432 
American Agriculturist, May 3, 1924 
The Present Farm Situation in the East 
A Brief Summary of Conditions in New York and Adjoining States 
T he general situation is not greatly would not be surprising. A slight decrease in although the reports are too scattering to be 
different from what it was a year ago. liay is reported, but adverse weather or labor reliable. 
Most farmers made very moderate in- conditions during the spring months are likely In general the changes indicated by the ex- 
comes in 1923 and taxes and expenses to cause more land to be left in hay than is now pected acreage reports tabulated here seem to be 
have been heavy. Farmers, however, have been intended. Much, also, depends on labor and price just about what the present situation demands, 
more careful in their purchases and in living conditions during the summer, for there is a con- FRUIT. Some fruit growers made money 
expenses, and in most sections have paid off part siderable acreage of hay land in this State which last year, but recently the price of apples have 
of their debts. There is much discouragement is left uncut in unfavorable seasons. This is been so low that those who stored apples have lost 
and many farmers would like to 
quit but there are few who are 
buying farms and there are not a,s 
many city jobs open as there were 
a year ago. 
FARM POPULATION. The 
decline in farm population during 
1923 was estimated by Professor 
Warren on the basis of reports 
which were secured for him, at 3 
per cent. Part of the decrease was 
due to a further reduction in the 
number of hired men, part to a 
decrease in the number of young 
men and women staying at home 
on the farms and part to a reduc¬ 
tion in the number of farms. In 
certain sections the abandonment 
is an item of large importance. 
It is particularly noticeable in 
some unproductive sections back 
Cold Facts Make Hard Dollars 
Y OU would hunt a long time before you could find a more interesting 
( 
or more accurate article than the one on this page on farm affairs 
as they exist to-day in New York and adjoining States. The article 
is taken from a monthly summary published by the United States 
Department of Agriculture, called the “Agricultural Situation.” It 
was written by experts who make a study of production and marketing 
affairs in each section of the country. It tells you the present condi¬ 
tion and what you may expect in production and marketing at a 
glance. It is just what every farmer will want in making plans and 
start off his spring business. It is the kind of material which AMERICAN 
AGRICULTURIST likes to pass on to you because it is impartial, unpreju¬ 
diced and accurate. It is neither optimistic nor pessimistic; it gives 
you the cold facts.— THE EDITORS. 
money. There seems to be a large 
Quantity of apples still in storage 
and holders are finding them very 
hard to move. During February 
the price of dried apples increased 
and a number of western New York 
evaporators started their fires and 
bought for 60 to 70 cents per 100 
pounds apples which had been in 
storage since October. 
In .western New York the fruit 
growers feel quite discouraged, 
but the fruit business is one with 
many ups and downs and there is 
no indication of any material 
decrease in production next year. 
Occasional growers may be too 
hard pressed financially to give 
their orchards proper care, but 
sales of spraying equipment seem 
to be as good as usual. The crop 
of 1923 was in most cases moderate 
a little way from thriving industrial 
cities. In the immediate neighborhood of large particularly true in the abandoned farm sections, and most trees have a good set of fruit buds. The 
cities farmhouses are fully occupied. In some Reporters list a 2 per cent, increase in acreage outlook is therefore for an average crop of fruits, 
cases the occupants are working in the cities and of potatoes. Potatoes paid rather better than except raspberries, which have been seriously 
most farm crops in 1923 and a somewhat larger affected by diseases. 
acreage is to be expected—and would seem de- DAIRYING. The situation is exceedingly 
sirable. A moderate increase in cabbage, canning complicated and on the whole discouraging to 
crops and other vegetables is also a probability, producers. The Dairymen’s League, which 
represents about 60,000 dairymen in 
the farms are not tilled, but in general the rela 
tively high price of vegetables has caused a de 
mand for good trucking land near the cities.- 
The abandonment of farms does not cause a 
corresponding decrease in the total 
acres of crops, because even in the 
remote and unproductive sections most 
of the hay is cut by neighbors. 
According to Professor Warren’s 
estimates the number of people living 
on the farms of this State was as 
follows: 
January, 1917. .898,000 
January, 1918.858,000 
January, 1919.824,000 
January, 1920 (U. S. Census)800,747 
January, 1921.785,000 
January, 1922.794,000 
January, 1923.762,000 
January, 1924.741,000 
FARM LABOR. So many farmers 
are earning less than the wages of a 
competent hired man that there is 
little demand for farm labor this 
spring. Some farmers complain that 
it is impossible to find men who want 
to work on farms, but in general the 
slight “easing up” in industrial em¬ 
ployment in the cities has made it less 
difficult to secure farm labor. 
