
understanding what the farmer does
; with his money. The method of COM
putting the farmers products hereto
tfore prevailing method which seem
led to have the endorsement of pre-
yious administrations of the Depart
ment og Agriculture-ha been to as
sumo for instance, that when farm
er had raised three hundred dollars
worth of corn and fed that into four
hundred dollars worth of hogs and
converted the hogs into five hundred
dollars worth of ham and bacon he
would be receiving for his product
three hundred plus four hundred plus
five hundred, or a total of twelve hun
dred dollars, which only demonstrates
again a neat fabrication rugged up to
resemble the truth in snare and a
delusion.
Of the crops, valued at Sc, 0,000,-
900, approximately fifty-two per cent
were not and will not be sold at all
They have been or will be consumed
used up, in other products on the
farms. Even of the animal products
full twenty per cent will never leave
the farms that produced them.
The number of farms of the United
States at the present time is approx
j. mately 6,60O00O. Simple analytical
mathematics, none too popular pas
time, by-the-bye, reveals the fact that
/ the average annual income per farm
3 then is less than nine hundred dollars
Obviously no farm is owned by less
e than one person. Many farms are
4 owned and worked by more than one
: person. There are practically no farms
t upon which all of the work is actually
| done by one person. SO we must pare
r down considerably this average as ar
p income per farmer. But more thar
q that, at the very outset, as the Depart
8 ment's report lucidly shows, this nine
hundred dollars is but the gross in
l. lcome from which must be deducted al
j. the cost of hired help, the cost of ma
o chinery and it's up-keep, the cost o
r feed bought for stock, the taxes O
i Ievery sort, the cost of fertilizers, ant
e all the other inevitable expenditures
b to say nothing of interest on his in
J. vestment.
n Truly, to those who look, and wht
It have not looked before, this latest an
g lnual statement of the Department o
h Agriculture must be something of ;
It revelation.
d SHERiFF'S SALE.