The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1918-11-22
COST Of WHEAT RAISING
SECRETARY HOUSTON PENS
LETTER ON SUBJECT
Difficult to Obtain the Most Re.
liable Data. Says Agricul-
tural Head
ISpecial TO Free Press.l

washington, ID. c., November u
In response to senate resolution NO
31O. asking for information regarding
the cost of producing wheat ana other
farm products, Secretary houston mas
sent the following letter to the presl-
dent of the senate:
washington, November Z, IBIS
The Honorable, the President OF the
Senate. Sir: I have the honor 10
acknowledge receipt of Senator reso
luton 80, instructing the secretary
of agriculture to furnish the senate
with information in the department Oh
agriculture showing the cost OF pro-
ducing wheat and other farm prod
ucts. / regret that / can not send TO
the senate dependable information on
this subject.
Certain studies of the cost of pro-
ducing a number of farm prooucts
have been made by the office OF farm
management. About year ago, the
results of one of the studies were
brought to my attention. After an
examination of them, and, N VleV
# criticisms by competent experts o.
rjmilar studies, j indicated to Dr
Sri,lman. who was chief of the ofhc
of farm MANAGEMENT until Septembe
that I questioned the validity OF tn
methods pursued in the studies an
was of the opinion that the exposl
ton and Interpretation of the dat
were not adequate. l indicated
him my desire that careful considera
ton be given the whole matter ant
that a system of inquiry and interpre
tation be devised which would bf
regarded by competent students
farm economics as sound and whic'
would furnish results reasonably re
liable and creditable to the depart
ment. Notwithstanding my direc'
lions, the inquiry proceeded accord
ing to former methods, and numbe'
of weeks ago some of the results werf
embodied in several manuscripts
These were not brought-to my atten
ton until after some publicity wa
given them.
Asked Opinion of Experts.
"T gave the studies in question very
careful consideration. / asked compe
tent experts, including students o.
grain farming in the department anF
on the outside, to give me their
opinion of them. / was convinced, as
they are, that the studies are unsat-
isfactory in method and faulty in eX.
position and Interpretation and that
the conclusions drawn have no valid
ity. The studies have never been form
ally approved by the department.
assume that these studies, especially
those on the cost of producing wheat
~ - oh nT nf off
without consulting me and without
my knowledge, submitted to the
senate committee on agriculture, are
the ones contemplated in the resolu-
ton.
mot content with my own eXamin-
ton of these studies and my conclu-
sions concerning them, l submitted
them separately to three well quail
fed students Of farm economics and
requested their opinions. Their re-
ports were adverse. l then referred
the reports on the cost of producing
wheat to a committee consisting o.
an economist from one of our agricul
tural colleges, one from the bureau
of markets, a statistical economis
from the bureau of crop estimates
and a member of the staff of the office
of farm management This commit
tee reported that these document!
were not analytical studies of the
problem and that they might be con
sidered merely as opinions. Later
the author of the manuscripts il
question asked for permission to with
draw them, stating that the dat;
were not sufficient to entitle the docu
ments to be regarded as analytical
studies in any sense, that he coult
not defend them on any substantial
ground, that they were based rathe
on personal observation of local con
ditions and notes taken on farmers
experience, and that they should no
be given publicity. He further STATED
that the inquiry was hurriedly made
that the costs were not taken from
cost accounting records, that tn
agents talked with farmers and mad
mp their minds, that there was, there
fore, no tabulation of accurate data
that there was "a sort of adjustment
from these figures" secured in tn
wav indicated, that there was 10
Of guess work done and mental i'm
pressions formed, and that the figure
given were HOT accurate out fOu2
approximations.
Material "WhoIly Inadequate"
GAS further precaution Il request
ed a committee consisting of tn
president of the Kansas State Agricul
tural college, the chief in crops &
Purdue university, an agriculture
economist of the University of Wis
consin, an agronomist of the Penn
sylvania State college, an assistant i
farm management of the Universit
of Minnesota, and a farm economis
of the Agricultural College VT Texa
to make an inquiry and to submit m
a report. They did so under date {
October 81, expressing the view thu
they found this material to be who'll
inadequate upon which to base con
clusion as to the true cost of produc
ing the 1918 wheat crop, for the fol
lowing principal reasons:
THAT the areas chosen represer
only three out of the six major winte
wheat areas, and furthermore.
THAT the seven counties Selecte