The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1922-07-27

| Whlle II is true that farmers drt
| watching the wheat market with in
terest, their greatest anxiety relate:
to the recent decline in hogs. The droI
! in hogs is so general as to be country
wide. The biggest drop on Wednes
day was at Cincinnati, where with re
ceipts Of but $500 head decline of /;
cents to 65 cents ensued, according tt
reports sent out to the evening papers
/ The go cents" doesn't sound reason
able, but that figure was given out fol
publication.
Cleveland reported a decline of q
cents on receipts of 5000 fresh hogs
on Wednesday, while Chicago, with
$4,000 new arrivals and a consider
able carry over, opened strong and
/ higher, only to break Is cents and 25
cents before the close This followed
a decline of as much as 25 cents on
Tuesday, making the situation in thai
market especially weak. The breaks
! reported should check shipments
which should prove a tonic to prices
+! Indianapolis showed the effect Of the
pressure to market hogs, both on
| Tuesday and Wednesday, with declines
| on both days. The heaviest hogs
i brought but SO and the lightest hogs
went at $1,000, on receipts of 5000
on Wednesday,
| Farmers are not excited over the
| break in wheat, that grain being a 12-
months crop and can be held. With
| hogs in just the right condition it is
an entirely different matter. With ref
erence to holding wheat we are re.
minded of a remark made by Charles
Carpenter, of the Richmond Roller
Mills. Said he: I'VE have loaded out
one car today and will have others on
track tomorrow, to take care of the
farmers who insist on selling right
now" Mr. Carpenter states that his
bins are practically full, so great has
been the rush to sell direct from the
machines. The same has been true at
some country points, but not at all of
them.
Farm Bureau and the Tariff
The executive committee of the
American farm bureau has declared
in favor of "a scientific tariff, based on
production and conversion costs, as de-
termined by non-partizan tariff COM
mission. -
This is exactly what the general pub
lie would demand if organized to de-
mand anything, which it is not. That
politics should not enter into tariff
matters is the general verdict. The
tariff is purely an economic and not
political matter. 1t combines rev.
enue and protection, and has reci-
procity features in the interest of in
ternational trade and commerce be-
tween this country and all countries
with whom we do an import and export
business
Because the Frelinghuysen amend
ment to the pending tariff bill is a step
in that direction the farm bureau will
support it. This proposed commission
would present estimates of revenues
to be derived. and the probable effect
on prices The tariff would boone
effective whenever so announced by
the president of the United States.
Just now the commerce of the world
is in a flux; the tariff which applies TO-
day may be out of date tomorrow. To
meet recurrent changes Senator Town
send contends that the executive
should be empowered to make changes,
within specified limits, to meet any
situation
The framing Of a tariff bill is al
ways important and always difficult.
There never has been a time. perhaps.
in the history of our tariff legislation
when the framing of proper tariff
Dill was more important than now, nor
q time when it was more difficult to
frame and pass such legislation.
Rotation and Soil Treatment
II one would study the effect of soil
treatment and the rotation of crops as
-hese affect the productivity and val /
les of land, the experiment fields at /
he various state universities afford {
he opportunity. Just now we have in I
mind the fields at the University of /
Illinois, because a few of these fields /
sive specific evidence that can not be |
Questioned
On the Morrow f1eld-the oldest soil |
experiment field in the United States
S a plot where corn has been grown
continually for A years. The yield
las been steadily decreasing at the
ate of three-fourths of a bushel a
'ear, until now the average is only
go bushels to the acre-and this on
lack land that originally was as pro-
Iuctiye as any land in central Illinois.
1t the price of corn now, this land is
Worth about $40 an acre.
The next plot in this field has had
orn and oat rotation common
nough rotation in the corn belt-for
4 years. 1t is yielding 1856 bushels of
orn and 34.4 bushels of oats to the
ere. On the basis of present corn and
at prices this land is worth about SIS
n acre. Not many farmers who have
cen following a corn and oat rotation
yould be willing to admit that their
md is worth only SIS an acre-but
gure It out for yourself on your own
arm.
Phosphate and Limestone.
The above statement by the college
uthorities is based on the annual rec
rds as shown in their files. They
re commenting on farm production
nd values in Illinois, which are not
cry different from those obtaining all
yer the middle west. The experience
Illinois farmers is of value in In
lana, and vice versa. Now the edi-
'r OF the Prairie farmer, in view of the
cures given, has asked: What Can
Ie do to Make our Land Worth :
.ore?" He says the experiment plots
I've US the answer, and proceeds to
ly:
The adjoining plot has been farmed
lth a rotation of wheat. corn. oats
40 clover. On the basis of actual re- Il
lrns 1t Is worth s173 an acre. Not s
1Ouph vet