The New York herald. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1920-1924, 1920-12-19
Work Hard, Profit Small.
Another Explanation Of the Migra
tiOn From Farm to Town.

| To THE NEW YORK HERALD: The
Secretary of the Interior is mistaken In
attributing the decrease of farm pop
ulation to the attractions Of city lie.
The twelve millions engaged In farm
Ing are undoubtedly the hardest work.
ing millions of the land. In tho twAivs
leading agricultural States OF the Onion
rs men out OF 100 passed the physical
examination for service in the army.
The men from the remaining STAINS
pronounced fit ranged from "a to ~
per cent. A positive proof that tho
farms produce the strongest and health
lest people.
Now, whep defation sets In. with a
great crop. produced by high priced
machinery. fertilizers and labor, the
farmer finds no buyer for his years pro-
duction except at such a loss as may
mean bankruptcy. Has the city con-
sumner received the benefit of the low
prices paid for corn, wheat, sugar, rice
and live stock3 Not at ALL Pork chops
are still sold at from % to 35 cents, a
pound the farmer receives 8 cents, and
it cost him 13 cents to produce the
pork. Bread is still selling from z to
10 cents a loaf. while the farmer who
produced the wheat gets about one cent.
Apples on the city. stands sell at
cents apiece and 15 cents g. quarter
peck; the grower, who spent eight years
of labor and had his capital invested
during that time. receives a quarter OF
cent apiece, If he gets his apples to
market at all.
Millions of bushels of apples have
rotted in the orchard because the cost
OF picking, the price of barrels and the
freight for shipping to market amount
to more than the returns. Potatoes
tomatoes and cabbages have likewise
rotted in the fields this summer be-
cause the farmer who planted and Gull
tivated them could not get for his
produce even the cost Of crates, picking
and freight.
The cotton crop Of the South is being
sold at 80 per cent. of the cost of pro-
duction. Corn is burned for fuel in the
Far West. The farmers of Iowa alone
have lost $400,000.000 on the cost of
production of their corn crop. Live
stock Is being sacrificed at from so to
rs per cent. OF the cost of production.
The losses to the most numerous and
hardest worked portion Of the population
OF the Union will amount this year to
from s5,o0o.ooO.o0O to $1,000. 900, 900.
A commission merchant of Washing
ton. d. c., landed from Greece twenty
five years ago, began business with n
basket and dollars worth of celery.
and his heirs will divide $4,000, real
lied from commission business. MOI
a farmer in the range of that marke:
ever achieved that sum with capital and
labor of the same period.
While such conditions last the exodus
from farm to town will go on. The
pasic industry of the nation will be in
Jured, the buying power of 20, o0o. 900
persons will be lost to the manufacturer
and the merchant.
The driver of a milk wagon gets $50
week for delivering milk in the city.
The farmer. after rising early and put
ting in fourteen hours work a day. win
scarcely obtain the cost Of production
Tor his milk The task of the business
man and the statesman is to reduce the
cost Of distribution. All other issues
sink into insignihcance beside this one.
j. II. SHEPHERD.
BERwIN, Nd. December IS.