206 
American Agriculturist, September 27, 1924 
Editorial Page of the American Agriculturist 
American 
Agriculturist 
Founded 1842 
Henry Mokgenthatt, Je. 
E. R. Eastman 
Fred W. Ohm .... 
Mrs. G. E. Forbush 
Birge Kinne .... 
E. C. Weatherby. 
. Publisher 
. . Editor 
Associate Editor 
Household Editor 
Advertising Manager 
Circulation Manager 
CONTRIBUTING STAFF 
Jared Van Wagenen, Jr. G. T. Hughes H. E. Cook 
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VOL. 114 
September 27, 1924 
No. 13 
The September Outlook 
I T is figured that the average farmer of the 
United States is $200 better off than he was 
two months ago. The farmer does not have that 
much more in cash, but the inventory value of 
grains in the barn or crib and the prospective 
value of growing crops on the average farm is 
increased by that amount. Grains, hogs, and 
cotton have furnished the bulk of the estimated 
increase in farm wealth. 
The United States Department of Agriculture 
in a recent statement says: 
“Agriculture has traveled a long lane of distressbutthe 
upturn in wheat and hogs and the well-sustained cotton 
prices have brought it to a turn in the road. This has 
been widely heralded and numerous urban spokesmen 
have been busily counting the farmers’ blessings ever 
since corn was knee high.” 
Of course it must be kept definitely in mind 
that not.all the farmers will share in this increased 
prosperity. Increased grain prices mean more 
costs for dairymen but at the same time there is 
a certain solidarity about agriculture so that when 
one part succeeds, sooner or later all the rest come 
along. There is, for instance, a definite tendency 
in milk prices. 
The wheat farmers of America who suffered 
the most from hard times are the ones who will 
get the biggest relief from increased prices this 
fall. It is estimated that the wheat acreage in the 
northern hemisphere, excluding Russia, is about 
4^ per cent, less than last year. At the same 
time the United States has a large crop now 
estimated at 836,000,000 bushels, which is 
50,000,000 bushels more than in 1923. Only 
seven times in the past 55 years have we had such 
a large crop, and the price on the Chicago market 
is around $1.30 a bushel. This is a good time to 
call attention to the foolishness of price-fixing. 
In spite of the large crop of wheat in this country 
the price is remarkably high because it is fixed 
on a world market and the world’s wheat crop is 
short. 
With com it is a different story. On a recent 
trip to Chicago we were impressed with the hun¬ 
dreds of acres in big corn fields that will not pay 
to harvest. 1 he Department of Agriculture 
Economics at the New York State College of 
Agriculture says that in only three years in the 
past 62 has the corn crop been as poor as it is this 
year. Those who have corn to sell though, will 
be in good shape. The price has increased from 
about $.72 in December, 1923, to $.98 in July 
and the cash price on the Chicago markets at this 
writing on September 17, is $1.19 a bushel. For 
the husked corn and silage corn and other late 
crops much depends upon how long the frosts 
hold off. 
The corn situation has influenced the hog mar¬ 
ket. The rise in hog prices has added about $3 
a head to the average value of 10,000,000 hogs 
that are now near a finishing stage, and it has 
added at least $1.50 a head to the appraisal value 
of 40,000,000 spring pigs. 
Prospects are excellent for a large potato crop 
throughout the East, and there is a general feeling 
that the prices will be good also, especially for the 
man who is able to store his crop and keep it in 
good condition until after the first of the year. 
Blight has already appeared and if it develops 
rapidly prices are likely to rise so that good sales 
for well graded, late potatoes can be made from 
the field. If we had potatoes this year we would, 
store them, but we want to caution you that when 
we make a statement of this kind we do not pre-' 
tend to be sure prophets. All that we can hope 
to do is to base our opinions on a careful study of 
market conditions. The above comment on 
potatoes is for the East as a whole. The dry 
weather conditions in Long Island and New 
Jersey, will probably result in a serious decrease 
in the yields in those sections. 
Indications, point now to a heavy cabbage 
yield. In other years when similar weather con¬ 
ditions prevailed in the cabbage sections the 
heavy production resulted in extremely low 
prices. Mr. E. G. Misner of the New York State 
College of Agriculture says that in view of the 
extremely high prices in concentrates and the low 
prices for milk it seems that the most complete 
use of cabbage refuse should be made at the dairy 
farms and that if the cabbage is low in price, more 
should be fed to the live stock. This will save 
grain and help the cabbage market. 
For a recent review of the market and produc¬ 
tion situation in fruits, we refer you to page 192 
of our September 20th issue. 
In the dairy business things are not so bright 
although we are not pessimistic. As we have 
pointed out in these columns before, the amount of 
by-products and particularly of butter and cheese 
in storage is way above the five-year average. 
