The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-12-20
The Farm and the Farmer
BY William r. Sanborn

corn and until we reduce the produc-
ton to fit the demand corn will not
sell at profitable price.
THE greatest national asset is soil
fertility. A bushel of corn at present
prices is worth less than the value or
the fertility it removes from the soil"
In endorsing this stand, ]. w. Wat
son says: Il would like to see the
farm papers put this thing up to the
farm organizations so strongly they
would have to do it. 1t would be the
means of using the organizations to
very distinct advantage. There is
10 question but that at present the
logical thing to do is to reduce the
! corn acreage"
Essence of the Problem
Let US suppose for a moment that
all corn belt farmers should agree that
reduction in the corn acreage, in
| the mass, would be good policy, how
are we going to go about doing this
| Upon what basis would the reduction
| be brought about, and insured? How
| could the ruling of the farm bureaus
| be enforced without working individ-
! ual hardship upon those who seldom
or never sell corn, but feed all they
! grow, and also are buyers beside, in
many years?
This is a material consideration.
Some will insist that with higher
corn will come higher priced hogs and
cattle and that feeders can we'll afford
to buy excess corn requirements. Ia
fact, there are many feeders who grow
but small percentage of the corn
| they feed, in any year.
Questions to Be Solved.
In the first place it should be learn
ed just how many acres of corn we are
gowing in the corn belt or surplus
states. Next farmers must decide pref
ty closely as to average consumption
over series of years, and the amount
annually exported, used for seeding
etc. These figures would be supplied
by the farm bureau. Next must be
considered the annual carryover, to in
sure against an unfavorable harvest
for we can not cut our cloth too close
ly. There should always be fair re
serve stock, against contingencies.
The Final Step.
: Having disposed of all these mat
: tiers, what then? How are we to con
tinue effective and sytematic opera
ton? Shall we set an arbitrary per
: centage of the farm land to be put int
corn Shall that reduction be Is, 2
: or 25 per cent of usual paintings, o
: shall we say that only so many acre
: of corn shall be grown upon an SO-acr'
, farm and so on up? Could this limita
$ ton be applied to the various corr
2 states, according to the amount o
their average crops, the percentage
Y figured, accordingly and the plan mad
e effective by cooperation of all tn
D, growers, not by coercion, but by com
r mon consent? Would there be 10
5 of DIRECTORS to the plan?
All of these considerations come ii
\ to mind as we write. 1t is a seriou
: business undertaking. a matter indee'
which we do not feel qualified to dc
eide. 1t has many angles. The effec
S would be far-reaching and more espt
y cially so should a short crop folloV
: short planting.
: Like the average farmer We ca
y only pass the question up to the farr
y bureau publicists, who are likely t
u give every phase of this matter carr
e est confederation long before we al
/ ready to plant corn. In the NEAR
e while the individual farmer will do
lot of thinking on his own account.