Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1918-02-04

in Wisconsin last year. There is not
enough seed corn available to plant
more than one acre in ten this year.
Feed Of all kinds is exceedingly
scarce. We have been shipping in hay
and feed from other states trying to
get enough to keep our stock through
until grass grows in the spring. We
have been shipping pigs and light hogs
to Illinois and Iowa where they have
some light corn that can be fed on the
farm, but which is not sound enough
to ship. The farmers are doing every
thing they can to conserve live stock
and keep it from going to slaughter,
but because of the misinformation
that seems to prevail in certain quar-.
tiers we can get no help or relief Ev-
cry time one Of our farmers organiza-
tons attempts to make any complaint
all we get out Of it is the statement
that we are no cooperating with the
Government and are not as loyal as
we should be. I don't know what We
are going tc do next year. Certainly
we cannot produce anywhere near as
much as we have in the past. Dairy
cattle have been sacrificed until the
herds are very much smaller than they
were a year ago. Hogs and all kinds
of live stock have had to go to market
feed to keep them. Thousands of head
Of young heifers have gone to market.
The situation is very critical and un-
less we can get feed it will be neces-
sary to sacrifice a good many more
head of stock that surely should be
kept on the farm.
We have been told here that one
reason why we could not get feed was
that the government had ordered
shipments of foodstuff to the East and
Southwest. We really do not know
much about what actually takes place,
because there does not seem to be any
authentic information.
Fuel is also exceedingly scarce and
there is more or less suffering An
other thing we have had some very
bad storms and exceedingly cold
weather. Railroad traffic was COM
pietely demoralized for nearly one
week. The roads have just begun to
run trains regularly again and now we
have another snow storm on. 1t is
hard to be an optimist.
The fixing Of the price of feed by
the government is greatly miSunder-
stood by most of the people, it seems.
There has been no reduction in the
price of feed here. In fact, under the
new price fixing scheme we actually
are forced to pay more for some feeds
than we did before. Tried to get some
OILY, c1, ii,t bo
gluten feed companies advised me that
they had made exclusive sales con-
tracts for that. territory with certain
iobbers This exclusive sales contract
business is something that has got to
be done away with if we are ever to
get away from the hold of the middle
man. Farmers are so slow about or
ganization and are SO timid about de-
manding their rights that it is going
to take a long time before we can get
them well enough organized to accom-
plish the reforms in marketing that
will be necessary to carry out our
plans for direct marketing.
The prices Of fertilizer are prohib
tive and if we are not going to get
more for our potatoes and other. prod
uctS ana IL we nave 10 cut GOWN lllc
acreage or attempt to grow without
fertilizer, the consequences will he
much smaller crops. This is going to
react and will force attention of the
people to the needs and requirements
of the farmers. but it may be neces-
sary to starve few millions before
they will take heed. The farmers are
loyal and desire to do what they can
to feed the people, but they receive
no assistance and on the other hand
are discouraged.
In regard to seed corn: we are go
ing to have hard work to get enough
to plant our acreage. SEED corn has
sold as high as s32 per. bushel OF
course this is for extra select South
ern grown corn.