Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1929-05-02
TEXAS DAILY PRESS LEAGUE
Foreign Advertising Representatives


The r1n,ted states department Of agriculture,
through its market news bureau, and with the Coop
Grafton Of the various state departments Of agriculture
Is providing q highly valuable service 70 growers buy
ers. shippers and consumers Of fruit and vegetables
and other farm products.
Reports on the vegetable and fruit movement COM
r,,ed bv w. d. Googe. local representative OF the
frrited states market news bureau are Of great ben
eft 70 the farmers. the shippers and sl concerned
with the movement Of the various crops Of the Valley
90 market.
This service is provided daily through the coop
Grafton OF the state and federal departments and the
leading shippers o ithe Valley.
II discusses the movement of various products
from the Valley and tells what quantities OF the same
products are moving daily TO the markets from other
sections. 1t reveals how much of each fruit or vege-
table is available in the various markets ana no"
many cars were shipped to the various markets dur-
ing the day.
It contains the weather bureau forecast for the
dav. It even discusses at times the quantity of va
rious products being grown in the various producing
centers and the probable yield OF the crop.
There is another bit Of information which we BE-
lieve would be highly valuable if it could be compiled
That is the return to the growers from day to day
for each crop.
For instance: Suppose it is early in the season and
5000 cars Of cabbage have been shipped to the mar
kets OF the nation from all producing centers. sup
nose this cabbage has averaged a return OF SOU per
car to the growers. Then the crop at that stage Of
the game would have Melted the growers ~sl,25O.0OO
Suppose the day following an additional 1000 cars OF
cabbage are shipped which average $500 per car, then
the return TO growers would have increased 70 sl,450,-
600. And so on for the season.
Then at the end Of the season it would be known
how much cabbage had moved TO the markets OF the
nation and what the gross return to the grower
amounted to. Suppose the following year 1t was found
that exactly twice the amount OF cabbage had been
shipped to market but that the return to the grower
had shown only q small gain.
Would not this be proof of overproduction and OF
price being reduced by the law Of supply and demand'
Would not the day to day reports be graphic and
powerful warnings for reduced shipments? Would it
not enable farmers to determine more correctly what
crops to plant?
After it had been shown that 10000 cars OF CABBAGE
would bring the same return as 10000 cars would II
not urove the futility Of growing the extra 10000 cars'
A. w. Mckay, market expert with the federal de-
uartment of agriculture. has found that a 20.OOO-acre
lettuce crop in the Imperial Valley OF California
Melted the growers ~s6,327.OOo. whereas a 24.4Oo-acre
cron brought a total return OF only s4796ooo- A clear
case Of overproduction.
This same expert finds that 1850 acres planted IN
strawberries in Missouri in 1925 yielded at the rate OF
2i0O quarts to the acre and tnat lhe Cup sun ~
s4772OoO. In 1928 the acreage was increased 70 2o'4so
and the yield dropped to 1865 quarts. However totai
production increased and the return 70 the growers
WAS only e. losOo a loss Of a million and three quar-
ters dollars to the growers despite increased produc-
tion. The 1925 per quart price vas 10 cents; the 1928
per quart price fell to II cents.
Mckay has found that when the acreage Is unduly
expanded poor prices cause a portion Of the crop 70
remain in the fields unharvested; a clear waste Of
time. labor and money.
Acreage forecasts are prepared BY the government
and should be highly valuable TO the growers.
But a report day to day on the return TO the grow
rrs would paint a picture Of gain or loss which could
not be ignored.