The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1920-11-03
THE FARM NEWS
SPECIAL PAGE DEVOTED TO THE FARMING
INTERESTS OF CRAWFORD COUNTY
NOTED WRITER TELLS WHY,
y FARMING DOESN'T PAY

q ~ . ". .- 20. 81.
NOTED WRITER TELLS WHY
q FARMING DOESN'T PAY
M In 1910 the value of all farm property
i was Sal ,oOO, 900, 900. and in 1919 it had
risen to the enormous total of $1,000.
900 900. This is more than the capital
Of all the manufacturing establish
nnerlts, railways, mines and quarries in
the United States.
from $500. 00O, 900 in 1879 to $4,000
100000 In 1917.
The total farm Indebtedness in the
United States is estimated at S6,OO0,-
4 900 900. OF this nearly two.thirds IS
mortgage indebtedness. This colossal
sum is only IL per cent of the value Of
sall farm. property. showing that farm
ing is the most conservative business
in the world.
sa 1t needs to be remembered in pon.
tlcring these stupendous figures thai to-
day less than one third OF our popula-
Il ton lives on farms. In 1880 one farm
family needed to raise enough food 70
sustain itself and part Of another fam
lily. Today one farm family must RAISE
enough food to sustain itself and two
other families.
IL would seem that with such an ABB
solute monopoly in the production OF
the most necessary item in commerce
the farmer ought to be rich. happy ana
under no necessity to work overtime.
4 But tho facts are quite different. The
american farmer today is the most bur-
4 (lened perplexed and Overworked mem
Der of society. And since the two
thirds Of our population dwelling IN
cities must depend upon the farmer Tor
safety from starvation it behooves them
ito know about the farmers troubles
md use their best efforts to get him q
square deal.
NJ Tho farmer is troubled first BY tho
help problem. His children have gone
to the city to become consumers ratl:
#er than producers of food. Industry
has drained off the best supply Of farm
labor BY its Inducements of short hours,
high pay and q gregarious city exist
1 This leaves the farmers with no help
except what they call in New England
the ..emptiE' s--broken men who are q
liability rather than an asset, ana
Whose chief concern is pay day, meal
time and the side stepping Of work.
Under these conditions Mr.. Farmer
4 has TO take the short end of the while
i tree himself. He hires men to shlrk
ana does his work himself, for less pay
than he gives them
This means a fourteen hour day with
son. comes home from the city with his
family Tor a two weeks free vacation
sOn his fathers farm at the. old mans
expense, he tells how he is WORKING
Fonly eight hours n day, five days q
week for fabulous wages. He sits
from the frightful strain Of his eight
Shour toll in the city while his father
ia at ii in the fields from dawn till dusk
When he goes he leaves behind him
deep feeling of resentment and disgust
sand next year the farmer. shuts down
and goes TO town to take it easy on his
own account.
n And why not? Why should the farm
FER work fourteen hours q day to raise
wheat which he must sell at a loss TO
city workers who work eight hours
B dry for three times as much as the
farmer can pay? .-555i.. Il s, J.
Then the farmer is disturbed by the
SRrim fact that although his output
hbrings famine prices in the cities, ne
4 kets only q small part of its retail sell
Ing price. The cream goes to the folks
who handle and distribute what the
FARMER grows. The farmer is losing his
taste for skim milk and is determined
TO have a go at the cream jar on MS
Town account.
h In addition to these battling condi
Y tons the farmer, who represents the
biggest business in the world, is LETT
without any adequate financial support
T0day he cannot borrow a dollar from
any bank in this eastern country on
his land If he goes to the bank for
working capital he gets a cold recepi
|; ton in the majority Of cases. He IS
not a recognized client like the mer
chant. manufacturer and stock broker
$50 he struggles along. beginning to ask
himself some Questions and gradually
finding out what he needs and wants
and will get no matter who stands IN
put IN short and simple form the
farmer needs and must have the FOL.
lowing djustments In order to DO ms
work for the nation:
i. "a federal farm loan bank that
will not be knocked to pieces by the
Spoliticians and interests just when ~
becomes of some real service to the
turner.
"a great nationwide development
5of cooperative buying and selling agerl.
sties for farm products and raw mate.
Nrial such as seed, fertilizer. stock, and
machincry.
a Extension of the present valuable
work Of tho dcfederal department OF
agriculture in cooperation with state
governments.
- Federal control of those agencies
which stand between the farmer and
the ultimate consumer Of food. SO that
the farmer will get fair return upon
his investment Of capital, management
and labor. without making the consum.
er pay famine prices.
sss s. Proper railroad facilities so that
crops can be moved when and where
{ they are needed
8. Federal aid In organizing the
farm interests 80 that the individual
farmer may be financed from time to
time in his production of crops Just as
the Individual manufactured is financed
4 by the banks.
Federal and state aid in stabillz-
4 jnk the labor supply SO that the city
man who would do setter! on the farm
! can be sought out and sent where he
willis to go and is so badly needed.
The farmer is n conservative. But
when he starts to fight he develops
sJ1jxh speed and burns considerable fuel.
He would rather stay on the farm and
work than spend his time fussing over
his rights. .
ut VIII be good business for the two
city families that he must feed besides
his own to give a little time and
i thought to the farmer and his prob,
lens. Otherwise they may soon be
scmulating the good old Mother Hub