The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1915-02-24
Growth in National Wealth Would Be
Prodigious If Tillers Could Increase
Output to Its Capacity.
MOSS INVESTIGATES CONDITIONS
II Deplore Miseries of War But Can
See in It Uplifting Of Farming
Glass;" Says Representative.
BY BURTON K. STANDISH

the day Adam was so Summarily ejec-
ted from the Garden of Eden has
there been a generation of farmers
so favored as are the farmers of
America today. And one of the rea-
sons is the present war in Europe.
So says Ralph w. Moss, a prosper
GUS farmer Of Center township, Clay
county, Indiana.
Why pick Mr.. Moss out, you ask
Well, Mr.. Moss, in addition to being
prosperous farmer is student of
agriculture on a broad scale and a
member of congress. It is. rather
the regular thing to ask him about
such things. For instance, when
President Wilson was picking COM
mission to study agricultural condi-
lions in Europe the first man he
picked was Representative Moss. Mr..
Moss spent all the time he could
crowd between congress sessions in
examining first hand their methods
of doing things in the Old Country.
Some of his conclusions appear in
the following standardization of an
interview had with him few days
ago:
"The American nation has wor-
shipped at the shrine of the manu-
facturer since the close of the Civil
war, because this industry has had
the power to reward it's votaries with
abundant wealth"
Pause, if you like, while I reas-
sure you that these are his exact
words. To make it clear in your
mind, picture a man on whom life's
struggle has left it's mark, has left
him a serious student, just as Sc
rious and just as much student as
he was in the days when he was
working his way through Purdue
university.
Point Out Advantages. -.
High wages, short hours and
large dividends have become associa-
ted with the American furnace and
workshop. During the same period,
the American farmer has been a man
who was compelled to work long
hours, sell his products for low prices,
pay low wages to his labor and even
to deny his family the luxuries of
life.
political economists have repeat
eddy pointed out the tremendous ad-
vantage which would accrue to our
nation If it were possible to increase
the output of our farms to, any de-
gree near their maximum capacity
Our growth in national wealth and
prosperity would be prodigious.
"Such an increase in yield has been
followed by corresponding decrease
in price. So universally has this
been true, that strong societies have
been organized among farmers to
limit their output in order to ad-
vance the price.
Wheat to Pigs.
Last July, the price of wheat fell
to 70 cents in Indiana when it be-
came known that our yield was to
be the largest on record. On my
farm, we fed wheat to the pigs be-
cause it was the cheapest feed avail
able. 1t has been estimated by the
department of agriculture. that the
farmers sold 80 per cent of the crop
at an average price of SO cents per
bushel. This sounds like romance
now when we are threatened with a
bread famine and it is reasonable to
predict 5000 wheat before the new
crop can be harvested.
II have thus briefly referred to
the past in order to rivet attention
on the change which is. coming. The
European war is fraught with such
"mOmentous consequence to our nation
as to appear incredulous to the aver
age citizen. New riches are to be
added to our nation as suddenly as
good fortune came to Aladdin. The
present generation of farmers is to
be the most favored since Adam was
driven from the garden of Eden.
"At the outbreak of the war we
were in a splendid state of prepared
ness to meet an extra demand for ag-
ricultural products at higher price.
For a generation we had been busy
improving our roads and Transports
ton facilities; we had likewise i'm
proved our livestock, seed grains and
agricultural tools. We have steadily
extended our arable-~area by drain
ing swamps, clearing forest areas and
irrigating the desert. Our schools
and colleges have been adding to our
source of knowledge by diffusine
Continued on last page,
HAVE FOOD PROBLEM. il