Norwich bulletin., 1917-10-12

[ Written Specially for The Bulletin.
 Once in while even "metropol-
 ftan,'' i. e., New York city newspaper
 manages to get hold of and publish
 EaDmething sensible about farming.
 It is a rare happening, for as a rule
 the New York city man and woman
 tknow as little about farm problems as
 they do about Sanscrit theology or as
 Ethey would about the management o1
 la hydro-aeroplane over the zuyde1
 fZees attacked by two Gothas, three
 ETaubes, seven Zeppelins, and a double
 Eheaded Hohenzollern black eagle, all
 Lat the same time.
 But the other day the New York
 kTimes published Q letter signed by one
 tB F. Yoakum which, while by no
 fmeans telling all the truth, did actu-
 te1ly tell so much and that so clearly
 that I, as a working farmer and con Temptation to pass some of it along to you, dearly beloved readers
 Not because there is anything star fungly new in 1t to any practical fearrner, but rather with the idea Of confirming our own knowledge by
 ffhis fresh evidence that. now and then. feven a city man sees through the dust fof his own streets and the smoke or This own chimneys far enough into the lopen to appreciate some of the other fellows difficulties.
 ! MT. Yoakum bases his letter on two
  lets will win the war" second, that ffarm activities will be increased and ffarm production enlarged "only as and fvThen farming shows as good profit as fD-ther business on the same capital Lefld labor invested"
 He calls attention to the fact that <rnore than half the sixty-two counties Iof New York state are chiefly engaged in one form or another of agriculture And yet:
 ! 'T.he consuming public in busy New kfYork city does not know the diff fculties that confront those engaged tn Farming, dairying, poultry raising and fruit growing in New York state Estate and municipal commissions to fix tprices on the farmers products won't Fcorrect the evil. The remedy must be letarted and applied on the farm 1. No effort has been made to establish sswar prices" on other commodities sEuch as coal copper steel without Auction and allowing from 15 per cent. tup for profit to the manufacturer or producer. But has anything of the ssort been attempted-has it even been thought of in the farmers case? The consumer how1s for cheaper fini1k and cheaper eggs and cheaper
 butter and cheaper flour and cheaper zpotatoes, etc. He seems to have the t1dea that government can step in and tcut the prices of all these farm pro- Fduced necessities in half for his bene- 1ht- He does NOT stop for one minute Ffo think of what such a step would scause in the way of diminished pro- Fz1uction.
 ! If government-or anybody or any ffbing else-cuts the selling price of [coal, copper. steel so low that there is Ino longer any profit in producing coal, Lcopper, steel, then mines and mills and ;foundries will cease producing them ; If government-or anybody or any thing else-cuts the selling price of milk. eggs. potatoes, SO low that they ;no longer pay the costs of production, linen farmers will stop producing milk, Teggs, potatoes, etc. Farming is Q business, the same as Snining coal. smelling ore, making .cloth or selling shoes If the men who Ezre engaged in those undeniably useful hun notions are admittedly entitled to a iprice for their goods which not only frRfIIrnS nrOducin0 cOStS h1If irS1