Evening star., 1921-04-10
Plan to Sell Comparatively
Encourages Farmers to Plant
BY SHELDON $. CLINE.

BY SHELDON s. CLINE.
A n unusually forward spring
~ has hurried the American
~ farmer into decision as
to his planting program
for the coming season. In January
and February. even as late as
March. the farmer was doing
lot of talking about cutting down
his acreage. He didn't intend to
grow crops. he asserted. to be sold
at less than the cost of produc-
ton If the cities couldn't or
wouldn't pay prices which would
enable him to come out without a
loss, the cities could go hungry
or go hang for all OF him.
But the thing of real importance
is what the farmer is saying and
doing-more particularly doing
now. at the beginning Of April.
Is he sitting around twirling his
thumbs. while splendid plowing
weather is going to waste? De-
cidedly. he is not. He is up and
hustling and in every way acting
like man who expects to grow
bumper crop and to get good
price for it.
Such being the case. the question
arises: What has wrought this
change in the farmers state of
mind" Is it anything which Con-
gress or the executive branch of
to relieve him from expectation
that last years conditions will be
repeated? Again the answer is. de-
Cidedly not,
Nor is this all. Despite all the
Clamor there was for special tariff
Legislation and recreation Of the
War Finance Corporation for the
financing Of food exports. the real
ly intelligent farmer did not ex-
pect any material assistance from
the government. The agitation for
legislation and executive interfer-
ence came largely from poIitico-
farmers and from plain politicians
anxious to cultivate the farmer
vote. 1t contained only passing in
terest to the men who actually
plow and plant and harvest the
great staple crops upon which the
nation depends for it's sustenance.
They knew that the conditions
which operated so seriously to
their hurt last year were in part
abnormal and. therefore. only tenn
porary, and partly rooted in fun
damental conditions which were
not to be cured by legislation or
presidential decree
~ ~
So with the opening OF spring we
find preparations being made for
the growing of normal crops in the
expectation that their sale will re-
suit in normal profits 1t is alto
gether probable that the crops will
not equal in size the war-stimu-
.,
1t may be accepted as a certainty
that there will be no such mar
gins Of profit Is were realized from
1916 to 1919. But enough staple
foodstuffs will be grown to sus-
tain the cities. and they will be
sold at prices which will enable
the farmer to plow and plant again
next year.
1t will not happen this year, and
in all probability it will not hap
pen next year or the next, that the
farmer will realize profit COM
mensurate with his risk and in
vestment or wages adequate for
his hours Of labor. But he believes
the time is approaching when he
will receive commensurate profits
and adequate wages. And that is
the reason why this year he is 60
ing ahead with his spring plant
inG mot satisfied with conditions.
but hopeful and confident that they
will be changed for the better.
His hope and confidence are not
based on anything he expects the
government to do for him. They
are based on what he intends to
do for himself
This thing he intends to do is de-
fined in two word-Co-operativ
Selling!
Go out where the farmers are at
work this spring and you'll nnd
they are not talking or thinking Of
tariff legislation or the financing
of foreign trade. Cooperative
selling is the thing they are at
work upon. They have very firmly
made up their minds that they are
going to get larger share of what
the consumer is called upon to pay.
And they are going to get it. they
are resolved, by taking for them
selves a goodly share of the prof
its which now go into the pockets
Of the middleman.
It is no unblazed trail the farm
ers have set out to follow. They
have before them the successes at
tanned by the citrus fruit growers
Of California and Florida. the
grape growers of California, the
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