Connecticut western news., 1917-12-06
FARMERS PROFITS
Are the Connecticut Farmers ReceiV-
 ing Unusual War Profits?

Every now and then during the past year, and especially frequently of late, soma individual or group of individu- als, with an axe to grind. break out in public speech, and usually into news paper prominence, proclaiming that the farmers, or certain classes Of far mers, of the country are the cause ei the high cost of food, are reaping un' usual profits. and apparently are spend ing much of their time running around the country in high. priced automobiles.
 The executive committee of the Conn. Vege bles Growers Association desires to emphatioally dispute such statements or imputations and to put bsfore those in authority in our govern ment and the public generally, true statement of the agricultural condi tinns in Connecticut, which, no doubt are quite similar to those in most of our eastern states. It wishes to an nounce its endorsement of the demand made last summer by the dairymen for the increased price for milk produc. tion, and to deny that this has resulted in unfair profits to the dairy farmer at the entire expense of the middle-man and the consumer.
 There is no class of men more loyal to our government in and out of its times of unusual need, than are the farmers of this and other states. No set of men in moderate means in any kind of occupation or business will continue to work or do business with out at least some financial reward. In the past the farmers more than any other class of men have been doing this. Today under the unusual war conditions. they are asked to grow cer- tain crops when it often means finan cial loss to them, and they cannot and will not keep this up unless they make enough on their operations as a whole to more than compensate foI their loss. 1t is we'll for those in authority and the public in general, to bear this in mind, else another year the food situa. tion may grow worse rather than better through the failure of growers to grow profitless crops
 What is the situation that has faced the Connecticut vegetable grower the past year, and to a certain extent tl.e fruit grower as we'll?
 1st. He was asked to increase shis crop production, (already adequate to local market conditions) which is of 8 kind for which there is no foreign ex- portation to take care of the excess and thereby increase or keep up the price and to do this that we might lessen the consumption of our exportable crops grown elsewhere which were sure of an unglutted market and a profitable return.
 2nd. He was brought in market competition with excessive production of similar crops grown elsewhere
 3rd. Local competition with him through individual, society and factory gardens was encouraged to the utmost as a way for showing ones patriotism
 4th. He had to pay greatly increased prices for his seeds, his fertilizers and for machinery and horses if he bought any. His artificial fertilizers in most cases lacked the element of potash so essential to full crop production.
 9th. His labor situation was most unusual and critical. General farm labor is the lowest paid labor or the market, because there is the least profit in farming ot any business. With a greatly increased demand elsewhere the farmer was the one who was short handed because he could not pay the increased competitive price that re- suited. Then too. the draft took away labor that ought to have been avail able, and is threatening to make more serious inroads in the future. To meet this the farmer had to employ day laborers that came to hand OCCASION ally, school. boys, students, women, criminals from the jails, cclored people from the south, etc., most of whom cost more and Were less efficient than the trained laborers of previous years
 To meet these conditions he had to mraket most of his early crops at little or no profit, and in some cases at u loss. Unusual ways of marketing the crops by roadside stores and stands were devised. Some crops Were left to go to seed to decreace the loss and re- lleve the glutted market, and some few were plowe9 up. A certain grower fed his summer cabbages to his pigs as the most profitable way of disposing of his crop. From midsummer on the con dltions were better, and helped pull the growers through. It IS safe to state that no farmer became wealthy. and most were glad to close the season with a reasonable small profit, or to break even.
 The farmer today is better educated man than was his father at the time oi the civil war. The agricultural college: and experiment. stations and the U. S. Department of Agriculture have helped to bring this about. Therefore he de mand more benefits for his work thar formerly. Like the Japanese he hal awakened to the advantages of educa tion and progress, and like them he il