The producers news. [volume] (Plentywood, Mont.) 1918-1937, 1931-04-24


ALEX Legge, the hero of the Farmers
Union, beneIactor par excellence to HUFF,
Tnatcher, Mammalian, Col. Lambert, and q
score of lesser lights, including the Tai
bolt and Maddox families, has thrown
both leggs out OF the Farm Board saddle
and returned to the old grind as head of
the. International. Harvester. trust. at
100000 per grind. With Legge's depart.
ure comes the sad but expected news that
the Farm Board is to withdraw from the
wheat market, let the prices fall where
they may. And the prediction is that they
will do double handspring and land in
the cellar pretty damn quick. "The Farm
Board has made it clear today" says the
Associated Press, that its grain stablliza-
ton corporation will not try artificial
price maintenance indefinitely since the
work is OF an emergency nature and ex-
pensive.
"OR the same day, March 23rd, the
Board announced that il had 200, OOO, 600
bushels of wheat on hand, the tail ends of
two crops. On the same day also, wheat
hit new level on the Chicago market,
bI cents a busheL In the face of these
facts, Farmers Union leaders ask the
farmers of this country to remain loyal to
the HOverO Old Guard Republican admin
Farm Board and $500, 900 with which
10 relieve the farmer? Has he not been
Ielieved? Is he not today staggering a.
bout In prosperity. We hear of the enOr-
nous benefits of the SmOOt-Hawley tariff
bill which has generally given the Amer
lean farmer a European market for his
produce, at the same time protecting him
against South American and European
competition made possible by cheap labor.
Il causes goose flesh to creep up and
down our spine to think Df what might
have happened to the American farmer
if it had not been for Hoover.
after all has been said and done, what
improvement has been given the condition
of agriculture? After spending $780,
100000 in an attempt to stabilize the price
of farm produce, what has the Farm
Board to offer? Reduced production, that
is all.
at is wrong to criticize without offer
ing constructive suggestions, therefore we
will suggest a remedy which should not
only relieve the reproduction but at the
same time furnish employment to the un-
employed.
'The Department of Agriculture has on
its payroll several thousand experts, who
for many years have been instilling eff
cheney into the souls of the farmers. The
various states have agricultural colleges
which add to the efficiency. The crop of
learned professors produced each year by
these institutions Is appalling. The over
flow of learned men coming from our col
leges has been absorbed to a degree thru
the Extension Department, until today
nearly every county is blessed with a
county agent. Every year hedges are
messed up by experts who are in quest of
the rust spreading barberry bush. The
gopher and the jackrabbit are on the road
to extinction, and the county agents un-
blushingly take the credit. Scrub cattle
are on the wane and are being replaced
by bl0Oded types. First class range dis
tricts have been plOwed up and converted
into third class farming districts. Semi
arid sections have been thrown open for
invasion of the dry-land farmer. and not
content with attempting to raise wheat in
a natural range country, our agricultural
experts have attempted to introduce dairy
farming in district where spring wheat
is a doubtful crop. greatly to the detri-
ment of the dairy farmers in dairy dis
tricts. To date we have not heard of ex-
periments in rubber plantations in North
Dakota, but probably it has been attempt
ed.
"And we suffer from Dver-prOdEctiOn.
After spending half billion dollars, the
retiring Mr.. Legge tells us that our farms
produce 20 per cent too much. Speaking
from the standpoint of the farmer, there
are 20 per cent too many of US. We
would suggest that congress appropriate
another half billion and use it to hire sew
eral thousand of the now unemployed.
They could be employed to good advant-
age in replanting the barberry bushes
which have been dug up in the past. The
10or he 4 L.
bit should be allowed to nibble the bark
from high priced trees. 1t is stated that
the scrub COW eats more and weighs less
than the fancy type, thus doing away with
the surplus without producing an over
supply at the packing plant. FOrmalde-
should be placed on the restricted list a.
long with strong spirits, and smut would
cut down the over production. The corn
bOrer might be encouraged in his boring
and the weevle should be allowed to
weevle.
"But what's the use. If the sheriff
misses the farmer with the foreclosure
notice. high taxes will get him anyway. So
why wOrry7"
Now doesn't that sound sensible?
Here we are in Sheridan county spending
lousand dollars paying a county agent to
own the barberry bush, to poison gophers
remote the use of better seeds, to buy better b
D develop the dairy business, to raise sheer
aise beef cattle, hatch chickens, turkeys
other words to produce more and va
roducts; to diversity while the Farm Board
he Farmers Union are preaching crop cur
lent In another column there is an article /
he Farmers Union to the effect that the F.
RS Union Livestock Cooperative Credit ASS
ion will not loan money on cattle for RAJ
alves or on ewes for raising lambs. There
ow more beef, more mutton, more hides,
7ool. fan the market can absorb: so the ide