The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1926-12-11
AGRICULTURE
IS IMPROVING
SAYS JARD|NE
Secretary Notes Moderate
Change for Better-Tar-
IF and the Farmer.

| WASHINGTON. d. c., Dec. IL
Further moderate improvement in
the agricultural situation as a
whole has taken place during the
last year according to the annual
Secretary of Agriculture William
M. Jardine. Certain regions have
suffered reverses, notably the cotton
States, whose principal crop, pro-
| duced in exceptional abundance, is
selling at very low prices Parts of
the spring wheat States have har-
vested a poor crop. Generally speak
ing. however. the position of agri
culture is better now than it has
been in any year since 1920. Live
stock raisers. dairymen. and winter
wheat growers have earned good re-
| turns. and underlying conditions in
the Corn Belt have improved. The
year, in short, has been similar to
the last few years in that it has
seen marked but not uniform i'm
proyement in agricultural condi
tions.
'Since the depression period of
192021 every agricultural section
Of the country and every important
branch of agriculture have made
progress. Recovery has not been
uninterrupted; nor, as | have indi-
| Gated, have all groups of producers
shared in it equally. Nevertheless,
the gain has been substantial. For
the crop year 1925-26 the net in
come of the agricultural industry
as a unit is estimated at about
S2,757 100000, or 4 per cent more
than for the crop year 192d-25. In
the same period the net return or
| the value of the capital invested in
agriculture was about 4.6 per cent,
compared with 81 per cent in the
crop year 1929 and only 06 per
cent in the crop year 1920-21.
Emerge from Depression
at will be convenient to glance
briefly at the present situation in
regard to the leading crops against
the background of the depression
| period from which we are emerging.
| Winter wheat growers have harvest
ed and marketed early an excellent
! crop of high quality Wheat is not
selling at as high a price this year
as ii was at this time last year.
/ In parts of the springwheat States,
where yields were reduced by
drought, there is distress. Spring
wheat was practically failure in
much of South Dakota and central
North Dakota. Indeed. all crops
suffered there. A great deal of the
area seeded was not harvested. Busi-
ness conditions have naturally been
affected adversely. In northern and
eastern North Dakota, however, the
situation is much better. The Noun
tain States, particularly Montana.
have made good progress this year
in recovery from the effects of the
depression 1t may be said, indeed.
| that over the greater part of the
wheat States conditions have been
good for three years. In 1924 our
wheat farmers produced $4,000
900 bushels, and for what they sold
they received an average price of
SIPS bushel. In 1925, with a
crop of only 669,0OO.O0O bushels,
the average price received for wheat
sold by farmers was $1.46 a bushel.
/ This year high yields in many
j States will compensate most farmers
for the drop in the price.
Corn Belt Conditions
''In the Corn Belt conditions are
now somewhat more favorable than
they have been for several years.
There is a tendency toward a bet
; ter balance between corn production
and hog production, and therefore
between corn prices and hog prices.
Although there is no undue surplus
OF corn. as there was last year
there is enough OF it on hand to
fatten probably increased number
tot pigs 1t should be borne in
mind, however, that the supply OF
corn Is still very large and that q
hog-cholera scare is reducing the
number OF hogs. Similar optimism
is warranted in regard to the live.
stock industry generally. There was
a lack OF balance in that branch ol
agriculture in 1925. Corn. oats
and hay were heavy crops, while the
number of animals to be fed, es
lpecially hogs, was relatively small
, Livestock producers were therefore
unable to take full advantage of tn,
. l L.. - IL 4