52 
Editorial 
American 
Agriculturist 
Founded 1842 
Henry Morgenthau, Jr .Publisher 
E. R. Eastman . Editor 
Fred W. Ohm . Associate Editor 
Gabrielle Elliot .Household Editor 
Birge Kinne .Advertising Manager 
E. C. Weatherby .Circulation Manager 
CONTRIBUTING STAFF 
Jared Van Wagenen, Jr. G. T. Hughes H. E. Babcock 
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Published Weekly by 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, INC. 
Address all correspondence for editorial, advertising, or subscription de¬ 
partments to 
461 Fourth Ave., New York, N. Y. 
Entered as Second-Class Matter, December 15, 1922, at the Post Office 
at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879. 
Subscription price, payable in advance, $1 a year. Canadian 
and foreign, $2 a year. 
VOL. 114 July 26, 1924 No. 4 
The July Outlook 
At least once a month, American Agriculturist will 
summarize the general market and crop situation, bothjor 
the East and for the entire country. For details which are 
not found in the summary, we suggest that you read our 
Market Page carefully every week and also reports from 
our farm correspondents in our news columns. The 
entire staff of American Agriculturist spends a great 
deal of time in studying the market situation in order to 
place the facts before you, always believing that if farmers 
have the facts, they can draw their own conclusions. 
T HE United States Department of Agricul¬ 
ture makes the statement that there now 
exists in agriculture the best state of balance 
since 1920. Thousands of farmers reading this 
statement will say, that if this is so they would 
like to see the evidence. Nevertheless, there are 
many signs that farm conditions are improving, 
that the farm dollar is a little more plentiful, and 
has a little more purchasing power, and that we 
have reached the bottom of the farm decline and 
are headed slowly, if painfully, back the other way. 
In making judgments of any situation, it is in¬ 
correct to estimate from the standpoint or 
experience of any individual or of any com¬ 
munity, or even section, of the country. We 
must take the whole country and sometimes the 
whole world into consideration. If the general 
average of all the country is better, in time every 
community and individual will be. 
The Department report shows that the index of 
purchasing power of the farmers’ products has 
advanced from 74 on the first of January to 77 on 
the first of June. The basis of judgment is not so 
much on the amount of money we have as on its 
purchasing power. The boom in the cities is 
declining and the decline has been unusually 
rapid since the middle of April and this decline 
has helped to decrease costs on things farmers buy. 
Railroad expenditures and city building opera¬ 
tions, which have had much to do with the business 
boom for the last two years, have begun to 
slacken. Employees on payrolls of factories 
reporting to the New York Labor Department 
numbered 503,000 in May 1924, as against 
524,000 in April 1924; and 560,000 in May 1923. 
Reports show that there is for the first time in 
years plenty of farm labor in many states, and the 
labor situation on farms is easier in all states. 
Therefore, we caution our farmers when hiring 
help against paying the same prices that have been 
prevailing, at least until a decided effort has been 
made to hire that help for less money. 
of the American 
In addition to the easier labor situation, 
another effect of the industrial decline in the cities 
should be the cheaper supplies for the farm. 
The farm dollar will buy a little more. This will 
be somewhat offset, however, by the failure of the 
consumer to purchase as much of certain foods 
such as diary products and eggs as he did when 
he had plenty of money. 
Another indication of the slight improvement in 
the farm situation is the small increase in the 
farmers’ labor income. The United States De¬ 
partment statement, based upon a survey of 
thousands of farms, showed that the farmer’s net 
return in cash over expenses plus the increase in 
inventories for 1923 was $1,020, as compared with 
$917 for 1922. 
The best increases in prices of farm products 
have been in wheat and corn. July wheat sold on 
Chicago market on July 14th for $1.23, and July 
corn at $1.10. On July 16, reports of a Canadian 
drouth jumped the price to $1.27. Oats are up 
8 or 10 cents a bushel. Butter is much stronger 
than it was last year. The New York Produce 
Review has this to say about butter: 
“Foreign markets are not the menace that they were a year 
ago. Conditions in Central Europe have improved so much 
that those countries have taken a good deal of Denmark’s 
surplus, reducing the supply available for the British markets 
and maintaining a considerably higher level of values than 
last year.” 
In the eggs and poultry market, the situation is 
excellent when compared with prices for other 
farm products. 
Wool has had a temporary set back, falling 
something like 20 cents a pound on the scoured 
basis. In spite of short supplies the trade is dull, 
due to several causes, which are discussed on the 
market page. 
With the exception of butter, not so much can 
be said for the dairy situation. There has been 
an over-production and some mismanagement in 
marketing. Higher prices of the grains will also 
make feed higher. However, this may be a good 
thing in the end for there is a certain solidarity 
about agriculture. When some products begin to 
go up in time all the others do, and vice versa. 
Moreover, dairying was comparatively prosperous 
after wheat and the other grains had declined, so 
it may be a little time before dairying follows the 
grains in ascending prices. But with the coming 
of fall months, and the falling off of production, 
dairy prices are sure to increase. They may make 
a quick recovery to somewhere near where they 
ought to be, particularly if dairymen can in some 
way stop their foolish fighting among themselves. 
