THE AFTER-WAR DEPRESSION 41 



rowing experiences. The few warning voices 

 raised early in the after-war period were given 

 scant attention. 



In the reports of the Joint Commission of 

 Agricultural Inquiry, on the Agricultural Crisis 

 and its Causes, there is to be found abundant 

 testimony of what occurred. This report for- 

 tunately provides a permanent record of the 

 changes in agriculture during the war, and may 

 help to avoid another similar experience in the 

 future. 



The Commission endeavored to present the 

 condition of the farmer : First, by a discussion 

 of the purchasing power of his products. Sec- 

 ond, a comparison of absolute prices of farm 

 products with actual prices of other groups of 

 commodities. Third, the quantity production of 

 agriculture and other industries. And, Fourth, 

 the reward for capital and labor employed in 

 agriculture compared with other industries. 



The report of this Commission is available 

 to all who are interested in this subject, but the 

 main conclusions are reviewed here because the 

 facts concerning the agricultural prices must 

 be kept in mind in order to understand this new 

 movement among farmers. The decline in the 

 purchasing power of the farmers' dollar has 



