The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1923-10-10

adverse conditions, his condition has
grown steadily better for year past
and with it his state of mind.
Only one big reverse has overtaken
him in 1928 and that is the sheer fall
i of about 20 cents in the price of
wheat. 1t has had been deeper des-
cents than that in some recent years.
1t went from $2.26 to $1.60 soon after
the war closed. 1t fell another forty
! cents in the year following. There
was disappointment, Of course, but
there was no despair nor panic. This
] year drop of 20 cents bring both.
J The despair is in the hearts of the
men who grow wheat; the panic is in
Wall Street and every other street
whose upthinking hosts appear to
think that when wheat goes below
$1.00 in Chicago the farmer is broke,
out of the market for things to buy,
almost out of business. The dollar
mark is the dead line. In Imagination,
$1.01 means at least a living; 500
means the poorhouse. In magma
ton, say.
/ am not going to make light of
to him and to all industries is made
blazoning it in public print and plat
form and conversation without re-
versing the canvas and revealing what
a wonderful picture may be seen on
the other side.
First, reflect and ask yourself why
wheat should be the marker or indica
~ - 60, &c a
biggest money crop even when it sells
for twice what it brings now. There
are three other crops which always
bring us much more money, corn, cot
ton and hay.
Of approximately 100000 farms
in the United States there are only
one-seventh of them which grow
wheat. Moreover, there are only
seven or eight states of the entire
fortv-eight which grow more wheat
than sufficient to feed their own peo-
pie. ,,o,
hushel for wheat is serious SHRINK
to the wheat farmers, what does II
mean to the whole country! II
n,eans 20 cents times 100000 OO
bushels the probable wheat crop l9f
1928. which makes $l6O,OOO,oOo.
there are one million wheat farmers,
that means an average loss OF SIoo;oo
each. If the total farm income TINS
wear totals the average OF the years
past (which are not big years. SloO'-
600 900 loss on wheat will be loss
of u per cent of the whole.
But there will be no general loss
whatever an here is where we are go
ing to look at the other side OF the
picture. While wheat has been SIP
ming down, corn has been climbing up
and now stands at more than zoe above
its price of IL months ago. But IN
stead of 800 100000 we have 3,OOO,-
600 900 bushels of corn to play with.
Twenty cents rise in value means an
increase of $500 100000 in farm in
come over that of 1922, from corn
alone.
Cotton is second among the big
money crops. One year ago july l
! it was selling for 20.4c pound. July
! passed it sold for 1852 cents. Assum-
! ing that the crop will equal to the
i latest years average, there will be
about nine million bales or 4,5OO, OOO,-
600 pounds to enjoy an increased price
! of about six cents a pound. You
NAV. therefore, add at least another
s27O 100000 increase in farm income
to balance the loss of $160,0O0,OOO
| from wheat.
The third biggest crop in value is
hay. It's average price on July LIST,
/ S11.69 per ton, is close to that of July
1st, 1922, which was $11.91. But the
crop looks larger and the price looks
brighter because there are now better
than a million more hay eating amin
ais to eat it, million more sheep,
and half million more cattle, and no
less horses, mules and dromedaries.
Incidentally, there are fully 100000
more swine to consume the corn and
4 cereal rubbish. You might add these
increases to the farmers stock on
hand, if you wish to take his inven-
/ tory.
Through the courtesy of the AM
erican Farm Bureau Federation, we
have today secured the United States
government report on price as OF july
1, 1922, and 1923 of sixteen major
commodities of farm production which
make up fully eight tenths OF the far
mer's gross income.
With the exception of wheat, every
one of these shows an increase IN
price, some of them very substantial.
Take milk, for example, which prac-
tically every farm produces in guam
tity small or large. Last year 1T was
selling for an average of $2.18 hun
dred pounds. This year it brings
/ 80 66