White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-01-11

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are paying freight and other over
head charges on food products they
ought to be raising at home.
More Diversified Farming
"Of course, more diversified farm
ing may mean less automobile riding;
it ought to. Our economic problems
cannot be solved unless we are will
ing to work. The one-crop farmer is
not performing his share OF work.
He needs profitable employment
throughout the year. Loafing on the
farm ought to be made unpopular.
Business men work throughout the
entire year Why shouldn't the far
mer? If he did, there would be less :.
time to listen to the agitator. The
latter only increases discomfort.
makes man less capable and pro-
longs the time of recovery. The far
mer must work his way out and not
look in vain for the government to
legisiate high prices.
"But if we get our farmers to
working full time, will we not have
over-production? This over-produc-
ton cry Is too often thorn in the
flesh; it is apt to be misleading; it
blinds us to the real issue. There
may be times when certain crops,
because of climatic or economic con-
ditions, are improbable and yet there
are other crops that are profitable In
well-worked-out system of diversi-
fication. At the present time wheat
is said to be selling below the cost
Of production and yet at the same
time corn is higher than it was a
year ago, and as much higher as
wheat is lower. In the livestock sec
lions we seldom hear Of an over-pro-
duction of alfalfa or clover. In all
sections of the country we are i'm
porting either food or feed that we
ought to be raising at home. Our
cropping systems need to be read
justed to meet present needs. We
need to do just little more con-
structive thinking.
Marketing Farmers Big Problem
Marketing is one of the farmers
big problems at the present time.
The products he has to sell are rel
atively low in price and the things
he buys are relatively high. The
farmer realizes that the manufac-
turers and distributors Of the prod
ucts which he buys are organized
and have something to say in regard
to the price at which they will sell
their products. He feels that he
must organize ON the theory that or
ganization must meet organization.
We cannot blame the farmer for or
ganizing. The Organization objective
is sound. The thing we need to
guard against is the wrong kind OF
an organization. An organization will
succeed only If it Is sound and con-
structive and operates in accordance
with economic law. Given time and
opportunity to consider, the farm
ing population will think clearly and
act sanely. The banking profession
has great opportunity to direct his
thinking along constructive and sane
lines.
Periods Of hard times give the
banker an opportunity to drive some
good lessons. When wheat is selling
below the cost Of production, when
the boil weevil is sapping the very
life-blood of the one-crop cotton
farmer, then is the time you can eff
fectiyely call his attention to the
more favorable condition of his fell
for~ rry1n g..
the time you can get him to start
to milk COW, feed a SOW and raise
a few chickens. A few dollars and a
few kind words will almost perform
miracles in times Of financial dis.
tress.
Whatever our discouragements may
be we should not lose faith in the ul-
innate outcome Of agricultural de.
velopment. Hard times will not al
ways last People must eat and
sooner or later adjustments will be
made and the farmer will come into
his. own. ! Who knows what year
may bring forth? One poor crop
season may change conditions right
about face, The farmer who at
tempts to jump from wheat to corn,
from corn to cotton, and from cotton
to sugar cane with the thought OF
hitting high prices is very apt to
jump from the frying pan into the
fire and discover, alas. that he
jumped at the wrong time Let the
wheat farmer continue to grow wheat
and the cotton farmer continue to
grow cotton, but in addition have
his own vegetable garden, practice a
reasonable system OF crop rotation,
raise feed for few head OF live
stock, produce his own pork, milk,
butter, fruit, and a little extra for
pin money. In this way he can live
no matter what happens and when
he hits a good year for his favorite
crop, and is not encumbered with a
long list Of debts for living expenses,
he can have the satisfaction Of add
ing to his bank account. Yes, we
need faith, faith that results in far
sighted leadership, faith as ex-
pressed by Mr.. c. D. Rorer, a mem
Der Of the Agricultural Commission,
that looks upon our present difficult
ties in the agricultural industry not
as barrier to accomplishment but
as challenge to the ability of the
banking profession"