Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1914-12-24
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
WE ARE LONG ON PRODUCTION.
SHORT o DISTRIBUTION.
BY Peter Radford

The economic distribution of farm
products is today the worlds greatest
problem and the war. while it has
brought its hardships, has clearly en-
phasized the Importance of distribu.
ton as q factor In American agricul.
lure 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 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
1t II 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 II 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 HE fright has found express
sion on the statute books Of our states
and nations and he farmer has been
urged TO produce recklessly 9hd with
ont reference 70 . market, and regard.
less Of the demands Of the consumer.
0aets - the Soil.
The city people have BEEN urging
each other TO move back to the farm,
but very few q them have moved.
We welcome our city cousins back to
the soil and this earth's surface coa-
tains 1s.0s1. 1ee. 600 idle acres Of tin
able land where they can make .
living BY tickling the earth With .
forked stick. but We do not need them
% far - increasing production 10 con-
cerned: We now have all the producers
We can use. The city man has very
erroneous ileas Of agricultural conAt
lions. The commonly accepted theory
that No are shert on production 10 an
wrong. Our annual increase In pro-
duction fAr exceeds that Of our h.
crease In population.
The Wsr1d 20 . Farm.
Taking the world ~ one big farm.
We md two billaon acres Of land in
cultivation. OF this amount there 10
approximately 7tO. 900. 900 acres on the
"...S n.-.~hr-s =. s,,,.,v.t,cr
TH,s ...,.s.. 81 sc,-.. A.. rct IN.
49, ..-s~ ~. 1900. -.
49,. a.. .....4.~,e. =, m..t ~
~.~S...x
~. -o,,1,. 1890, .,on .nnror,-
m...s net... ssn,c. hr.hs,. ~ A.
800 .h,rts~. sss,;or nonrd. ~ nnre
80 .,rtv.nvs ,.,1,,"r 1cr. ~ mat
~. ....... ..nn., -c,,A crcr n,
- ..4 a.. 49,. .o..r.-.1 ~,tt the
Past Half Previous Hall
Ceope- Decade, Decade.
Can (Bu.) 3,S3l,f7l.0oo 3,4O3, o6S, 900
Wheat(Bu.) 3,S11, ~, 900 1851, 81. 900
OaAo (Bu.) l.l3o.Al7. 900 1,6OS, 81, ~
n world shows IN svsrage n
crease IN cereal peo6u0eion - u poe
eene oafIng the paes eeeeae' eem1aIes
wsse To ps0.so:s ns ~