The Glenwood post., 1924-12-18
Observations on Rural Conditions, Pre-
pared for The 0lsuwood Post BY
Roger W. Babson, the Worlds
Industrial Stattshcdan

10OU8SI1A 6G4ClbNlCA80
Farm prosperity is definitely meas
ured in comparison Of the dollar val
ue of this years crops as compared
with the market price Of last years
harvest. Figured on present prices at
the farm this years. barley crop leads
the list with a gain of $40 in dollar
value. Barley, however, represents but
10 Of our total farm income. Wheat,
which represents 149o Of the farmers
assets shows an even gain o. 500 m
value. Potatoes, representing 40 OIL
the total, are worth 10 more as
crop. Corn, our largest single crop,
represents 249o, or almost one-quarter
of our total agricultural output. AFTER
an uncertain season, with rapid price
changes, the 1924 corn crop is finally
estimated as worth 40 more than last
year. Oats, which figure SO of total
crops, are worth 449o more than year
ago. Rice, small crop, is worth SO
less than last year. Cotton, represent
ing 169o of our present agricultural
output, would fall about go below
last year if all of it were marketed
at present levels. The losses seem to
be sectional, however, as Alabama, Ar
kansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi,
Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and
Tennessee have larger cotton income
than last year. Tobacco, representing
go of our harvest, is somewhat disap-
pointing, as this years crop falls 349o
below a year ago in value. Even to-
bacco income, however, is ahead of last
year in Florida and Georgia.
Prosperity in the northwest is meas
ured by report just received from the
Federal Reserve bank in Minneapolis.
Volume of business for October, as re-
Elected in debts to individual accounts,
reached a grand total of 81 $1,1Os,0s6,0 900.
This is 1870 above the previous records
made in October of 1920, and is 500
above the same month of last year.
Grain shipments meantime continue at
high volume Two and one-half times
as much wheat was moved as during
October last year, and the figures for
rye show shipments over five times
as large as those of year ago.
World cotton crop estimates, now
complete, set this years production at
90 500 900 bales, of which the United
States will produce about $4,000, 900
bales, or $50. Last year We grew
53% of total crop set at lS,960,00O
bales. In 1929, with world crop of
100000 bales, we were credited with
$40. These figures must be particu-
larly interesting to the sad seers who
prophesied our decline as the major
cotton producer of the world because
of the boil weevi1. We are credited
with $50 of one of the largest crops
on record.
Corn and hogs present a problem in
proportion that should appeal to some
of the expert puzzlers. Last years
corn crop was distributed as follows:
Livestock, 2,55O,O0O,OOO bu.; food,
OO,ooOOOo /bu.; industry, 100000
bu.; exports, 21,ooO,0OO bu.; seed
20, 100000 bu.; and miscellaneous, 1885,.
100000. Almost the entire crop is
used in this counry, and most Of it
goes to market, not as corn, but as
meat. This year we find corn about
the only major crop that has not yieid-
ed an abundant harvest. All told,
we will have about $500, 900, 600
bushels, or n total of less than we fed
to livestock last year. The price of
corn has risen sensationally, and is
still strong in tone. Lately every cent
of rise has caused farmers to sell the
corn they had planned to feed to hogs,
and to sell the hogs as well. Result.
the hog market is glutted, and we are
reducing our total of livestock to a
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