GEOGEAPHICAL PHASES OF FARM PRICES: CORN. 
31 
stances which alter the ordinary course of the corn trade may alter 
price ratios between two localities. The quality of the local corn 
crop may be poor, or a local failure may occur and a territory usually 
producing a surplus may have to ship in corn. 
As an instance in point: Kansas, usually a corn-exporting State, 
had to import large quantities of corn on account of the State's crop 
failure in 1913. The relatively high freight rates on corn into Kan- 
sas added to the disadvantage caused by the crop failure. Kansas 
corn prices, usually only a few cents higher than those of Minne- 
sota, in that year averaged 25 cents per bushel higher; they were 
even higher than those of Pennsylvania — far to the east and usually 
on a considerably higher level. 
RETROSPECTIVE VIEW OF PRICES AND PRICE FACTORS, 1871-1915. 
TREND OF FARM PRICES. 
A review of the trend of geographic differences in farm prices of 
corn for a series of years reflects sharply economic transformations 
within the United States, and particularly reduced costs of trans- 
portation and marketing. It also indicates present tendencies. 
Table 8 shows the trend of farm ^prices of corn and the sectional 
variations therein from 1871 to 1915. An average of five years was 
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Fig. 6. — Illustrating trend of geographic differences in farm prices of corn, 1871-1915. 
Iowa : Example of corn-surplus State ; Louisiana : Example of corn-deficiency State. 
