The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1920-03-06
FARM FACTORS
FOR YEAR 1920
DEMAND FOR FARM PROD
UCTS WILL BE ACTIVE
Cost OF Making Crops Will Be
High, Requiring Nest
Eff. Gnt Methods
;. G. Pridmore, Shreveport, La.

Another crop season is almost upon
us. Before much progress is made.
the farmer could, with advantage, take
stock, so to speak, of the agricultural
outlook and base his plans for the
year accordingly.
What of the outlook?
To begin with, the agencies Of pro-
duction impaired by the war are not
yet on normal basis. This being
true, the demand for food and feed
products as we'll as the raw materials
OF manufacture are still unsatisfied
1t is well to mention here that the
wheat and rye acreage Of this country
was decreased about twenty-five per
cent last fall and this will, OF neces-
sity, have a bearing on the foodstuff
situation this and next year.
Prices of farm products have reach
ed high levels. and the indications are
now that they will not be much lower
any time soon. High prices, however,
do not necessarily stimulate produc-
ton.
Farm labor, very important factor,
is not only scarce, but higher in price
than ever before. Doubtless, the cost
of other necessities in farming will be
as high, if not higher. than in 1918.
To make farming profitable mis-
year. in the tight of conditions
existing, the farmer must either IN
crease the efficiency of his meth
DDS of production, or else he must get
less net profits from his opeldtions.
OF the two methods suggested, un-
doubtedly that of speeding up the
agencies of production is to be looked
to for relief
There Is no doubt that the method
used on the average farms could be
improved to such an extent that great
er yields per acre could be made.
In fact, the average acre yields Of
crops grown must be increased; for
In the past the average acre yields
have been SO low that they have paid
but little II any more than the cost
Of production.
AS q means OF increasing the acre
production of field crops, the land ON
which these are grown must be made
more fertile. To this end, the farmer
must look to more liberal and
discriminate use Of commercial fertil-
izers. These contain the elements Of
plant food, nitrogen. phosphoric acid
and potash, necessary to all plant life.
These elements have been reduced in
most soils to such an extent by con-
slant cropping that profitable farm
ing is no longer possible unless they
are returned to the land.
To illustrate the effect of the use
If fertilizers on crop production, and
TO show how crop yields decrease
where they are not used, the compar-
alive yields for the last fifty years
IT two western states and three south
eastern states are here shown Ia g
diagram reproduced from publica-
ton OF the United States Department
of Agriculture. Each black line rep
resents a ten year period. As Is shown
in the diagram, In Texas and Arkan-
sas where but little fertilizers have
been used, the yields have gone down
from approximately 225 pounds OF lint
per acre to q little more than l60
pounds. On the other hand, in the
southeastern states. where fertilizers
have been used properly, the yields
have increased very markedly. going
from $50 pounds to 225 pounds ct lint
per acre.