242 THE THIRD POWER 



on our side the intelligent farmers who are amenable to facts 

 and reason and the results are accomplished. The balance of 

 the farmers, at any rate, are the stubborn, ignorant portion 

 who are either driven or led, and are not sufficient to effect the 

 general results. 



We know, with a profitable price obtainable, the temptation 

 to hold will not be so great, and we predict crops will be 

 marketed closer during the year and the consumption will be 

 greater of every staple product. Also, with profitable prices 

 for each crop the inducement will not be present to put out 

 an exceedingly large acreage of any one crop, which has been 

 one of the great faults of farmers in the past. 



We have had some experience with human nature, and we 

 believe enough producers can and will demand the minimum 

 (lowest allowable) price to make the workings of the plan 

 definite and reliable. As to controlling production this feature 

 will take care of itself. Consumption has overtaken produc- 

 tion in all important lines, while with a profitable price as- 

 sured, each producer will not attempt to put out a whole 

 township as he oftentimes attempts when prices are low, in 

 order to "make both ends meet." 



Manufacturing and mercantile enterprises are not conducted 

 by chance. Why should farming be an exception? It need 

 not be. We appeal to every producer of crops to consider 

 this matter very carefully and decide in the future to do 

 business on business principles. 



The selling of farm products in the past has always been 

 a guessing match. Guessing is good enough if it hits, but a 

 certainty is several thousand per cent, better. With profit- 

 able prices made on each crop, farmers can put up elevators, 

 warehouses or granaries to hold their products, or build co- 

 operative cold storage plants to hold their fruit, if necessary. 

 Did you ever think of it? The farmer may be the greatest 

 monopolist of them all. To illustrate : He can take the 

 rawest kind of material (plant food), put it in his land and 

 manufacture through his plants and animals the very highest 

 finished products, such as meat, butter, eggs, fruit, etc., and 

 sell them to the consumer at the highest possible price. There 

 need be no person to share profits with him if he lives up to 



