New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-06-26
2 400 Farms Idle
! In New York Due
ToLabor Shortage
Land Population in State
Has Fallen Off IL Per
Cent in the Last Twelve
Months, Convention Told

Two thousand four hundred farms in
the State of New York are idle and
producing nothing but grass and weeds
because of no one to work them. In
the last twelve months New York's
farm population has fallen off - per
cent. Since 1900 100000 people of
the United States have left the farm
to go to the city and at present 72
per cent of the nations POPULATION is
resident in cities, as against 80 per
cent forty years ago
The foregoing are a few of the reA-
sons presented in behalf of an in
creased agricultural production before
the Motorize the Farm Convention yes
terday in the Waldorf Astoria Hote.,
by A. r. Kroh, practical farmer of Las
Vegas, N. NJ, and lecturer for the
Motor Truck Association of Amer
lea. He predicted that unless the
situation took an immediate turn for
the better the greater portion of the
country's population was going to
learn through hunger that such thing
as continued consumption without pro-
duction is impossible.
Starvation, he declared, would have
me effect of demonstrating the truth of
economic laws now generally ignored.
Says Wheat Price Will Soar
Five dollar wheat within the next
five years, 40 per cent decrease in
wheat supply and 25 per cent de-
crease in wheat acreage this year, be-
sldes 100000 fewer hogs this year
IMAM there were last, were additional
warnings by the speaker.
with this situation before us, this
country IS now exporting foodstufTs
which are sold here at eXorbtant
prices,' Mr.. Kroh said. "No country
can bear up whose consumption of food
exceeds its production. Look back
thrJugh history to ancient Italy and
"Who of you can call the American
farmer a protitcer when I tell you that
he is not making money and that he is
not asking an eight-hour day or even
a ten or twelve-hour day; that he has
been forced to organize for self-pres-
crvatlon? The farmer gets $5S7 for
enough wheat to make barrel of flour,
but you and pay for the same prod
uct in the form of bread at hotels
and restaurants, $587 barrel. After
figuring in every conceivable expense
IN the process Of manufacture. dis
tribution, selling and final delivery,
there is about $500 of this $5S7 we
pay which is being stolen.
Spectators Buy Farms
"You are fortunate, under existing
conditions, if the farmer continues to
produce even smaller amount Of food
stuffs The farmer is no Boshcvist."
In the Middle West and elsewhere,
the speaker related, thousands of
SPECTATORS were buying up farms with
no intention CT producing anything on
them. Their object, he declared, was
purely speculative, and the result gen
orally was that some ambitious young
couple would rent the land at an ex-
cessive rate, then find that farming
was poor venture and give it up.
He declared the motor truck indus
try could do great deal to solve the
problem of farm production by invad-
ing the rural districts and demonstrate
ing to the farmer that a truck will do
the work of four horses and at less
than half the expense.
"'The truck is the only piece Of farm
machinery which will solve the prob
lem of increased production" he said.