PRICE-FIXING AND THE COST OF FARM PRODUCTS 377 



similar to that practiced outside of the city milk belt. In con- 

 templating these figures, the farmer should look for the unusual 

 conditions which have made this true. If the conditions are 

 temporary he should hold fast to his present line and recall the 

 years when his profits were much the greater because he was in 

 the dairy business. 



If, however, it becomes apparent that permanent changes in 

 market conditions have taken place which account for the change 

 in profits, a move should be initiated to bring about a readjust- 

 ment of the farming to suit the new market conditions ; possibly 

 some dairymen should change to other lines of production. But 

 this is not a matter for hasty action, especially in the case of the 

 dairy industry, where public welfare is at stake and where a 

 change has far-reaching effects through a series of years. 



Changes which the farmer may make in grain production or 

 hog production may be quickly readjusted, but not so with milk 

 production. One's ill feelings towards other people should not 

 enter one's decision. One should not get angry and sell his herd 

 of cows. Cold reason should form the basis of judgment. It 

 is easy to disperse a good dairy herd, but it takes years to rebuild 

 it. A much safer plan is to cut down a little on the number of 

 cows by culling-out the less profitable ones and to sell some 

 grain or hogs in addition to milk rather than to make a radical 

 change in type of farming. 



If the profits of milk production are temporarily low on a 

 large share of the farms in a given city milk belt, due to short 

 crops of grain and hay, which for this reason must be shipped 

 in at heavy cost, the farmer should not only look to the long- 

 time average, and to the maintenance of his market, but he 

 should recognize the occasion of his loss, namely, the short crop, 

 and should lay this loss to the land or to the way he has handled 

 his land and not ask that the consumer should pay the rent on 

 the land which did not produce the feed and also pay for the 

 purchased feed. 



The farmer should not be too insistent upon the consumer's 

 price varying exactly with his costs from season to season and 

 from year to year. Custom is a big item in determining what 



