The independent-reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1909-1955, 1921-06-30

ploys his time and equipment to yield
the best cash return" Webster how
ever. defines PROFITS as "The excess
OF the price received over the cost of
purchasing and handling, or Of pro-
ducing and marketing PROFIT
/ thus is clearly an absolute term. 1t
/ Is measured not in ratios, but in ac-
tual dollars and cents. Sweet corn
will prove to be profitable crop this
season only if we are to receive more
for, a pound of corn than it costs to
grow that corn. That is the sole
question to be kept in mind, II We
/ shall determine that we may expect
such a return, then and only then can
we logically compare the profit likely
to be received from sweet corn, with
the profit likely to be derived from any
other crop. Thus Mr.. Bakers invita-
ton to Mr.. Crawford to name a crop
that will yield as large a return as
sweet corn in reality begs the very
question at issue. VIII the sweet
corn crop this year return any profit
at all?
Last year it cost the farmers of
Maine Az cents per pound to grow
sweet corn, as shown by the average
of accounts kept by many farmers all
over the State. AS evidence of the
honesty of these figures the items of
cost have been made available TO the
packers and to the general public. The
items making up this cost consist OF
| the two major items of labor and fer
/ tilizer materials and of the minor
/ items of seed, rent of land. machinery.
etc. OF these items in the labor cost
alone is there a possibility of any ma
terial reduction. Last year the State
average for the labor cost was DO per
cent per hour. A 20 per cent reduc-
ton on all items would just about
meet the price offered by the packers
this season. But as little saving can
be made in the other items it is clear
that at least % per cent of the re-
duction must be transferred to the
labor column. This would give The
farmer a chance to work an eight
hour day for $2.40. make no profit but
break even, always provided that he
could figure on as good a crop this
season as last. Then the average pro-
duction shown by the accounts kept
was a little less than 1900 lbs. of corn
per acre And it must be considered
that cost accounts naturally were kept
only by the best farmers and that IN
making the final average no accounts
were used that were left uncompleted
on account of failure of the crop at
some time through the season. And
further any planter or packer either
will admit that the season of 1920 was
especially favorable to corn produc-
ton. And yet Mr.. Baxter ridicules Mr..
/ Crawtords estimated average of 20OO
lbs over a period of years. And says
in turn that with ordinary care any
farmer should average 5000 lbs. per
acre. To speak from my own expert
ence | can only say that while last
year VIZ raised over 1900 lbs per acre
that was at least so percent better
yield than our average for the last
ten years. But | realize that this is
pretty poor evidence. For | am a pre-
JUDGED party. The only way to get a
fair average is to take the yield OF
amp large group of growers over as
long a period of years as possible. II
may be argued that some growers do
not give their crop ordinary care.
True But on the other hand other
growers give theirs more then ordi-
nary attention. So It ought to aver
age up pretty truly. So far as know
there is only one way to get these fig
ures accurately. The officials of the
packing companies have at their dis
posal the number of acres planted for
their factories. They also know the