The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1915-01-01
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 it has
brought its hardships, has clearly en-
phasized the importance Of distribH-
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 win, 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 one local
ity has felt the pinch of want, whils
another surfeited. but the world as a
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
f. 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 1t from streams. Ne
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 expires
sion on the statute books Of our states
and nations and the farmer has been
urged to produce r%ecklessly and with
out reference to a market. and regard
less Of the demands of the consumer.
Back 10 the Soil.
The city people have been urging
each other to move back to the farm.
n,4 49,. eov, 81 thoy, baya rnpvad
We welcome city cousins back to
the soil and this earth's surface con
tains 1902, 6 5000 idle acres of tin
able land where they can make a
living by tickling the earth with a
forked stick, but we do not need them
so 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-
tons. The commonly accepted theory
that we are short on production is all
wrong. Our annual increase in pro
duction far exceeds that of u In
crease in population.
The World as a Farm,
Taking the world as one big farm.
we find two billion acres Of land In
! cultivation. OF this amount there is
approximately 75O.O 1000 acres on the
o western and 1860. 0OO 400 acres on the
eastern hemisphere. in cultivation.
This estimate, Of course, does not i'm
clude grazing lands, 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 Of meat.
The average annual world crop for
I the past five years. compared with the
previous five years, is as follows:
Past Half Previous Half
crops Decade. Decade.
corn BuD 3,99fl7lOOO 3,4O3,655, 900
3 WheattBul $500 7GgOOO 3,257,526, 600
/. Oats Ru.) 4.l20 Ol7Ooo 3,5OS315,O 900
S Cotton Bales l9,SG3,SOO 1851 200
S the world shows an average In
< crease in cereal production OF 10 per
s cent during the past decade, compared
with the previous five years, while the
e worlds population shows an increase
e OF only three per cent.
rhe gain in production far eXceedH
2 chat OF our Increase in population, and
it Is safe to estimate that the farmer
}. can easily increase production Is per
e cent ii a remunerative market can be
e found for the products, In textile
z hbres the world shows an increase
during the past half decade in produc.
ton OF IL per cent against a popula.
h ton increase OF three per cent.
A. The people Of this nation should
% address themselves to the subject OF
n. improved facilities for distribution.
Over-produCtion and crop mortgage
force the farmers into ruinous com