796 SUCCESSFUL FARMING 



and easily transported may be successfully grown some distance from 

 markets, while bulky and perishable products should be grown near points 

 of consumption. The value of a product is also a factor in this connection. 

 The greater the value per unit of weight, the less important will be the 

 relative cost of transportation in connection with placing it on the market. 

 The greater the distance between points of production and market, the 

 greater the difference in price; and the more bulky the product, the 

 greater the relative difference. To illustrate: hay in the Boston market 

 may be worth $20 per ton, whereas 1000 miles away it would be worth 

 less than $10 a ton. At the same time and for the same places the differ- 

 ence in concentrated products, such as butter or cheese, would probably 

 be no more than 8 to 10 per cent in price. 



One bushel of corn will produce ten pounds of pork, but the ten 

 pounds of pork can be shipped to market at considerably less cost than 

 the bushel of corn. Consequently, the best place to raise hogs is in the 

 corn belt where corn is cheapest. Iowa excels all other states in pork 

 production. 



Sheep may be reared for their wool in regions remote from market, 

 because wool is a high-priced product and may be hauled and shipped 

 long distances, and the cost of marketing is comparatively small in com- 

 parison with its value. 



Horses are generally more valuable, weight for weight, than cattle 

 or sheep, but they are more difficult to ship, because they are more sub- 

 ject to injury in transportation. 



It is very difficult to get eggs to market in prime condition, and the 

 egg producer near the markets has a decided advantage. In country dis- 

 tricts eggs are generally produced on so small a scale that they are mar- 

 keted by the farmer to advantage only in connection with his going to 

 the market place for other purposes. 



Fresh fruits, such as strawberries, raspberries and cherries, must be 

 marketed promptly, and are, therefore, best produced near points of 

 consumption. On the other hand, apples may be shipped long distances. 



Supply and Demand. — The supply and demand of all farm products 

 are subject to greater fluctuation than any other line of production. Favor- 

 able seasons over large areas often cause such abundant crops that 

 the market is oversupplied and prices may be so reduced that the 

 large crop nets the farmer less than a small one would. One needs only 

 to study the crop statistics to be impressed with the violent fluctuations 

 in both yields and prices, even of our staple crops. Corn in Illinois has 

 varied from 21 bushels to 40 bushels per acre; wheat in Kansas from 

 10 to 18 bushels; cotton in Texas from 125 to 225 pounds per acre. 

 The fluctuation in truck crops and fruits is even more striking, while that 

 in special crops, such as broom corn, is greater stilll Prices of broom 

 corn may range all the way from $25 to $200 per ton, due chiefly to supply 

 and demand. 



