The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1926-12-09

an agricultural economic survey
should assemble data showing the
s,ff;ciency of the water supply,
4he cost of the land, the cost of
nuttine the water on the land, the
lind Of land it is proposed to ir-
r;oate. the cost of clearing and
,rading. the cost of drainage, the
Climate. the kinds of crops that
can most proftably be raised, the
markets the productivity of the
coil and the probable cost of build
;no livestock and farm equipment.
Without these facts, the pros
nectiye settler cannot make ra-
tional estimate of the net income
ha NAV reasonably expect to re-
ceive from his farm.
The farmer not only wants to
1now what kind of crops will like
" be grown on the project and
wbara such crops may be sold, but
whether they will yield sufficient
RETURNS to carry the financial load
FOR water with which to irrigate
the land and whether the probable
cron returns will pay for the
lands themselves, for improve
ments placed on them, for reason
able interest on the investment
and whether they will pay wages
for the farmers labor and for that
of his wife and children.
It has been the popular opinion
that if water was provided, irri-
cation agriculture would follow,
that settlement of land and farm
development under canals could be
left to care for themselves.
In the past the agricultural eco
Monies and soils viewpoints have
generally been omitted. Forum
ately. the federal reclamation SER
vice is now adding to its program
a study of the economics of the
irrigated farm, and has extended
its researches to include settlement
and farm development, and is
treating these as important parts
of the federal reclamation pro-
gram.
Formerly, projects were financ-
ed. but now the settler must be fl
nanced. Only settlers qualified by
farming experience are to be per-
mitted to undertake to farm irri-
gated lands on government pro-
jects. Usually, they will be men of
moderate means who will need fl
nancial help to improve their
farms. Estimates on the develop
ment value of the project should
be very largely based on the pro-
duction of staple crops, that is, of
crops of general consumption ra-
Their than upon those that are
highly specialized and which have
a limited market.
Lands adapted to general farm
ing should be able to raise grass
es, corn, barley, wheat, oats, po-
tatoes, and possibly sugar beets,
and other crops which are a foun-
dation for the development of gem
eral farming so that live stock
may be made major industry on
the farm.
The size of the farm is more
less controlling factor in its
economic development. In the far
east, a dense population requires
a maximum yield per acre and this
is secured from small farms by
the use of small tools and much
hand labor. The per acre cost of
farm machinery is greater for
small farms than for large ones.
The machinery is used fewer
days per year, the work stock is
used fewer days per season, the
man labor is used fewer days per
season. In other words, the over
head is constant whether the farm
is large or small. When overhead
is charged against a large income
it is relatively small, but when
1t is charged against the income
from small tract, it is burden
some.
The fully equipped farm is a
factory. The raw materials consist
OF the soil, the plants, the water
and the sunshine. A farm should
supply enough work to keep a
man, horses, and equipment reas-
onably busy thruout the year.. Our
slogan should not be a small tract,
out a farm large enough to be
economically worked. The stand
I ard OF production that we are
striving after in America, both in
manufacturing and in farming, is
the production per man. rather
than yield per acre.
In estimating yields of a pro-
Ject, it is desirable to study the
crop reports of the U.S.R.S. These
are available for a number of
years and afford a good basis for
crop estimates. Even then it is not
desirable to take a mean of. all
the years from the several pro-
!ects, for those in Montana might
De very different from those in
Utah and Arizona. Consequently,
IN estimating probable crop yields
Tor a project, one must consider
the types of land, the climate, and
KIND OF crops, and the system of
farming most likely to be follow
In making an estimate of the