There has been only one short period in 1924 when 
there was anything near a shortage of fluid milk. 
This was in August. We have thought that the 
high price of concentrates would lead to less grain 
feeding and to a shortage of milk. Maybe it will 
later but at the present time there is more than 
enough fluid milk on the market. This may be 
due to the excellent pastures throughout the East, 
caused by so much rain and also to a somewhat 
lessened consumption in the city. While the 
present prices and conditions are discouraging, 
in the end, however, things must improve for the 
good dairyman just as they have improved for the 
wheat farmer, though they never will be any better 
for the man who tries to make a living from low- 
producing cows. 
Much study and care is given each week to 
getting reliable information for our market page. 
A careful reading may save you money when you 
come to marketing your products. 
We have learned quite a lot about conducting 
contests. Next year we are going to have the 
biggest ever. All red tape rules will be cut to a 
minimum and we have already put in an order 
for good weather. 
We want to take this opportunity of extending 
our thanks to the Farm Bureau men all over the 
State who have taken so much interest to or¬ 
ganize the local contests. We also want to thank 
the contestants who came from all parts of the 
State to take part with such good sportsmanship 
in the tournament at Syracuse and we particu¬ 
larly want to express our appreciation to Mr. G., 
E. Snyder of Rochester, himself a noted pitcher, 
whose excellent management at the State Fair 
insured the success of the contest, and to Mr. D. 
D. Cottrell of North Cohocton, statistician of the 
National Horseshoe Pitching Association, who 
kept the complicated records for us at the Syracuse 
contest. Interesting results and pictures are 
on the next page. 
Keep Copies of Your Letters 
O NE of the most important practices in all 
business offices is the custom of keeping 
popies of every letter written. If a general business 
office did not do this it would be in constant 
trouble, for it is impossible to remember just what 
has been said in a letter after it is mailed, and in 
case of a misunderstanding the other fellow has all 
of the evidence and all the writer has to depend 
upon is an unreliable memory. 
The need of copies of business correspondence 
is constantly impressed upon us in the Service 
Bureau Department of the American Agricul¬ 
turist. When we come to try to settle a dispute 
or collect a claim for a farmer he usually has little 
or nothing to show of the negotiations that have 
preceded the misunderstanding. 
It is, of course, much more difficult for a farmer 
to keep a copy of his correspondence than it is for 
a business office if the farmer has no typewriter, 
but business letters are usually short and the 
extra effort spent in making a copy may save the 
writer sometimes a good many dollars. Incident- 
ly. the. ease of making a carbon copy with the 
typewriter is one of the many reasons why more 
farmers are acquiring typewriters. 
The Barnum Dinner 
O NE of the best and most enjoyable events 
of the New York State Fair was the annual 
farm dinner given on Wednesday evening of the 
week by Jerome D. Barnum, publisher of the 
Syracuse Post Standard. >> This year over two 
hundred farmers attended. After the dinner, 
S. L. Striving, Master of the New York State 
Grange, served as toastmaster and introduced as 
the speakers Gov. Alfred E. Smith, Speaker 
H. E. Machold, of the New York State Assembly 
Judge Hiscock, Pierpont Noyes, President of the 
Oneida Community and L. J. Saber, Master of 
the National Grange, all of whom spoke on the 
problems directly or indirectly affecting agri¬ 
culture. Perhaps the best part of the occasion 
was the opportunity it gave so many representa¬ 
tive farmers all concerned with the progress of 
farming to get together for a real visit and an 
exchange of information. 
Thanks to the “Golfers” 
N O BETTER proof of the interest in Barnyard 
Golf and the good sportsmanship of the 
horseshoe pitchers is needed than the way the 
men stuck to the job at Syracuse, even though 
the courts were muddy and the weather as bad as 
it possibly could be. 
We feel that the County Farm Bureau and 
State horseshoe pitching contests held this sum¬ 
mer have done much to revive interest in the 
good old game of quoits. On the farms all over 
the State, men and women too, now are playing 
the game more than it has ever been played before. 
One of the fine things about it is that it can be 
played anywhere; it costs practically nothing; and 
the skill required gives it an absorbing interest. 
Eastman’s Chestnuts 
H ENRY MORGENTHAU, JR., publisher of 
the American Agriculturist, just told me 
one that I thought I would save to tell on the 
women folks at some farm meeting but it is 
really too good to keep, so here goes. 
“There is certainly no use talking,” said a 
politician to a friend, “the women have much 
better morals than the men.” 
. “What makes you think so?” inquired the 
friend. 
“ Well,” said the politician, “you can give a man 
three dollars for his vote and even then you 
never can be sure how he will vote, BUT YOU 
CAN GIVE THREE DOLLARS TO A WOMAN 
AND SHE WILL VOTE THE WAY SHE 
AGREED TO EVERY TIME!” 
