The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1916-11-30
MARKETING WORLDS
GREATEST PROBLEM
We ARE LONG ON PRODUCTION,
SHORT ON DISTRIBUTION.
By Peter Radford
Lecturer National Farmers Union.

St&
I%cturer National Farmers Union.
The economic distribution Of farm
products Is today the worlds greatest
problem aud the war, while II mas
brought Its h%ardships. has clearly en-
phasized the Importance OF distribu'
ton as u factor In American agricui'
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 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 a 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 W riations in production have
forced n change in diet and n local
ity has felt the pinch OF want. while
another surfeited. but the world as q
whole has ever been a land OF plenty.
We nov 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
II Is safe to estimate that In case or
dire necessity one-half the earth's
population could ut the present time
knock their living out OF the trees
OF the forest, gather It from wild
vines and draw It from streams. No
one should become alarmed; the
world will never starve.
The consumer has always feared
that the producer woald NOT supply
him and his fright has found express
sion on the statute books OF our states
and nations and the farmer has been
urged to produce recklessly and with
out reference to n market, ands regard.
less OF the demands of the consumer.
Back to the Soil.
The city people have been urging
zach other to move back TO the farm,
but very few of them have moved.
We welcome our city cousins back to
the soil and this earth's surface con-
tains 1902, 100, 900 idle acres OF till.
able land where they can make a
living by tickling The earth with a
forked stick. cut 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'
lions. 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 n big farm
we find two billion acres OF land In
cultivation. OF this amount there IL
approximately $50, 100, 900 acres on the
western and l,260. 900. 900 acres on the
eastern hemisphere, In cultivation
This estimate, OF course, does not In
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 fibr'
and s~ixty.fSe million IONS Of meat.
The average annual world crop fo'
the past Ave years, compared with thu
previous FIVE years. Is rs follows:
Past Half Previous Hal
Crops- Decade. Decade.
Corn Bu.) S.9S4,17iO00 3.4O3, G55, 00'
WheatBuD 3,522, 49, 1000 3,257, $1,000
Oats CBu.) 4,l2O,017, O0O 3.5OS, 3l5,00'
Cotton (Bales) 1858, 500 l1,5is20
The world shows an average In
crease in cereal production OF 10 pc
{ CEN during the past decade, compare'
with the previous Ave years. while IN
T worlds population shows an increas
OF only three per cent.
The gain In production far exceed
' that OF our Increase in population, an
II Is safe TO estimate that the farme
: can easily increase production % pc
rent II a remunerative market can b
. found for the products. In textil
D fbres the world shows an increas
during the past half decade In produ'
ton OF Is per cent against a popui'
, ton increase OF three per cent.
!, The people OF this nation shoul
address themselves to the subject
, improved facilities for distribution.
Decentralization and crop mortgae