Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-18
On Producing More

Produce more" is one of the various answers
OF Secretary Houston Of the Department of Ag-
ricuture to the question presented by the high
cost of living. Certainly if good deal more food
were produced there would be more food for the
people, but whether or not the added supply
would result in lower prices depends on great
many things besides the gross amount of food
stuffs produced For the mddleman, as well as
shortest way home 1t would not advantage the
consumer if production were to be increased,
even greatly, if at the time the farmers pro-
auctions were to be made to climb the same
golden stair of dozen successive landings and
a dozen and one profits on the way from the pro-
Queer to the consumer.
Besides, it is great deal easier to say to the
American farmer, produce more" than it is to
make him do it. To the considerations recon-
mending superior thoroughness in cultivation and
demonstrating the enormously greater production
possible farmer has said to us: ut is all very
easy for you to tell me that | should produce
more to the than do and for the good of the
country really ought to produce more, but
will tell you what am up against: have to do
the most OF my own work on the farm, with the
help of single hired man. That involves ma
chnery to save the labor that cannot get if
wanted to get it; this machinery consists of now
ers mechanical corn-panters, horse plows, cul-
tivators, ETC., and every one OF these machines in
wolves extensive, not intensive, cultivation. We
two have got to spread ourselves pretty thin over
q lOt OF ldHu 10 mdNC uiS farm pay. iou say
cultivate intcnsivey. What does that meanf 1t
means row of men-or women-bending their
backs over growing corn potatoes and vegetables.
1t means lots of labor-and labor is exactly what
we haven't got in this country. Around the big
cities you may have it, and that is where inten-
sive gardening can be and is carried on. But for
us fellows in about nne-tenths of the country
extensive cultivation by very few men, with ma
chimes, is the only thing possible Give US the
labor and we will do something different"
There is a point in this objection, but our
friend has not yet proved that American farmers
cannot produce great deal more, even with pres
ent resources as to labor. They are actually be-
ing helped to do that by the farm management
bureau OF the Department of Agriculture, which
points out farmers better varieties better seeds
better ways of getting crops out of the SOIL all
perfectly in harmony with small force on the
farm and the use OF machinery. The model farms
Of high production, which this bureau always
holds up to the farmer, are those upon which ex-
actly the same force is employed that he is obliged
to use on his farm. That excellent institution of
agricultural advice and economy, the county
agent never advises course which is out OF reach
to the farmer with his existing resources. 1t is
not question of labor, but OF putting knowledge
in the place of mere muscle. Say there is not a
single additional hill of corn, and that one mans
machine prepares the ground for it, plants it, cu-
tvates it, harvests it, but that single hill of
produces twice as many grains as before. That
is increased production without increased labor
and it is matter of increased intelligence in man
agement