CROP ACREAGE. With allow¬ 
ance for causes of bias, the reports 
wdiich I have been receiving regarding 
the expected acreage of crops show a 
rather small change from last year. 
Wheat and rye will be reduced on 
account of the low price of grain and 
the small demand for rye straw. This 
decrease will be about offset by an 
increase in the acreage of spring grain. 
A slight increase in the acreage de¬ 
voted to corn is almost universally 
reported as the acreage planted last 
year was lower than usual. A 2 per 
cent, increase in buckwheat is reported 
as expected, but it is not likely to 
materialize. Beans have been profit- 
‘able the last few years and will prob¬ 
ably be showing a further increase. 
The 10 per cent, increase reported 
Average Prices, at The Farm, of Representative 
Products 
Month Ending February 1, 1924. 
A 
CTUAL prices received at the farm by producers. Average of reports 
covering the United States, weighted according to relative importance 
of county and State. Figures compiled by Division of Crop and Live-stock 
Estimates of this Bureau. Quotations in dollars or cents. 
Shows 1913, year ago, 
and latest available 
months. 
Feb. 
Feb. 
Jan. 
Feb , 
1913 
1923 
1924 
1924 
Cotton, per lb. 
11.8 
26.8 
32.5 
31.4 
Corn, per bu. 
.cts 
51.4 
72.5 
73.6 
76.5 
Wheat, per bu. .. 
80.2 
104.4 
96.7 
98.0 
Hay, per ton . 
.$ 
10.74 
12.04 , 
13.59 
s 13.60 
Potatoes, per bu. 
.cts 
52.6 
64.2 
86.4 
88.1 
Oats, per bu. 
32.8 
42.4 
43.4 
45.4 
Apples, per bu. 
.cts 
78.4 
142.3 
121.3 
125.0 
Beef cattle, per 100 lbs. 
.$ 
5.55 
5.55 
5.38 
5.47 
Hogs, per 100 lbs. 
.$ 
7.17 
7.65 
6.59 
6.54 
Eggs, per dozen. 
.cts 
21.1 
29.9 
35.4 
33.6 
Butter, per lb.. 
.cts 
27.6 
42.0 
44.9 
44.4 
Wool, per lb. 
. y cts 
18.7 
35.3 
36.6 
37.5 
Veal calves, per 100 lbs 
.$ 
7.23 
8.37 
8.36 
8.51 
Lambs, per 100 lbs. . 
. $ 
6.34 
10.83 
10.19 
10.53 
The month’s trend was slightly upward in case of the crops, except cotton; 
likewise in case of the animal products except butter and eggs. Hog 
prices usually advance somewhat in February; this year they barely man¬ 
aged to hold their own through that month. 
Products higher than the general price level still included cotton, wool, 
eggs and butter. Products below the general price level included potatoes 
corn, wheat, hay, beef cattle, hogs. This situation was identical with the 
previous month, except that eggs have dropped behind wool in order oi 
relative price. 
this State, pools the milk of about 
40,000 members. It sells the milk at 
various prices according to the purpose 
for which the milk is used. Thus 
March milk located 201 miles from 
New York City and containing 3 per 
cent, butterfat w r as sold by the Dairy¬ 
men’s League at the following prices: 
To be sold as 
fluid milk. . . 
Used for cream 
(A 11 a d d i - 
tional $.10 
is charged 
if the skim- 
m i l'k i s 
utilized) 
Used for con¬ 
densed milk 
Used for butter 
and cheese. 
March, 
mb 
$2.33 
per 100 lbs. 
2.10 
March. 
1923 
$2.80 
2.50 
2.00 
Price depends on mar¬ 
ket price of products. 
Part of the milk is handled in plants 
belonging to the League. The receipts 
for all milk sold are pooled and the 
producers receive a uniform price 
except for differentials for butterfat, 
distance from New York, etc. / 
The formation of the League in its 
present form w r as due largely’ to the 
belief of daiiymen that control of the 
fluid milk supply would enable them 
to secure a larger price. However, the 
attempt of the League to maintain a 4 
price of milk for other purposes has 
resulted in severe competition lor the 
fluid milk market. It has also caused 
competitors to hunt up new sources 
of supply. At the same time the 
building of concrete roads and the 
increased use of motor trucks have 
{Continued on page 438) 
