986 GENERAL FARM PROGRAM 



Mr. Case. I agree, sir, but the Government has reduced the 

 acreage. That statement I just made about the low price of potatoes 

 should be in the growers' minds and force them to stay within their 

 allotments. 



Mr. Andresen. But the records show that when the Department 

 has set a goal for acreage or production the growers have consistently 

 had less acreage than the Department originally set as a goal. I 

 think that has been true for the last 3 or 4 years. There has been 

 less acreage than the Department's goal. But the weather has been 

 good and you and I know that the potato crop is entirely dependent 

 upon getting the right kind of weather and the right amount of 

 moisture. If you do not get that you do^iot get potatoes. 



Mr. White. Is it not a fact, Mr. Case, that during this high pro- 

 duction period when the yield per acre rose so fabulously, you might 

 say, that the growers poured on an extremely large amount of 

 fertilizer? 



Mr. Case. Yes, sir. 



Mr. White. That would not be true if prices were more normal, is 

 that not correct? 



Mr. Case. I think they would probably hesitate a little about such 

 a heavy investment per acre. Also, quantities of fertilizer are of no 

 value unless you get the moisture to make it usable. So if the years 

 change, they would. 



Mr. White. Could I direct one or two more questions along that 

 line? 



Mr. Case. Certainly. 



Mr. White. Do you have any information at your fingertips in 

 regard to the percentage change in yield per acre over the years? 

 For instance in cotton we usually refer back to the average of 5 years' 

 production per acre and compare it with the current year. What 

 has been your average change each year, roughly, over the last '5 

 years, speaking in terms of percentage, in yield per acre? 



Mr. Case. I do not know that I could give you that very accurately 

 but I will say there has been a very material increase in yields per acre. 



Mr. White. Previous to the war was it not fairly stable? 



Mr. Case. Yes, I believe it was. 



Mr. White. After the war it would again return to a stable level, 

 would it not, on account of the retm'n to a normal application of 

 fertilizer? 



Mr. Case. I do not know. I do not know how much of that is 

 mechanical. I think we have had nine exceptionally good agricul- 

 tural years in a row. I do not believe that has happened before in 

 history. The law of averages says that the next nine will not be that 

 good from a climatic standpoint. 



Whether those areas are dependent on rainfall alone or dependent 

 on irrigation, water can give us a rather violent fluctuation in the 

 yield per acre. 



Mr. Cooley, it was never intended that I should give all this testi- 

 mony for the potato council. It certainly is not right that my answers 

 should be the only answers that come from a group as large as this 

 potato council, although I appreciate the responsibility. 



Mr. Cooley. We will be glad to hear now from any other person 

 who desires to make a statement. 



