The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-11
G E TO
STABILIZE
secretary Meredith Fayors Cooperative
Eforts-Shows Effect of Reduction
In Prices of Farm Products.

WASHINGTON, Dee. 11.-American
farmers face a situation due TO falling
prices for farm products which shouid
be dealt with as a national probIemf
cretarEg 5teredith declared in his first
annual fnaaff made public yesterday.
IN NoYeIubeie3 prices were 81 per cent
below thpse prevailing at planting time
the secretary of agriculture said. adding
There is perhaps no single solution
Tor the situation which the,y farmers arc
now farfng. .bht there are lmany stems
which can and, should be taken to place
our agriculture on o more. satisfactory
basis ind IT, stabilize the business ~
farming, not in the Interest of the farm
elsss alone, but in the interest of the ma
non as Il whole. 4 sober ,nationaI
thought with regard to the Importance
the absolute necessity. of n sustained ap.
r%Icuiture in this country is Imperative
several remedies Were suggested. in
Guiding extension of cooperative market
ing and some means of aiding i'm carrving
over to periods of low production the
surplus OF wears of high production. The
question of farm and personal credit
must be given favorable consideration.
the secretary declared. and WAYS be found
to aid tenant farmers, or, men inst en-
barking IN the business of agriculture.
to establish themselves.
THE road between the nroducar and
the consumer should be kept open and
made Shortor.o the report said. to in
sure fair prices aud that the consumer
viii be able to butx with only reason
able" profits attached to the original
selling price.
The corn crop of 3.199OOO0 900 bushels
Is unprecedented, r. Presenting about
tourrfifths Of the world : production. the
report SAID. The sweet potato crop of
O6,OOo ,BNO bushels is far i'm excess of
any other year. except 1919. while the
rice crop of $4,000 q bushels is one
fourth greater than the largest crop ever
before harvested. Tobacco production of
IL a, 10000 OO pounds. the sugar beet cron
of 149,00O.000 bushels and the potato
crop of 42l,0OO.00O bushels stand out as
high marks, while the apple production
of 2~36.Oo0,000 bushels has been exceeded
only once.
/ h years. output. produced at an
abnormally high cost" the secretary de-
ciared, is worth at current prices So
Nm ,OOO, 600 less than the smaller crop
of 1919 and ST. 00.OOO0OO less than the
still smaller crop of 1918. The best esti-
mate that can now be made indicates
that the total value of animal products
in 1920 is IS JT. 600. 600. OF about $500
100000 less than in 1919"
The movement from the farm to the
city constitutes II real concern" i'm Amer
ica. the report said.
If the increasing population is to. be
fed from available farm lands efforts 70
reduce agricultural hazards must go
forward vigorously. Nh. Meredith said.
Among these hazards he enumerated
pant Diseases, insects. rodents and live
stock diseases. Congress was urged re-
provide for wider investigation of these
questions. the report asserting tbey
should be cgrbed as Il national duty to
ward OF grieYouS situations in the an
nnaI food prQdnction in later years.
\ gQyernmehtal study also Shonld he
,1aar 81 fhe farm labor" situation. Mr..
Meredith, said 49, ~.