American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-05-27
THE GREAT QUESTIONS OF FARMING.

l. II every farmer would double his production
for five years, would his income at the end Of
that time be greater than ut present.
2. II by this means, the high price of living
would be benefited. and IL so. for how long. Or
would wages be correspondingly reducedg
8. If any benefit would result from such in
creased production, who would get it?
r. w. S. Pennsylvania.
i. The farmer cannot double his crops without
adding at least 70 per cent to the cost. He must
borrow this capital. Certain charges, like har-
vesting, threshing and selling are fixed. The more
you handle the more 1t will cost to do so. An ex-
traordinary demand, like the present war may for
a time increase prices, as 1t has for wheat or for
beans. In a course of years doubling crops would
result just as a ten per cent increase in potatoes
has done-reduce the price paid to the farmer be-
low the cost OF production. The government fig
ures show that in years Of peace so-called bump
er crops" have brought such low prices that re-
turns for them were less than what the farmers
received for a smaller crop.
2. The high cost of living would not be ma
terially reduced" 1t will not be reduced under the
present system Of distribution which gives to the
handlers 65 cents Of the consumers dollar. We
can cite many cases where food has been destroy
ed or permitted to waste by middlemen rather
than permit It to be sold cheaply. Labor" by
which we assume you mean city labor would not
be greatly benefited by doubling the food supply,
for city wages are not controlled by the. laws Of
supply and demand. We have heard II argued that
by doubling the food supply farmers could compel
city wages to fall and thus secure cheaper farm
labor. This seems to us nonsense, as under the
present system Of distribution, the farmer has no
control over the prices which his products will
bring. He is forced to take what other classes see
fit to offer him and year by year he sees more and
more people trying to make a living through hand
ling and selling his crops.
3. The benefit would go to the railroads, trans
portation agents and handlers and dealers who
carry the food to the consumers. Many or most
OF these receive fixed charges for their work. II
they carry and handle 20 packages instead OF ten
they will receive twice as much money, no matter
what the packages sell for, or even II they result
in a loss to the farmers The demand for doubling
crops or producing two blades of grass" comes
from transportation people, dealers or agents who
handle farm products, or from thinkers" who
never grew a crop in their lives and are In no way
dependent upon farm labor for support. A few
men with special crops or localities would be ben
efitted, but 80 out of 100 actual farmers know that
there is food enough now wasted through lack of
profitable sale to feed 25, 900, 900 additional people.
These questions are more important to our farm
es than any ever raised by political parties since
the Civil war. The future OF American farming
depends upon their fearless and honest discussion
not by "thinkcrs' and educators, but by farmers
themselves.-Rura New Yorker.