Evening star., 1928-11-17

/ machinery and of improved breeds ot
] stock, more scientific cultivation ana
| the elimination of all wasteful methods
which will reduce the cost and increase
the quality of production. The farmer
who can proceed in these directions Is
on solid foundation with every as
| Surance OF success.
Marketing Lesson Is Needed.
1.-The lesson which has not yet been
so we'll learned is that of marketing.
One of the greatest handicaps OF agrl-
| culture is temporary overproductlon.
| The world is hungry to consume all
| that the farmer ever raises. HIS dl1n-
Guilty arises from attempting to sell at
| the wrong time or the wrong place.
| The most successful method OF meet
| ing this difficulty has been through CO.
operative associations. They have en-
| abled agriculture in large way to take
better advantage of all the agencies OF
distribution-the bankers, the carriers,
the commission merchants, the packers
and the millers This is movement
to unity all the agencies of production
distribution and consumption, so that
they can function as co-ordlnated
whole which will sell at the right place
and at the right time. A fine example
of this is the grape exchange recently
established In California.
This movement toward cooperative
marketing is still In its infancy. 1t has
sometimes failed through lack of man
agement, but it is sound in theory, and
when conducted in businesslike way
offers the most promising solution to
the great marketing problem. It avoids
any attempt at price fixing or putting
the Government into business, both of
which would be fatal to the independ-
ence of the farmer and in the end
would bring disaster. It likewise avoids
the hazardous proposal of a subsidy,
which the American people would never
be willing to pay for any length OF
time. It rests on the sound merchan-
dising principle of taking the product
and disposing of it in the most ad-
vantageous way that shrewd and orderly
marketing affords. Such further as
sistance as is necessary to render this
effort more effective through setting up
a board for It's administration, supplied
with sufficient funds to demonstrate
its soundness in its experimental stage,
may well be provided by the National
Government.
MY own views on farm relief have
been so many times set out in my mes
sages to the Congress that l do not
care to dwell upon them on this oc-
casion Sometimes I wonder If gather
ings of farmers are not a little tired
of hearing discussions of farm relief,
Farm Strength Is in Home.
"The great strength of the farm in
our national life lies In the farm home.
It has been the prime source from which
have sprung the ability and the charac-
ter of the Nation. Those who suggest
that the farmer is in danger of being
reduced to state of peaSantry entirely
disregard the inherent independence
and resourcefulness that is bred In life
in the open. That spirit does not de-
pend upon the possession OF large
amount of property or income or the
price of agricultural products. l was
born and raised in such surroundings,
and on this subject I know whereof l
speak The danger of the development
of the peasant spirit in this country
lies in our crowded tenements. which
shelter the dependent wage earners of
our great centers of population. Under
present conditions that menace also is
disappearing From that danger our
farm population is the most remote.
Every one knows that agriculture
was prostrated by the inevitable result
of a cruel and remorseless def1ation::
All the property of the country suffered
slowest in recovering and in many re-
spects was least able to help itself, The
Government of the United States wants
to see the condition of the farmer con-
tinue to improve. It is very encourag-
ing to know that it is far better than
the condition of the farmer in any
other country. The profound interest
of the Government is demonstrated by
the fact that it is doing more for the
agriculture of the Nation than any
other government does or ever did.
But we are still far from perfection.
Much remains to be done. But as we
consider the progress that has come
during the life of the National Grange
we have every reason to expect that
further improvement will be still more
rapidly made, to the end that life on
the farm may be broader, fuller, ana
richer"