Specific Marketing Problems 19 



aged the production of good grain. Individual grain acreages are com- 

 paratively small. Material assembled by the Arizona State Council of 

 Defense and the County Agricultural Agent in 19 17, covering 476 

 typical grain fields with a total acreage of 21,420 acres, shows that 458 

 of these fields, comprising 16.880 acres, were each 120 acres or less 

 in extent. 



Most of the grain is sold by the farmers at harvest time to local 

 buyers. Millers, wholesale grain dealers and seed merchants buy over 

 90 per cent of the commercial output. Warehouse space can, of course, 

 be secured for commercial storage, but, as a rule, most of the grain 

 stored in these warehouses has already been purchased by the ware- 

 house owner. Buyers owned about 80 per cent of the grain stored in 

 1916. It is significant, however, that in 191 7 approximately one-half 

 of the grain in storage on September i was owned by farmers. The 

 following table shows the quantity of wheat, milo maize, barley and 

 flour shipped into the Salt River Valley in 1916 and 1917 from points 

 outside of the State: 



It will be noted that the quantity of wheat imported is negligible, 

 while fair quantities of milo maize and barley are brought in from Cali- 

 fornia. On the other hand, practically no grain or flour is shipped 

 from Valley points to points outside of the State. It will be seen that 

 the local markets of the Valley and State consume much more grain 

 and flour than is produced in the Salt River Valley. The two prin- 

 cipal problems for the Valley grain producer are those relating to seed 

 and prices. No systematic attempt has been made to provide seed to 

 grain growers at reasonable prices. Some seed is brought in from 

 California, Kansas and the Northwest, and still larger quantities are 

 supplied from local sources. Many grain growers dispose of prac- 

 tically their entire crop at harvest time and then re-buy at advanced 

 prices for the next season's planting. 



Strange as it may seem, a reasonable price basis for grain has 

 never been established between the producer and the buyer. The cus- 



