AVERAGE WAGE PAID MONTANA FARM LABOR 



Wage By The Month Wages By The Day 



With Board Without Board With Board Without Board 



1920 $75.40 $105.00 $5.20 $6.20 



1921 42.10 63.00 2.92 3.65 



1924 48.70 69.10 2.50 3.60 



1926 49.10 69.30 2.70 8.52 



1926 ; 60.10 70.60 2.76 8.50 



1927 52.10 72.70 2.88 3.71 



PRICE MOVEMENTS IN 1927 



PRICES OF FIVE MONTANA CROPS 



L CSeMD : 





It is important for the farmer to know 

 the trends of the prices of both agricul- 

 tural products and non-agricultural prod- 

 ucts, because he must exchange a large 

 portion of his production for non-agri- 

 cultural products. High prices for farm 

 products are discounted if prices for the 

 non-agricultural products, or those things 

 that the farmer buys, are relatively high- 

 er. Following the close of the war, when 

 the drop in prices came, it was the farm- 

 er's products which suffered the greatest 

 decreases. This was unfortunate for the 

 farmer, for though he was still getting 

 higher prices for his products than before 

 the war he had to pay relatively more 

 for the things he bought than he received 

 for the things he was selling. 



For several years there has been a slow 

 improvement in this situation. During 

 1927 the purchasing power of the farm 

 dollar for the nation as a whole has in- 

 creased from 81 in January to a high point 

 of 92 in September and October and to 

 91 for November and December. 



INDEX NUMBERS OF FARM PRICES AND WHOLESALE PRICES OF 

 NON-AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES 



Index numbers of farm prices (August, 1909-July, 1914=100) 



Relative 

 Index Purchas- 

 VflOY. Fruits Tkoj^, -P/^^u^r Cotton of ing 



«^Y rr»?n, and Meat pjfi^t, P.rSn^« ^^ All Non- Power 



Mnnth Vegeta- Animals Products Products Cotton Groups Agricul- of 



^**"^*^ bles ^^^ ^^^ Seed tural Farm 



prices Prod- 

 ucts 



1919 231 189 206 173 206 247 209 199 106 



1920 231 249 173 188 222 248 205 241 85 



1921 112 148 108 148 161 101 116 167 69 



1922 105 152 113 134 139 156 124 168 74 



1923 „ 114 136 106 148 145 216 135 171 79 



1924 129 124 109 134 147 211 134 162 83 



1925 166 160 139 137 161 177 147 165 89 



1926 129 189 146 136 156 122 136 161 85 



November 121 142 142 141 202 88 130 161 80 



December 120 137 140 144 212 81 127 158 80 



1927 



January 120 140 140 144 173 85 126 156 81 



February 122 142 143 143 146 94 127 155 82 



March 121 140 144 139 115 102 126 153 82 



April 119 147 143 140 114 101 125 151 83 



May 127 158 137 136 112 113 126 150 84 



June „ 140 201 129 132 102 119 130 150 86 



July 189 195 131 130 112 125 130 151 87 



August 188 172 136 129 122 136 132 151 88 



September 184 146 142 135 143 179 140 152 92 



October 128 138 145 139 167 169 139 151 92 



November 120 'ISO 141 141 189 162 ♦137 151 91 



December 123 141 138 145 195 153 137 151 91 



(1) Prices of milk and farm butter. Source : U. S. Department of Agriculture, Crops and Markets 



(2) Prices of chickens and eggs. Index of dairy and poultry products — December 158 ; November, 

 168; and December, 1926, 161. * Revised. 



