362 DRY FARMING 



fungous or bacterial enemies have contributed to the 

 large annual loss from plant diseases. 



323. The Amount Hail Takes from the Profits. Severe 

 storms may injure the soil and damage the crop by soil 

 "drifting" or by stunting, lodging or breaking down the 

 plants, or by shattering the grain. The loss from hail 

 is variously estimated at from one-half to two and one- 

 half per cent, of the total acreage, or on the basis of the 

 present acreage a loss of 125,000 to 600,000 acres. The 

 damage done by hail in the year 1916 was considerably 

 greater than the highest of these percentages. These 

 storms comie as the insurance men say "by act of Provi- 

 dence". It is fortunate that provision for carrying this 

 risk has been provided by hail insurance companies. 



324. The Moral. And yet these losses may occur even 

 after the soil has been made productive. It is apparent 

 that one of three things must result: (1) those factors 

 that affect cost must be controlled, or (2) the price must 

 be regulated by the producer, or (3) the business of grow- 

 ing crops profitably cannot be controlled, and is therefore 

 more or less of a gamble. 



325. The Cost of Production and the Selling Price. 

 A farmer, like any other business man, is legitimately 

 concerned with obtaining the largest possible return for 

 his labor and for the capital invested. This being the 

 case he is concerned with the profits of his business rather 

 than with his total output. Society in general is greatly 

 concerned with the desirability of increasing the quan- 

 tity of foodstuffs produced, since cost of living is thereby 

 reduced. Herein lies the reason for the cry "Back to 

 the Land" and the slogan "Greater Production" raised by 

 those not living on the land. 



The farmer from a purely business point of view is 



