The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1938-03-31
Muldrow Believes
FARMERS Should
Have Information
Thinks Papers Deserve
Credit. f or.. Printing
Spud Outlook

ONaAS--
Spud Outlook
-. writer seems to have stirred
.,,,te a peeves-nest in undertak-
~ - organize the early potato
- ..',dv you printed three weeks ago.
49, 49,. merely printed what you con-
~ information Of interest to
, IN, readers. Any condemnation
- receiye for so doing must be
~ 800 bv the editors of the Walla
w.Ils Union Bulletin, the Yakima
w.-.ld and Yakima Republic, Bob
n ~ Of the Prosser Record Bulletin
.nS several other editors OF weekly
1870 in the valley, all of whom
,s-,rted this report in full. The edi-
= a the spokesman-Review prob
~ eacsped only because the writer
-ssn,aced q carbon sheet and so
SIlnt have copies enough to send
~, one. And the editor OF the
Vskima Herald would seem to de-
ssrye especial condemnation from
p, Kr,ck for commenting editor
~. and quite favorably upon the
- Of the committee as q merl-
aims service to farmers.
This report seems to have placed
~ members of this committee
nnun the well-known spot. OF
es,1sae. We knew this in advance-7
r.o.,bly the reason more Of such
- has not been done before In
4. lear that it might backfire.
rhese men had the courage, after
Examining the facts, to stand back
a thar honest judgment, believing
hit potato growers would benefit.
d i true that some Of these men
~ large growers Of early potatoes
regularly, had their lands ready and
I'D on hand and have not found 1t
uoesble to reduce their own acreage
= much as they would have liked
70 Do after they knew the prospects.
However, they are above average
uotato men, secure larger yields at
lower costs than does the average
farmer. and can make some profit
Il prices on which the average
nlanter loses. Mr.. Tanning of White
bluffs operates q large farm very
capebly, and knows his costs. He
has told this writer that last year
wss his lowest yield of marketed
spuds, eight tons per acre that his
average yield is nine to ten tons,
and that his out-of-packet cost Of
potatoes on board car, washed and
In new sacks, is q few cents over
ten dollars per ton. Few growers
can do this. He made some money
On potatoes last year, when most
growers lost money. So 1t is unfair
to impugn his, or Mr.. Hudnall's mo-
lives because they did not cancel
their plans entirely on learning the
market outlook. AS a matter Of fact
the main factor In the heavy 1898
paintings was the large amount Of
homegrown seed on hand, which
resulted from the very favorable
seed-crop growing season last fall.
In canvassing growers on their
plans, the committee repeatedly ran
INTO men who stated that they would
not plant so many except for the
TACT that they had this seed on
hand and couldn't dispose Of it.
The winter finds no time to MAIN
a'n file Of peeves there are too
many interesting things to debut
on one point he is going to take di-
lect issue with Mr.. Krack in his
letter In your recent issue. This is
IN his plainly indicated position that
farming is nothing but a gamble
'nat no one can predict the future,
ana that nothing can be done
ABOUT 1t. AS matter Of fact, a
large part Of the thought of most
successful business men is devoted
% predicting the future in their
pfucular lines. They spend much
ume and money getting the fullest
mormation they can secure, pass
leasonable judgment on the prob
sole future course, and lay their
p.ans accordingly. Though luck
plays some part, it is a smaller part
wan most people think. Generally,
.ae more complete their informa-
ea ana the sounder their judg-
ment, the greater will their sue
sess oe. Men who are gifted with
soo judgment and the energy to
ses the facts seldom fail. But they
uss nave the facts to draw sound
Conclusions.
mere are limits, of course. No
a can be right every time. If he
nt three times out of five, he
@ ~ percent margin Of profit.
-. ue losses a coin, he is right hall
49, s 'me-wrong the other half and
'nese Is no profit.
.e writer believes that much
o, 49, would come to the farmers OF
irrigated lands if machinery
d.. -. set up to study the supply and
craa sno Tor each of our irrigated
~ ls and let the farmers know all
ths. iacts available in time to dc
- u some good. Some one should