Although the spring was backward, in the East 
crops in general made a fairly good recovery in 
June. Hay bottomed in fast just before haying, 
pastures have continued good, corn is late but hot 
weather in the next six weeks will bring it along 
all right. A summary of the fruit prospects is 
printed on another page, and potato prospects 
in the East indicate about the same yields as last 
year, if anything, the total yield may be slightly 
lower, which is well. 
Fruit Exhibits at the State Fair 
HE announcement of the New York State 
Fair Commission that the Manufacturers’ 
and Industrial Arts Building on the State Fair 
grounds will be devoted entirely to exhibits of 
fruits, vegetables and flowers will be received 
with satisfaction by the horticulturists of the 
State and is a step in the right direction. In spite 
of the legitimate protests of fruit and vegetable 
growers who have wanted to exhibit at the Fair, 
their exhibits have been more or less sidetracked 
and the fruit growers have a feeling, which in our 
opinion is just, that not enough attention or 
consideration has been given to them at the Fair. 
Part of their exhibits has been in the old wooden 
structure while the balance has been shoved up in 
one end of the Manufacturers’ Building, in which 
there was a conglomeration of pianos, phono¬ 
graphs, grape juice, shoes, clothing, stoves, 
furnaces, washing machines, candy, NUT BUT¬ 
TER, syrup, raincoats and lastly (emphasis on 
the lastly) coffins. 
Nothing that can be exhibited at the State 
American Agriculturist, July 26, jl924 
Agriculturist 
Fair is of any more interest or beauty or value 
than a show of what the State can do in the 
production of fruit. Therefore the fruit men 
should be given every opportunity to bring out 
their exhibits. 
We also believe that the fruit growers ought to 
be allowed to recommend a man to have charge 
of the exhibits at the Fair instead of having some¬ 
one appointed who they feel is not qualified or 
not particularly interested in the fruit interests of 
the State. In our news columns this week we 
publish an item by the New York State Horti- 
cultural Society stating that the fruit exhibitors 
are thinking of changing their exhibit at the 
State Fair to the Rochester Exposition. While 
there is some cause for their complaint, it would 
be bad for the interests of everybody if they 
should make this change, and every effort should 
be made to create conditions at the Fair which 
they can approve. The State Fair Commission 
has made a commendable move in providing 
better quarters for the fruit men. We suggest 
that the Commission should go a step farther and 
appoint a man to have charge of the exhibits who 
is acceptable to the State Horticultural Society. 
A. A. Family All Getting Married 
E are pleased to announce another marriage 
in the American Agriculturist staff. 
Readers of the household pages will be interested 
to know that on July 19th, Miss Gabrielle Elliot, 
Household Editor, was united in marriage with 
Mr. Arthur Forbush. Mr. Forbush is a writer 
and advertising expert. This is the second 
marriage within the year on our staff; the first 
was that of Mr. Birge Kinne, Advertising Manager 
of American Agriculturist. 
There must be something in the atmosphere 
here where we are trying to serve you that makes 
for happiness. But don’t look for any more, for 
most of the rest of us “have gone and went and 
done it” before. 
The congratulations of American Agricul¬ 
turist staff and readers to Mr. and Mrs. Forbush 
are all the heartier when we know that while 
Miss Elliot has changed her name, she has not 
changed her occupation so that she will continue 
as your editor, and there will be no change in the 
interesting and practical material which Ameri¬ 
can Agriculturist womenfolks look for each 
week. 
Eastman’s Chestnuts 
T. BARNUM, the grand old show^-man, 
. used to say that the American people 
liked to be humbugged and then he'would add 
with a twinkle in his eye, that he liked to do it. 
He once told a story of his experience along this 
line that is worth repeating. 
He was conducting in New York City a show 
and museum in the early part of his career and on 
one of the holidays observed chiefly by his good 
friends, the Irish, he was surprised to see his 
building filled early in the morning to overflowing 
with Irish families—Pa, Ma and all the kids. 
This was all right, but what wasn’t, was that they 
had come and brought their dinners with every 
evident intention of staying all day, so that while 
they were there, there was no room for those who 
waited on the outside at the door to pay their 
good money and come in too. 
After thinking about the problem for several 
hours, Mr. Barnum suddenly hit upon an idea. 
Calling his sign painter, he had him paint in great 
big letters over a door “THE EGRESS.” When 
it was done, the crowd took one look and with a 
“Begorra, what kind of a new craiture is ffhat?” 
they started as one man for the door, so that when 
they went IN to The Egress, they found them¬ 
selves OUT, thus allowing the gteat showman 
to admit a new bunch ready for the humbugging 
process. _ 
“A man ought to read just as inclination leads 
him; for what he reads as a task will do him little 
good.”—S amuel Johnson. 
“The true university is a collection of books.”— 
Carlyle. 
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