RURAI, ECONOMICS I34I 



which farmers are called upon to meet, bj^ bringing them into touch with 

 the farmers in a form very promising as regards agricultural progress. 



1 01 1 -Crop Yields and Prices and Future Food Supply in the United States. — warren 



G. F., in Cornell University, Agricultural Expetiment Station of the Colle;;e of Agriculture. 

 Department 0/ Farm Matui'j,ement, Bulletin 341, pp. 185-212. Ithaca, N. Y., February' 1914. 



From an examination of the unit production of the principal agricultural 

 products in the United States from 1879 to igi2 and their prices from 

 1S40 to 1912. the writer derives the following conclusions, which present 

 general interest from the point of view of the future direction to be taken 

 by production. 



The gross prices of agricultural produce from 1905 to 1912 are found 

 to be slightly above those of the average for the last 73 years, as shown by 

 the following table : 



Average Average 

 for 73 1915-1912 



years 



Maize (New York) per bushel S 0.66 $ 0.66 



Winter wheat (Xew York) per bushel 1.25 1.04 



Cotton {New York) per pound 0.154 0.118 



Potatoes per bushel 0.65 0.62 



Oats. (New York) per bushel 0.45 0.47 



Pigs per bushel 5.71 6.78 



Cattle per bushel 5.74 6.37 



Sheep per bushel 4.00 4.29 



Butter per pound 0.244 0.262 



Eggs per dozen n.226 0.287 



The prices obtained by farmers for animal products are seen to be 

 above the average, but those of crops are nearly equal to or below the average 

 for the last 73 years. Ditring an entire generation, in the period of settle- 

 ment of the great prairies in the West of the United States, the prices were 

 very low. so that in comparison with this period the present prices are no 

 doubt high, but ver}^ little exceed the general average for the long period in 

 question. During the last 10-15 years the unit production in East Missis- 

 sippi has increased rapidly, while before that, especially towards 1S90, there 

 was a period of low jdelds and abandonment of the country-side by young 

 men, due to the exces.sivel}'' low price of products. 



Farmers, generally speaking always succeed in increasing the 

 unit ])roduction as soon as the prices of products are barety sufficient 

 to justify the increased expense required to obtain an increase in produc- 

 tion. In each county of the United States there are still considerable areas 

 of land which might be brought itnder cultivation by clearance, drainage, 

 irrigation, etc., but the extensions enabling the j^roduction to be increased 

 without increasing the cost prices are henceforward very limited. The 

 lands to be cleared, drained, irrigated or heavily manured are expensive lands 

 and their products will consequently be dear. When once an average itnit 

 production is attained, every bushel of prodtiction obtainable above this 

 average generally costs more than the previous one. The limit of produc- 



