A D VOCA TE AND GUIDE. 79 



yield $2,950 from an eighty-acre farm. That would be 

 about $2.80 per bushel at the farmers' home market on the 

 1,046.40-bushel average per eighty -acre farm for the fifty 

 years recorded, or nearly three and a third times the average 

 price received of 85.12 cents per pushel. 



Wages of city union labor have been advanced to reach 

 the $1,650 mark in most industries, and farmers' wages 

 should follow suit to put them on an equality. Land at 

 $100 an acre is low priced, since it is now more than double 

 that price in many localities. Ten per cent on it and im- 

 provements and equipment is reasonable; since it covers 

 taxes, insurance and depreciation also. Double that rate 

 can be made in good industrial or city investments. There 

 is no profit whatever figured in the $2.80 price. That, then, 

 should be the fixed minimum price in the farmer's home 

 market at harvest time, and a monthly increase of three 

 cents a bushel thereafter to cover storage, shrinkage and 

 interest. 



After the war union labor will fight to maintain war 

 wages and to force farm products to prewar prices. It will 

 pay you big to unionize now for self -protection. 



Price of Wheat Unimportant Factor in Living 

 Expenses. 



On mentioning the necessity of a wheat growers' union to 

 maintain, or increase, the price of wheat to one wheat raiser, 

 he expressed his opinion that wages and prices are too high 

 now, and that if the wheat price came down so would all 

 other prices, and that would be a benefit to the farmers. He 

 had the erroneous idea that the prices of all things depended 

 on the price of wheat, while the facts are that the price of 

 nothing else necessarily depends on the wheat price, not 

 even its own products flour, bran, bread, crackers, etc. 



