WHY THERE IS NOT MORE FOOD 87 



want outdoor relief. What he wants is a policeman. 

 The farmers know what is the matter with agricul- 

 ture. They say that the conditions under which 

 food is marketed in this country are so bad that 

 there is little incentive for production. 



The farmer does not want free seeds; he wants 

 a chance to market his produce. Otherwise he says 

 there is no use in producing. He works hard enough, 

 but the State by inaction permits his produce to 

 rot in the ground or to be sold at a low figure or 

 loss when it reaches the market. This is happening 

 all over the country. The farmer knows it. Scores 

 of official investigations have made it plain, and 

 farmers' organizations have appealed for years for 

 protection — protection from what is in effect pure 

 robbery. And the robbery has been so systematic 

 and so long-continued that in many sections of the 

 countiy the farmer is givmg up in despair. 



A generation ago even the smallest farmer raised 

 diversified crops. He raised wheat, corn, vegetables, 

 and fruit, as well as cattle, hogs, sheep, and poultry. 

 From all these activities he was able to make a 

 comfortable living. If one crop failed there were 

 others to fall back upon. And the faraier was 

 reasonably contented with his lot, as he is in those 

 countries where he is protected in his calling. The 

 pnces of food were low. There was little or no com- 

 plaint about the cost of living. 



Marketing was simple. The farmer sold to the 



