San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1924-03-21
Bankers Believe Tendency
Will Only Flood Mar
ket Later.
DOES NO GOOD
May Force Prices Up Tenn
porarily But Break Will
g. Follow.
Rx i q RnYIE

Copyright by The San antonio Light.
New York, March e1.-Grain is
coming with extreme slowness from
the farms of the country. This ten
dency to hold to their crops has been
noted among farmers of the Pacific
Northwest, the inter-mountain country
and some of the Midwest states and
has not been affected by the action or
discussion of remedial measures in
Washington. just what stocks of mer-
charitable wheat and corn actually ex-
ist on the farms at present is some
what uncertain, but the total farm
value of the principal grain on the
first of this month is placed at 81, $685.
100000, or $6S7, 100000 higher than
on the same date last year.
Reports from Colorado indicate that
farmers are holding 10.000,0 900 more
bushels of grain this year than last.
Missouri growers have far more wheat,
corn, hay and oats on their farms now
than year ago, according to state
agricultural officials. Nevertheless,
cash rents for Missouri farms show lit
tie change from last season, averaging
as whole $3.50 an acre. Plow lands
ring $3.50, but pasture land has
dropped 25 cents to SO an acre.
Bankers and grain operators. in the
Middle West, especially in the corn
belt. are frowning on the tendency
of farmers to hold back their corn
with the idea of forcing higher prices.
They insist the plan is not economi-
cally sound. Some members of the
grain trade contend that while a gen.
eralsadoption of the plan by growers
might force a sharp advance for the
time, it is, doubtful IL the farmer would
benefit. in view of the effect it would
have on livestock and hogs, on which
most corn growers depend for good
ly portion of their profits.
Consumption Would Decrease.
High prices, artificially brought
about, Midwest financiers point out,
would mean decreased consumption.
They say this is clearly demonstrated
by the slack demand for cash corn and
the rapid accumulation Of stocks. The
holding up OF the supply at its source,
they conclude, can only mean a flood
later ON, and it is doubtful if, when
the deluge. came, the farmers would be
able to, market their grain before the
higher prices were swept away.
Men in close touch with the situa-
ton, both in the growing districts
ard in Washington, see a rift grow
ihg between the c6rn raiser and the
wheat grower Of the Northwest. The
corn men are showing little interest in
methods of relief for the wheat grower.
Cotton planters also are indifferent or
actively opposed to such measures. In
fact they have troubles Of their own.
The late storms have set back the
crop materially in many localities. In
the South and Southeast, farmers say
the cost of preparing the soil is the
heaviest ever known, being above the
level when cotton was selling for 40
cents a pound. On the other hand,
the Tallalulah, La, experiment sta
ton reports that the number of boil
weevils which survived the winter is
the smallest found since the station
was established. nine years ago. Only
one live weevil was found in two tons
of moss, compared with nineteen in
one ton last year.
!. One encouraging factor in the farm