Middletown transcript., 1920-04-03
FARMING PROBLEMS
Local Conditions Are Not Encour
aging This Spring
FARM HANDS ARE SCARCE,

merS OF this section have at last made
a start on their spring work, and on the
farms hereabouts everyone is busy.
Cutting the years supply of wood, and
hauling out the accumulation of manure
from last year are the first jobs that
claim their attention, and this work is
going on with will.
The farmers of this section are facing
several conditions this spring which are
far from encouraging, and not the least
of which is the labor situation. In 1918
there was noticeable exodus from
here OF many of the best farm hands,
being attracted to the munitions fac
tories and other industries by the high
wages being offered there, and very
few of these men have ever returned
to the farms. This condition left only
the shiftless and undependable class of
help to conduct the work here. Farm
wages have been on the increase and
the help has been getting more inferior
ever since that time.
Farm hands of the most ordinary
type are demanding from $40 to $50 per
month, with board and team kept for
their use. This matter of keeping
teams for the farm-hands is one of the
many labor annoyances with which the
farmers here have to contend, as much
lost time results from it, and there is
always contention as to its use on the
farm in the busy season. Some cases
are reported in this community where
they are demanding in addition to these
terms, that house rent be furnished
free, and two hogs fattened for them.
Even at these attractive prices there is
shortage, and on any fair day dozens
OF able bodied men can be seen loafing
on the street corners of this town who
should by all means be at work on the
farms. 1t is said that the shortage is
more acute in the neighborhood of Del
aware City and St. Georges than here,
and on several of the largest farms in
that neighborhood not man is at work.
With these conditions facing the far
mers, their work is going to be carried
on at great loss. Much public work
will be done near here on the roads, and
this will add to the farmers labor trou-
bles and increases the prices for day
work beyond the limit they are able to
pay.
The almost total failure of the 1919
wheat crop is still fresh in the minds:of
our readers, as it caused loss to the
farmers here from which it will take at
least two years to recover. In addition
to this the corn crop was shortened by
the wind storms of July, much of the
corn being blown down and the fodder
made unfit for use. This left the far
mers only their milk to depend upon for
their sustainance, and to weather them
through the season of hard luck which
had followed them throughout 1919.
To their great surprise they were noti-
fled in January that cut had been
made in the milk prices, which in some
cases affects some of the largest milk
producers as much as from $50 to $50
per month.
In the fall of 1918 great hue and
cry was made by the wholesale milk
been for several years a shortage of
February and March. The farmers of
ILLS ScCIIOu O0HS SVe1 Ou Iuc dIeII AOI
an extra dollar, changed their entire
system of milk production, and bred all
cows to freshen in the late fall months
in order to produce heavy flow of
milk in the winter months. By the
change, the months of October, Mo-
vember and December were taken as
basic months to estimate the prices
from, and the average of the amount
produced in these months was fixed as
basis, and all milk produced in the later
months above the average for these
three months is now paid for at q
butter fat price, which to the farmers
who sell milk to the shipping plants,
amounts to reduction for about 40
cents per hundred weight, and accord
ing to Philadelphia newspaper reports,
a further cut in the prices of milk is
liable to come at any time, due to the
closing down of many of the milk con-
densing plants caused by the lack of
foreign demand for condensed and
powdered milk. These conditions with
the every increasing prices OF dairy
feed are cutting down the profits of
milk production to such point, that it
is doubtful if there is farmer in this
community that keeps a strict book
account against his herd of cattle that
can show profit of five per cent. on
his investments in the dairy end of his
business.
The present growing wheat crop can
not but be hurt to some extent. The
fact that almost one half of the wheat
was covered with ice and sleet, almost
half of the past winter would indicate
this. In Cecil County, Nd, several
weeks ago Government expert dug
several samples of wheat from the
fields in the vicinity of Cayot's Corner,
and pronounced at least 30% of the
stool roots to be dead.
From present indications sugar corn
and tomatoes will be fair price during
the coming year. At several meetings
which have been held in the lower part
of the state. price of so cents per
basket has been fixed on tomatoes. and
in the Blackbird and Townsend districts
several contracts have been made for
sugar corn at $40 per ton. These prices
will give the farmers living profit.
Taking the business of the Delaware
farmer from every angle, and consider
ing the high prices of labor, implements,
fertilizers and dairy feeds and offset
this by the fixed prices on milk and
wheat, and the most optimistic cannot
see very bright outlook ahead for the
coming year. The farmer must pay
the prices demanded of him for all of
his supplies including labor, and take
what prices are offered him for his