Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1922-02-03
AN ABLE ADDRESS
BY DEAN JOHNSON

Following is the address on Prog
ress in Agriculture, delivered by
Dean e. c. Johnson, president of the
Grain Growers. Shippers and Millers
association, at the annual meeting,
January 25-27, at Spokane:
To discuss progress in agriculture
at time when agriculture encoun-
tiers the many difficulties of today
might to some seem out OF place.
Agriculture has had set backs in the
last two years that with the eXcep-
ton of the very difficult times from
1893 to 1895, are unequaled in the
history of our country The farmer
realizes that he has lost PURCHASING
power: those in towns and cities in
some measure realize this also be-
cause the demand for goods there
produced and handled has been much
smaller than some years ago
The purchasing power of farm
products has fallen until in June
1921. according to DR.. G f. Warren
of Cornell University, a bushel of
corn would purchase only 6 per cent
of the goods that it would purchase
before the war; oats 90 per cent
barley 53 per cent, wheat % per
cent. hay 6S per cent. potatoes 81
per cent, apples 81 per cent, butter
SO per cent, lambs 9 per cent. wool
5S per cent, hogs g. per cent and
horses as per cent This was further
emphasized by the final estimate Of
crop values for 1921 by the L. S de-
partment OF agriculture which
showed a shriukage from the pre-
oeding years crop values OF $1,000
600 The bureau of markets of the
T. S. department of agriculture in a
statement for the press Janaury 20,
1922, also shows that the average
crop values per acre for ten crops
constituting nine-tenths OF all crop
production declined from $33.74 per
acre in 1919 to $14.52 in 1921,
fall Of $2t.22 per acre, or 50 per
cent a define for which there is no
parallel in the records of that bureau
In the words OF Dr. Warren, "Prac-
tically nothing the farmer sells can
be exchanged for the usual quantity
OF other things 1t is physically i'm
possible tor farmers to absorb the
products OF factories Farm prices
have dropped much more than whole
sale OF retail prices Of farm products
The low purchasing power of farm
products has made it impossible for
the farmers to buy the normal
amount OF other things and has been
a contributing cause OF unemploy-
ment.
The man who owns his farm free
from debt or nearly so and who. with
his family, does most of the labor
necessary in connection with the
farming operations has been able to
weather these conditions and while,
as rule, he has not been getting
ahead and more often perhaps has
lost ground he has not suffered for
want OF food, clothes or other neces-
sites. The renter, however. and the
young man just starting out, who
either purchased a farm at the prices
prevailing in 1918 or 1919 or who
has been renting some farm at cash
rent based on the rents OF those two
years, has suffered severely. In
many cases he has lost all he had
and bankruptcy proceedings have fol-
lowed. In other cases where he has
been able to hold on he is burdened
with debt which it is almost impossi-
bic to pay with the reduced values of
the products that he is able TO pro-
duce. Under these conditions one
would lack Judgment indeed to say
that everything is right with agricul-
ture or that agriculture has prospered
in all of its phases. The set back
has been altogether too real and its
results too far reaching to make
claims that this is the case.
On the other hand, if we look into
the history of agriculture and also
look forward to the promise OF the
coming day, I believe it will be gen
orally agreed that great progress in
agriculture has been made and that
more is destined soon to come If
we can imagine ourselves 20 years
from today looking back at the diff
ficulties now encountered by the
farmers, we would realize | believe
that these very difficult times were
a powerful incentive to progress and
that as a result of them. agriculture
acquired universal recognition and
became more firmly established and
more attractive than at any other
period in the history of our country.
If we then compare the agricul-
ture of 100 years ago with the agri-
culture of today the avidarc, re