80 FARM MANAGEMENT 



farmers of a state would be if they followed some par- 

 ticular method that would double crops. These results 

 always assume that the prices would be unaffected, an 

 assumption that is so absurd as to be humorous. If Mr. 

 John Jones could double his crop, and have the world 

 crop remain the same, he might receive all the good 

 things promised. But when the general production is 

 too great, the price drops so that the crop is usually 

 worth less than a normal crop. Perishable products 

 are constantly meeting the peril of overproduction. In 

 1912, beautiful peaches rotted in Texas, because they 

 were not worth picking. Watermelons often meet this 

 fate. In 1896, thousands of bushels of apples were left 

 on the trees, because they were not worth picking. In 

 the spring of 1910, potatoes sold on some farms for 10 

 cents a bushel. It was in 1898 that corn sold for 8 cents 

 in Nebraska. It is desirable that production be increased, 

 but a sudden increase is very unfortunate for city as well 

 as for country. The low prices please the consumer, but 

 discourage the farmer, and result in a too violent decrease 

 in production that pleases no one. 



One reason why this question is not better understood 

 is because a community may have a large crop in a year 

 when there is a general shortage of the crop and conse- 

 quently get high prices, or a community may have a 

 short crop in a year of good crops. These figures are for 

 the whole country and reflect the general condition of the 

 country. They show that in general the farmers receive 

 as much or more for the potato crop in years of a general 

 short crop. 



One other factor enters into the question, so far as the 

 individual is concerned. It is the amount of the product 

 consumed on the farm by the family, by stock, or used 



