St. Johns review. (Saint Johns, Or.) 1904-current, 1915-02-19
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
WE ARE LONG ON PRODUCTION.
SHORT ON DlsTRIBuTIoN.
BY Peter Radford
cturer National Farmers Union.

problem and the war, while II has
brought IT'S hardships, has clearly EN-
phasizod the Importance OF distribu'
ton as a factor in American agricul-
ture and promises 10 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 or 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
nGtion's garbage can for want OF
market
The World VIII Mover starve.
At no time since Adam and Eve
we're 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, while
another surfeited but the world as
whole has ever been n land OF plenty
We now have less than one.tenth OF
the tillable land OF the earths surface
under cultivation. and we not only
have this surplus area TO draw on but
II ls safe 10 estimate that In case OF
dire necessity one.half the earths
population could at the present time
knock their living out Of the trees
of the forest, gather II from Wild
vines and draw n 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
aion on the statute books OF our state1
and nations and the farmer has been
urged 10 produce recklessly and with
out reference 20 n market, and regard
less OF the demands OF the consumer
Back TO the Soil.
Tho city people have been urging
each other TO move back TO tho farm.
but very few OF them have moved.
We welcome our city cousins back to
the soil and this earth's surface con
lnins 1902. 100000 idle acres OF TIL
able land where they can make q
living by tickling the earth with n
torkod stick. but we do not need them
80 far as increasing production is con
cornod: we now have all the producers
we can use. The city man has very
erroneous ideas OF agricultural condl'
lions. Tho commonly accepted theory
hat we are short on production In all
wrong. Our annual Increase IN pro
ductlon far exceeds that Of our In
crease In population.
The World az a Farm.
Taking the world az one big farm
$40 hnd two billion acres OF land In
cultivation OF this amount there II
approximately 7bO.OOO.OOO acres on the |
western and i.2G0.0O0OOO acres on the |
istorn hemisphere. In cultivation,
This estimate, of course, does not In
rlude grazing lands, forests, etc.
whore large quantities OF meat are
produced
The worlds annual crop approxi'
mates fifteen billion bushels OF CO.
reals. thirteen billion pounds OF flbre
aud sixty.fye million tons OF meat
The average annual world crop for
tho past five years. compared with the
previous five years. is as follows;
Past Half Previous Half
Crops- Decade. Decade,
Corn (BuD a.93i.l7iOOO S,fOs. .666. 900
Wheat(Ru) s.52s .76s0cO s.257 see 900
oats (Bu) l.l2O.Oi7OOO s.5OS.si5 900
cotton tnales) i9.S63.sOO 1884. 200
The world shows an average In,
crease In cereal production OF n per
cent during the past decade, compared
with the previous Ave years. while the
worlds population shows an increase
OF only three per cent,
The gain In production far exceeds
that of our increase In population, and
Il is safe 20 estimate that the farmer
can easily increase production rs per
cent II remunentiye market can be
found for the products, In textile
nbres the world shows an increase
during the past half decade In produe
ton OF no per cent against popula.
lion increase OF three per cent,
The people OF this nation should
address themselves TO the subject OF
improved facilities for distribution.
oyerprodueIion and crop mortgage