Il8 THE FOOD CRISIS AND AMERICANISM 



and conditions. Third: Last, but not least, that 

 many farmers, despairing of profits in food produc- 

 tion, ceased to be producers, and became speculators 

 in land. 



Another great misapprehension is that since 1893 

 the profits in farming operations have been tremen- 

 dously increased, and have been vastly greater than 

 during any previous period. Table No. 10 shows the 

 average market price of five leading commodities, upon 

 which the farmers' profits are chiefly based, and are 

 an accurate index of all others. That is, if the price 

 of any of these be depressed, it results in an increased 

 production of all others as a general price leveling. 



TABLE No. 10 



ANNUAL AVERAGE PRICE FARM PRODUCTS 

 Years Wheat Corn Oats Mess Pork Lard 



1873 to 1893 96.76 47.36 32.55 14-87 8.42 



1893 to 1916 88.32 50.04 34.4 14.63 8.249 



8.44 +2.68 +1.95- .24 .18 



For example : It will be seen that wheat, the lead- 

 ing farm product, brought 8.44 cents per bushel more 

 during the period between 1873 and 1893, tnan it did 

 during the period from 1893 to I 9 I 6; the decline in 

 the wheat price being nearly double the advance in 

 both corn and oats. A change in the price of hog 

 " Products " was slight, but lower during the latter pe- 

 riod. The price of labor, however, not only on the 

 farm, but labor in everything the farmer has to buy, 

 has so continuously advanced, that in 1915 the wage 

 of the farm hand was more than double what it was 

 in 1892. Eighty-five per cent, of all the farmer buys 



