October, 1920 



BETTER FRUIT 



Page 19 



A Square Deal for the Farmer 



( Continued from the preceding page) 



Government drives against 

 farm prices 



to figure a handsome percentage on top 

 of all his expense and fix his price to 

 cover everything. 



Was the farmer allowed that "just 

 price" which was granted so freely to 

 others? He was not. 



Prices on some of his products were 

 absolutely fixed, and without investiga- 

 tion of the cost of production. 



One prominent member of the Demo- 

 cratic administration when asked about 

 the cost of production of farm crops is 

 reported to have said that this was no 

 time to investigate farm costs of produc- 

 tion; that it was the farmer's business to 

 produce an,d not bother his head about' 

 the cost. 



Throughout the war the farmer was 

 frantically urged to produce by one 

 crowd, while another crowd was using 

 every device of market manipulation to 

 hold down prices of farm products. Was 

 that fair? 



But, someone will say, we were in war, 

 and the farmer should not complain 

 about what it was necessary to do, even 

 if they didn't do it to others. 



Very well. Let us overlook what hap- 

 pened during the war. Let us wipe the 

 slate clean up to the signing of the armis- 

 tice. Let us consider what has happened 

 to the farmer since the war ended. 



The farmer had been urged to produce 

 to the limit and had been assured that 

 even if peace came, all he could grow 

 would sell at profitable prices. 



Do you remember the price drive in 

 January, 1919, within three months after 

 the armistice had been signed? 



Do you remember the more determined 

 drive in July, 1919, when hogs dropped 



from $22.10 on July 15 to $14.50 on Octo- 

 ber 15, although pork products to the 

 consumer dropped on an average less 

 than 10%? In June, 1920, hogs were sell- 

 ing at $5.50 less per hundred than in 

 June, 1919, but retail ham prices were 

 $3.00 per hundred higher. 



As a result of the government drive the 

 producer received less and the consumer 

 paid more. Who benefited? 



And do you remember the government 

 drive of the last three months, and what 

 it has done to the prices of grains and 

 livestock? 



Within two months the prospective 

 value of the 1920 corn crop decreased 

 three-fourths of a billion dollars. Great 

 advertisements announced that the gov- 

 ernment proposed to cut down the cost 

 of living by dumping on the market the 

 millions of pounds of government sur- 

 plus meat at bargain prices. 



Have you been making so much money 

 on your cattle and hogs that you can 

 afford further reductions in prices? 



In July, 1919, No. 2 corn sold in Chi- 

 cago for $2.19 per bushel; in July, 1920, 

 for $1.56, a decrease of 29%. In July, 



1919, steers sold in Chicago for $15.60; 

 in July, 1920, for $15.00, a decrease of 4%. 

 In July, 1919, hogs sold in Chicago for 

 $21.85; in July, 1920, for $14.85, a decrease 

 of 33%. The decrease in wool prices was 

 25%. In beating down prices of these 

 products did the government help the 

 consumer? 



According to the United States Bureau 

 of Labor Statistics, the consumer paid 

 24.1% more for his food articles in July, 



1920, than in July, 1919. He paid 12.4% 

 more for his clothing; 47.4% more for his 

 fuel and lighting. During the same time, 

 metals and metal products increased 

 20.9%, lumber and building material 79%, 

 house furnishing goods 47.8%. But ac- 



cording to the same authority all farm 

 products had decreased over 4% in July, 

 1920, as compared with July, 1919. 



We shall not deal further with this 

 sickening story of incompetent and ineffi- 

 cient government meddling. You know 

 the story in most of its details. 



As you think it over, remember this 

 one outstanding fact: That the Demo- 

 cratic party, if continued in power, is 

 committed to the same sort of a policy 

 in dealing with the farmer and stockman 

 that it has followed during the past two 

 years. It was asked to promise to stop 

 officious meddling which benefits only 

 the speculator and the profiteer, but it 

 refused to make such a promise. 



In justice to themselves and their fam- 

 ilies and the generations to come after 

 them, the farmers of the United States 

 should put in power the Republican 

 party, which realizes its obligations to 

 them and to all other classes of citizens, 

 and which further realizes that if the 

 farmer is not given a square deal, our 

 agriculture is going to be wrecked. 



Talk to your neighbors about these 

 things and make sure that they under- 

 stand what a vital interest the farmer has 

 in the presidential election November 2. 



Republican National Committee 



Republican National Committee, 

 Auditorium Hotel, Chicago, 111. ' 



Please send me, free and postpaid, 

 copy of Senator Harding's Address ' 

 on the present day problems of the ' 

 farmer. | 



Name I 



Address ■ 



The Importance of Wiping Fruit 



Where fruit growers late in the sea- 

 son have sprayed fruit so heavily as 

 to leave a residue on it, the United 

 States Department of Agriculture is 

 again urging them to remove the coat- 

 ing by wiping or other means that will 

 make the fruit acceptable in the mar- 

 ket. One method recommended for 

 apples and pears, which can be fol- 

 lowed at a cost of a few cents per box, 

 is to wipe the fruit with cotton gloves. 

 It is pointed out that if heavy rain- 

 falls do not occur after heavy late 

 sprayings the coating that remains 

 may disfigure it sufficiently to arouse 

 apprehension in the minds of the con- 

 sumers, even though the residue may 

 be entirely harmless. In some cases, 

 however, heavy late spraying has been 

 sufficient to be actually injurious and 

 so subjects such fruit to seizure under 

 Slate or Federal food and drug laws. 



Where apples and pears when har- 

 vested show evidence of spray resi- 

 dues which have not been removed in 

 picking, handling, grading and pack- 

 ing, it is recommended that such fruits 

 be systematically wiped before being 

 placed on the - market orpneked for 

 shipment. While this precaution is 



applicable to all fruit sprayed late in 

 the season, it is especially important 

 in the more southern apple districts 

 where the grower is often compelled 

 to spray late to protect the fruit against 

 bitter rot, and in irrigated orchards 

 of the West and Northwest where pro- 

 tection of apples and pears against the 

 later broods of the codling moth is 

 secured by spraying with arsenate of 

 lead. 



While at this season the Depart- 

 ment's specialists are laying emphasis 

 on the importance of wiping fruit that 

 has a residue from spraying, they also 

 take occasion to urge that no grower 

 should suppose fruit injury resulting 

 from neglect of proper spraying early 

 in the season can be corrected by be- 

 lated spraying. Heavy late spraying 

 undertaken in an effort to make up for 

 what should have been done earlier is 

 strongly condemned. 



The practice of spraying growing 

 fruit properly marks one of the most 

 important steps in horticultural prog- 

 ress and is responsible, to a large ex- 

 tent, for the sound, attractive appear- 

 ance of fruit now on the market, 

 which is in marked contrast to the 

 insect - injured and disease - spotted 

 fruit so prevalent a few years ago. 



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Why Better Fruit Helps 



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I tools for use in your orchard is a | 



1 comprehensive knowledge of the § 

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A strong back and a weak head | 



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I lines of work, but not in the bus- | 



I iness of commercial fruit grow- | 

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Give me rather a cripple in a | 



I wheeled chair who knows why f 



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I works so hard he has no time to | 

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