The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1919-04-04
\ Suggestion On Farm Economic


A Suggestion On Farm Economics
The following essay by J. II.
Kimble was read before the Ceci3
Farmers Club at the February J,
meeting:
1t has not been long since u
farmer was called upon to save Il
world from starvation and tn
American Farmer in particular wa
proclaimed as the particular perso
to do this-to feed. the Allied armie
and win the War. He was urged {
all sides to increase production r.
CARELESS of cost. The Governmel
spent large sums of money emplo- (
ing men and women to travel owe
the country to make speeches t
farmers asking them to work ear.
and late, in season and out Ant
the great daily newspapers usee
most all their editorial space to pre-
mote the cause. You gentleme
know how we toiled, and oul
families, old and young, men ar
women, those of rs who were left,
struggled, and delivered the needed
food. Notwithstanding the fact, we
furnished more than our snare OF
the boys in uniform.
Now comes from every side the
cl"mor for lower prices for foe
gtuffs. Now the farmer is called. q
profteer. Now most of the erst-
While newspaper friends are using
thc'r editorial columns against
TREY seem to. be willing that wage
Ghould stay up, that railroad rates
and freight rates shall remain at
var time figure. The New York
rapers have sent their correspond
onts to Pittsburgh and have reported
that the Iron and Steel producer
will not attempt to lower wages, but
in order to meet the situation would
run the mills only 1870 Of their
capacity. In other words the Iron
and Steel men propose to prevent an
overaIpply by the simple process OF
reducing the output In the mean
time, the great dailies are egging on
the storm against high. prices, have
had resolutions in Congress com
j laining about the fixing of prices,
&C. Chicago papers gave a great
deal of space to trying to prove that
prices were fictitious.
1t is very clear that the city poo
Tie do not understand that the farm
or must live and produce under the
same laws which govern the business
enterprises. The things the farmer
has to sell may seem high as com
rared with prices before the war.
lat are not high compared with the
r.achinery, fertilizers, ETC., he must
purchase to produce his crops
What want to make plain in this
short note is we must change our
ways of doing things. We must
study business economics and make
our competition out in the omen field
OF contest, and play the game the
some way the business people do.
10 ESQ to complain Stand together
end. work together If we are tc
have living and 1919 as our grea a
friend the Farm Journal is SO able
lattling for, we must do other things
than produce. If something is hurt
ing us, lets get rid of it. ''We arr
the architects of our own fortune. +"
We Know how to produce We need
to End markets for that which we
Produce. We need above all things
TO see that we are treated fairly In
Legislative halls. What will happen
during the next year? Suppose we
are outwitted in Legislative halls, az
itslooks like we will be, and the
price of farm products is forced
down, and wages and everything the
farmer has to buy is kept up, what
Win be the result. The boys and
Girls will say good-by to the farm
and flock to the city where they viii
find short hours and easy work in
the shade out of the mud, where
they can wear fine clothes all day
and contend for a place in the spot
light. This movement will reduce
the income from farming and we
will be compelled to reduce produce
ton simply because we cannot get
help at a price we can afford to pay,
and because our boys and girls will
go to the city where the reward is
greater. Our people are noted for
their intelligence, but are they not
sowing to the wind in the reckless
ness with which they are rushing
toward an economic crisis.