The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-05-06

mustered out of the military service many of them found employment in cities. Since the close of he war there has been an increasingly heavy draft upon farm labor by other industries, of- Iering higher wages, shorter hours and the allurments of city life. All reports and correspondence that come to the de- Fartment emphasize the farm labor short age and It's probable effect upon farm operations this year.
 Farmers hesitate to pay higher wages because, unlike other industries, there IF no opportunity for a quick turnover or to pass the increased cost along to con- sumers. Not only are farm wages high =f than ever before, but farm hired labor Is scarce at any price, and, on tha "ooie, is said to be relatively less effi- eient than formerly. Farmers are re- peatedly assured from one source or ap- ether that prices of all commodities, es- peoially farm prlces will be lower this year than last. This may or may not i.rove to be true, but the farmers know that the slump in live srocK prices since last July has cost them several hundred
 million dollars. They are now faced with the problem of deciding whether to pay
 nigh prices for all the things they have to buy-farm labor, equipment, seed. fer tilzer, clothing and supplies-and the NC9A
 of production in the early spring months, with the prospect that after harvest, when they come to market their crops, they will be compelled to accept lower prices
 for everything they have to sell or
 whether they shall cut down the initial expense of production by investing less capital in equipment. supplies and hirec
 labor by reducing acreage and numbers of live stock. The latter course means | A- vrylaa a would you do in the same circumstances?
 r. is a matter that concerns every busi- ress man and every consumer The food situation during the next twelve months will depend upon what answer the farm- CTS give to this difficult problem.
 It is universally agreed that the pros perity of the business interests and the
 welfare of the entire population Is oe- pendent upon or greatly influenced py the relative prosperity of agricuitureT IS it not equally obvious that agriculture as an industry can not prosper and that farm production can not be maintained or increased to keep pace with the grow ing population unless the business or farming, individually and collectively, Is profitable one year with another.
 The profitableness of the farm business depends upon three things-aInple produc- tiou. minimum cost of production and adequate prices. Adequate production at minimum cost involves more efficient methods and economical operations. Fac tors in this are better utilization of the soil. more intelligent use of fertilizers, the use of better seed, the growing of more productive strains and varieties, better methods of preventing soil erosion, more effective methods of combating ln- sect pests, plant and animal disease, the
 production of more and better grades of live stock, better maintenance of for ago and roughage and waste materials on the farms, better maintenance of soil fertility by conserving Soil moisture and manure, and a greater use of legumes in rotations and as companion or in- tertlled crops; the greater use of ma ckinery and practical mechanical power on farms.
 The problem of securing for the farmer prices which will enable him to maintain | production Is a more difficult one. At tention must be given to better and more economical methods of grading. storing. marketing and distributing farm prod ucts. The department of agriculture is organized to develop each of these essen tial factors for making the business Of farming more profitable by making pro duction and marketing more efficient and economical.
 A few things the department of agri- culture Is doing to prevent waste of foods, taken somewhat at random from among many, might be mentioned:
 Twenty-Five million dollars forth of sweet potatoes were wasted in 1919. They rotted because they were stored in earth banks, put on the ground in small heaps and covered with dirt, instead of being stored in properly constructed ware houses. About 50 per cent of sweet po- tatoes stored in earth banks become so damaged that they cannot be eaten. Spe- cialists of the department of agriculture developed a storage house that reduced the loss, when used, from 50 per cent to ? per cent. More than coo such stor- age houses. recommended by the bureau of markets, were ereeted-enough to take care of about per cent of the sweet potatoes stored every yOar. Then we had practically to discontinue the educa- tional campaign, because our appropria- tions were decreased to such an extent that we had no money for the purpose. From $5o,O00,0Oo to $75, 900 Is lost every year, because baled cotton Is left out in the weather instead of being placed n