Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1923-01-12

washington. Ian. - The en grn"
NJ why American farming Caun"
survive under present conditions. a'.
though tho pri,ea ~ foodstu0s ars
higher TODAY than thew were ,n a"t
pre-, war year. ia not the only '"p.
dealt with in tho report ~ tho joint
commission which invest gated Tho
agricultural crisis The report Itself
cpnaiitutes broad survey of farm
ing ~ a. Is a. present conducted. and
ga aurh u makes clear what a chang"
has como over the business ~ food
production during the past 20 years
ono prime CharaCtetistlc Of farm
Mig today ls its increased aud in
creaaing usc Of fertilizer The virgil
soil Of tho nation that once produced
heavy series Of crops year after
year AMI rcomed incxhaustlhla iu i's
richness. has al length worn out. Scot
oven manures and tho rotation u'
cropa can sustain ia productivity
Fertility has ga be added. and % must
le added IN tho form ~ Commercial
fcriillz~u
At tho beginning of the present cen
fury tho farmers 81 America, and
principally those OF the older states
east of the Mlsslasippi. were buyine
commercial Fertilizers az the rate OF
about $4,000 600 In value each year
In 1919 they spend nearly $3.50 900. 600
Twenty years aso not ss00O.O0O
/ year was spsnt sur fertihzers 10y far
mer- west of thu Mississippi River
/ IN 1919 the farmers ~ that RECTOR
spent approximately t2T.00O.000. Thu
/ Pacific States are uslnR nine time
/ IA much fertilizer now NJ they di'
/ then These figures are evidence o
/ tho exhaustion Of the coil.
The hired man on the farm get
better pay than no used %. 1hs wage
now. figuring IN his hoard as part %
his pay. are about three and One-hal
times what they were in 1898. IL
costing farmers today nearly f0u
times as much 20 feed their hycstocl
as " did only 10 years ago.
In 10 years the farms OF the natio
have nearly doubled in value. due {
the increasing cost OF land. The aver
age farm in 1910 was valued az S5.i7l
The present value of the average farr
Ia slO.514. while the total preseu
farm value Is close 10 SOS 600 00O. 0Ol
This represents an increase Of abou
So, 900, 600 600. ON tho incessed valu
interest must be paid, and tho create
difficulty of making the farm pay a
an Investment IS one Of the thing
which Is embarrassing 20 farming.
Although In 20 years there has bee
, "A great increase In the USE OF farl
FL machinery, the crop statistics DO n,
Indicate that machinery is increasiu
| production. IL ~ permitting few,
81 men to operate the farms, but IL
not sending the farm output ahead
, the increase in population. Yet.
- farm labor grows harder and hard,
Ia secure. the tendency Is toward
greater and greater use OF machiner
This is anoher indication which poin
90 higher food prices In the future
Farm Implements Cost More.
Machinery and tools OF all sor
used on the farms have greatly 4
creased in price. SO has lumber. +
day one farm IN every Is owns at lea
one tractor; two out OF every hundr
maintain motor rucks: while the aut
mobile has now become 50 prevale
that practically one farm OF eve
three has one. The great wheat a
corn States Of the upper and mid,
Mississippi valley ara the chief Us,
OF tractors. Here there Is tract
Tor every nine farms
While machinery has not increas
the output OF crops per acre. Il I
increased crop output per unit OF lab
In that way we are meeting the co
petition Of the rest Of the world In ,
farm produce. The use Of machin
has had the incidental effect OF
creasing the size OF our farms. throl
the ability OF fewer men 10 work m
!. land with machines. The averi
\. American farm today ia l4s acres
IN. area, and that Is 10 acres larger q
II | IL was I'm 1919