White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1924-02-29
FAvORs DIVERSIFIED CROPS

FAvORS D1vEI
While wheat farmers of the State
Of Washington are producing bumper
crops each year in competition with
bumper crops of other states and
countries of the world and finding
markets glutted and prices low, they
are overlooking an opportunity to
solve their roblem satisfactorily and
profitably, according 20 George Albers,
prominent Pacific Northwest grain
miller. While the Pacific Northwest
is the lowest market in the country
for wheat it is the highest in the world
for oats and barley, Mr.. Albers de-
clares.
Protective tariffs and other gov
eminent aids will not be permanent
or economical solution, Mr.. Albers be-
lieves. For years he has made study
Of grain growing and marketing In the
Pacific Northwest and Is considered
an authority on these subjects.
"The best solution of the wheat
farmers problems" said Mr.. Albers
recently, sis the growing OF less
wheat and more oats and barley.
Doesn't it seem strange that right
here on the Pacific Coast is the lowest
market for wheat in the country and
the highest market in the world for
oats and barley and yet we are ship
ping thousands of tons in here from
To1ifnrpio nd cta c,fo tho
same time wheat farmers are crying
for aid to move and market their
enormous crops.
"And Washington can grow oats
and barley profitably. This state holds
the worlds record for the production
of oats per acre. Consider Spokane
County, for instance; in 1922 the av-
erage yield of wheat was 1876 bushels
an acre and the price at the farm
S1.04 bushel. The average yield of
barley for the state in the years 1917
to 1921 was 1913 bushels, the average
farm price was "A cents. The average
yield of oats was 40.4 bushels for the
state, the average farm price So cents.
"These figures show a return per
acre about as follows: wheat, 1924;
barley, $21.6S, and oats, s23.43. While
the yield figures on wheat are for
Spokane County, the yield on barley
and oats is the average for the state,
but Spokane County should average
we'll up, although probably not quite
as high as some of the oat counties 70
NTootorn Nochip0ton
Prices Are Higher
"But here is the real point: the
wheat farmers are unable to sell their !
grain, the markets Of the world are
glutted, while we are shipping in oats
and barley from other states. Ton
for ton, the prices of barley and oats
are higher in Pacific Coast cities than
for wheat. Oats in the East are sell
ing for around AZ cents bushel,
where on the Pacific Coast they are !
bringing 81 cents.
Before the war Washington farm
ers raised sufficient oats not only for
home consumption but also supplied
California and government require
ments in the Hawaiian and Philippine
Islands, which then amounted to
about 10000 tons year and now to-
tails about $4,000 tons annually. Most
OF this is shipped from Eastern states
as we'll as large portion Of the oats
used on the Pacific Coast. The
freight to the coast amounts to about
$118O a ton. Dat millers on the coast
are compelled to pay this extra
charge, which curtails manufacturing
operations here. AS result products
are shipped here from the East and
local mills are not able to compete
with them.
Wheat AS a War Measure
I'm years past Washington raised
several hundred thousand tons Of bar
ley in the Walla Walla, Dayton and
Pomeroy sections Of the state During
the war farmers were asked to raise
wheat, and they have continued to
do so.
Last year barley was shipped into
this state from California and Mon
tana. This is an economic waste.
Washington land will grow barley
profitably and to ship it in here, pay
ing the freight rates, when our farm