Daily Kennebec journal., 1918-04-12

profit to the contractor
Rut 10 the farmer Uncle Sam say
keep your factory running resaiu
of whether you are making proh' oA
loss. ho,,+
Every person knowing anythihs
producing eggs during the pas.
knows that the men owning iioe"'
hens have been producing eggs d.
loss. the reasons for this are famiiiaF
TO all and need not be enumerated mere
! Many men would have sent thelr iiens
| to market but the edict OF the uose'n-
ment Food Administrator that no mems
/ should be marketed until next summer
! forces the farmer to keep his Factory
working at loss
| The great manufacturers, Dahhei'
lawyers and others are giving the'r
time freely to increase food productloh.
Farm Bureau Associations have been
formed in nearly every county IN thls
country with county agents. pig ciuo
agents, city garden agents, all OF whose
duty it is to get the farmers to increase
their production and get every city
man who has little back yard to
| IL
tables in direct competition with the
farmer whose legitimate business 1t IS
to grow those things and supply the
man in the city whose business is not
and should not be to grow vegetables In
competition with the farmer.
Where Is the New England farmer
to find a market for his crops when the
city dweller produces in his back yard
all he requires. or a large part Of what
he requires for his own family?
The 1916 vegetable crop was the short
est known in this section for great
many years. Last winter potatoes,
onions and other vegetables were SELL
ing at very high prices, potatoes a year
ago at $500 per bag, onions S14.00 per
bag, present prices sl,75 per bag for
either.
The 1916 crops We're largely bought up
by the spectators in the fall these men
made fortunes selling them later in the
season
Last fall the spectators started in to
buy up the crop early in the season but
the farmers said you made fortunes on
our crops last season and we will now
hold them in the hope of getting back
the cost of our crops, 1917 being another
season when the cost of growing crops
In New England was very high.
AS soon as it became evident that the
speculator could not buy the farmer .
crop he became a bear on such crops
and has ever since done al! possible to
reduce the selling price
The City Press has ably assisted him.
the weekly review OF the markets by
the city dailes it has always been noted
that while the price OF vegetables is
still high is well known fact that
the crops were very large last year and
prices must very soon drop to much
| lower levels BY these methods con-
Sumption has been curtaled and at the
present 'iine there is surplus of vege-
'""ieS ana 'ne price of potatoes will
prohably be forced down to 50 cents
per bushel before the end of the season
lhere being surplus of these goods
tor local consumption the grower has
no choice but ship his product to COM
mission house in the larger markets 10
pc SOLD for his account and so in th,
nope or getting something from his
crop he is obliged TO help the CITY dealer
bear the market and the end of tho ,Q,7
crop can now be seen.
'he American farmer is patriotic.
from Lexington to the present day he
ms never been accused of being other
wise and so he will go on producing nc
large crops as possible until this war
is over
me government has put into the
hands Of the farmer in The Farm, Ru
reau Association, an instrument that
may be what is required 10 make co.
operation among the farmers possihla
WIN a leader among farmers to or
game them SO they will have some
No'ce IN the matter of price thew shall
receive for their products, then and nor
uhtll then. will the world take not:c,
Or the American farmer
"heh through cooperation country
"ioe the farmer is able to pay wages
- competition with other manufacture
erS and demand cost plus 10 per cent
then Will farming become \ busipass
worthy of being called BUSINESS
When the organized American farr,
- S'rlke for higher wages for labo,
IN the form of farm pronucts a "satis.
factory arrangement" will have to he
maze or the world will starye.
me people can live without the Nom
OF any single class except the Auer,c,r -
FARMER When he decides to produce
1000 Tor his own family only, unless he
can be assured a profit on his invas+-
ment it will become necessary for the
arrangement to be made and The
american farmers. the most powerful
class OF men on earth, will no lonpe,
slumber