Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1921-01-27
STUTSMAN FARMERS
ATTEND ADDRESSES
ON FARM BUREAU
DR.. Ladd Tells Of Work of
Committee of Seventeen
and Urges Farmers to Join
Farm Bureau-Dr. Spill.
man Explains Plan.

man Explains Plan.
About five hundred farmers were
present at the armOry Saturday af-
tcrnoon to hear the plan Of market
ing wheat as proposed by the Ma
tional Farm Bureau. explained by
DR.. Ladd of Fargo. and DR.. Spill
man Of Philadelphia. who was for
sixteen years connected with the U.
| S. Department Of Agriculture.
DR.. Ladd referred to the market
| ing system that has been developed
in Canada. and spoke Of the work
OF the committee of seventeen.
which expected to make report
about the middle Of February.
DR.. Ladd said that he could not
state officially what would be the re-
suit OF the plan now being formulat-
ed by the committee of seventeen.
for the marketing CT wheat, but he
| was of the opinion that at least part
| OF the crop OF 1921 and all Of the
crop of 1922, would be handled thru
the selling plan which is now being
worked ont by the committee OF
seventeen. He also stated that the
European buyers paid as much for
ldI tIlcy pun VI IIIC I'SV
crop. as they paid for the 1919 crop,
but thru the manipulation of prices
by American grain dealers and spe-
culators. the farmers have lost at
least 5000, 100000 which has gone
into the profits Of the middlemen.
DR.. Ladd reviewed the history Of
the opposition to the different varie-
ties OF wheat which the farmers Of
+ l.: ~ oft 70 icn
in order to produce a yield that
would give them profit in the bus
mess. He referred to the Obstruc-
tions placed in the way OF the velvet
chaff durum, the D. and Do and
the frosted wheats of other years,
which he said contained good flour
making qualities, but whose value
was greatly lessoned thru systema-
tic control of the prices paid for it.
Dr. tI-add strongly urged all wheat
growers to become members Of the
Farm Bureau. and warmly praised
that movement in the interest Of the
wheat grower of North Dakota, who
unaided, cannot influence the price
of wheat or stabilize it's value, but
in conjunction with wheat growers
of other states, can do so.
Farm Bureau Plan
DR.. Spillman followed with a very
instructive statement of the plan OF
the Farm Bureau for cooperative
marketing of the wheat crop in
North Dakota, in connection with
the sale of the wheat raised in all
the wheat growing states. His ad-
dress was listened to with close at
tention by every grain grower pre-
sent, and at it's conclusion many ex-
pressed themselves highly pleased
with the plan and believed that it
would work out we'll in practice 1t
was declared businesslike, practi-
cal, solution of the great question
of marketing grain, by cooperation
and sales thru grain experts. the
men best qualified to conduct the
matter of sales. One point that
struck all hearers forcibly was the
declaration of DR.. Spillman that in
order to get a profitable price for
his own products, the farmer must
quit trying the useless work OF ,
''busting a trust, and must organ !;
ize trust for himself, the biggest of ;
all.
A part of DR.. Spillman' address
was devoted to the history of deter
mining the cost of production and j
this was one of the first things that
a farmer must learn,-hoW much
does it actually cost him to raise
bushel of wheat? This at first may |
seem an easy matter to calculate, j
but DR.. Spillman showed that it was
not so easy after all. He said that i
the Department of Agriculture many |
years ago undertook to solve the cost !
problem and after work
ing at it for five years. gave 1T UP
along the lines in which they were
working. Among the means then !
employed to determine the cost OF I
wheat growing $50 farmers in differ
ent parts Of the country were hired
to keep books. to record every quar-
ter. of an hours work of team, men,
repairs to implements and every
item that entered into the produc- /
ton of a bushel of wheat. Records
were kept and examined covering
period of from one to nine years. but
when all the data was obtained the
best experts in the country gave up
the task of getting a just solution.
They didn't know enough of farm
ing in practice to do it. 1t took
group of men who knew both farm !,
ing and expert figuring to bring
about correct solution. Among the
problems was what part of the cost
Of raising wheat would be the re-
pairs to the wagon, how much should
the wheat, the flax, the corn and
other crop raised on the farm pay
towards that item. What part
should the wheat pay for the over 4
head expense for the whole.
DR.. Spillman said farmers know
how much it costs to plow an acre.
Fifty farmers in North Dakota were
induced to keep records of plowing
and $50 scattered in different parts /
If the state, were asked to tell on :.
hand. and the two results were ,
the same. The average 4
II those that kept an account was /
~ and those who guessed 4.6 acres
hat could be plowed day with q
certain horse power and plow.
know more about the cost.
Il farming than they think they 4
snow. \. The N Kansas Horticultural