Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-05-22
DEMAND At HOME
To EXCEED SUPPLY
IN NEXT 10 YEARS
BY j. c. ROYLE
(Special Leased Wire to The Journal.)
lCopvripht 1924


NEW YORK, May 19.-There is a
wide variance between how prosper
Gus the farmer of this country says
he is and how prosperous the econo-
mists, statisticians, bankers and mer-
chants assert he is. Low, hollow
means arise from agricultural dis
k,tricts, even from Kansas where crop
prospects are admittedly bright, when
the son of the soil is asked how he
is getting along. On the other hand,
mail order houses, which are suppos-
ed to be in the most intimate posi-
ble touch with farmer and his finan
cial situation, declare that domestic
demand for agricultural products
within the next ten years will exceed
domestic supply and that this will
mean stability and higher DIices.
Population is gaining fast on land
resources. according to the Sears
Roebuck agricultural foundation,
which is less we'll known than
Sears-Roebuck catalogue, although
sponsored by the same people. In
1890 there were only 176 inhabitants
to each thousand acres of improved
tarm lands. Since then population
mas grown Is per cent and improved
farm lands have increased only 5
per cent.
Last year nearly 20 per cent of the
total United States wheat crop was
tagged for export, together with is
per cent of the corn, per cent Of
the oats, 81 per cent Of the rye, Is
per cent of the rice, 10 per cent of
meat products, nearly SO Ter cent of
the cotton and 33 per cent of the to-
baccO.
The increase in population, how
ever, is now about / 500, 900 inhabi.
tants year. Ten years hence there
will be from 5000, 900 to 1870, 900, 900
people to feed. If agricultural pro
ductIon does not increase-and farm
ers constantly are being urged to
restrict acreage-and domestic con-
sumption per capita remains as high
as at present, the eXportable sur
plus of food products will be requir-
ed at home, according to the founda-
ton, while it will be necessary to
cut cotton and tobacco exports to 25
to 40 per cent of their present
volume, and since demand will be
close on the heels of supply, ade-
quate prices can be expected in ten
years.
Ihat prediction does not add much
cheer to the farmer. He wants ade-
quate prices now as witness his at
tltude on the pending farm legisla-
ton in congress. The general trend,
however, throughout the country is
toward smaller farms and more in
tenslVe cultivation, which is doing
much to aid the farmer, even though
he may not realize it at the moment.
Inc big farms and ranches OF
IeXas are being cut into small plots
and lntensVely cultivated The
average California farm now con-
slsts OF 1886 acres. This is a ire
mendous reduction from the early
Gays Wl1en farms of more than 5000
acres were common, but the smalIel
tracts of the present are worth more
IN many instances than the old
ranches, some of them being valued
as high as $1,000 to $4,000 an acre
The IL ,S78,339 acres of improved Cal
Norma farm lands last year produced
crops valued at $3.50, 900, 600, or al
most 500 an acre, for every acre
titled
In the meantime, however, wheat
prices appear to hang on the number
of bushels that must be carried over
INTO the next crop season and corn
prices on the Argentine yield and
the number of hogs which will be
Iattened in the coming year. The
apparent indications are for a slight
possible advance in wheat and a de-
cline in corn but conditions may
readily inset aitbnr ,orndiotio,