Newspaper Page Text
TO RELIEVE MEAT SCARCITY
Government Experts Declare
Small Farmer Can Solve
Problem.
FULLY realizing the meat scarcity
with which the United States is
confronted, experts of the de
partment of agriculture ure put
ting their heads together in an effort to
get at the root of the trouble aud sug
gest the remedy. While they know
that the law of supply and demand has
something to do with the present
scarcity, another factor is directly
blamed for the shortage in the meat
production. This time It is put on the
packing houses, for the institution of
these meat centers caused the small
butchers around many cities to give up
slaughtering and to buy from the cen
tral depots.
The only way to settle the meat ques
tion. say these experts, is to look to
the small farmers. They must he en
?ouraged to use their waste lands—
lands that cannot be used profitably
for the raising of crops—to again
raise cattle. To encourage them there
must be a market provided where they
can sell their stock with profit, for no
one can expect them to go 'to the
trouble of producing the beef cattle
unless they are certain of a ready mar
ker, and tills feature is lacking as a
result of the growth of range breeding
in the west and the consequent estab
lishment of central markets. These
central markets will now take cattle
only in large lots, and this brings
about the question of co-operation
among the farmers in a community.
They can grow cattle in small lots
and then by combining the small
units can ship in carloads to the cen
tral markets, suggest the experts of
the department.
Imports Not Dependable.
While some meat is beginning to
come in from foreign countries to help
us out in the meat supply, it is said,
further, the people of the United States
should not depend on these imports,
for there are other countries which are
bidding for the supply and can use just
as much as the United States.
Getting down to the packing house
question, a bulletin just issued by the
department says that “before the days
of the packing house each locality pro
duced its own meat. The packing
house with artificial refrigeration made
made it possible to ship dressed meat
long distances. Live stock produced
on the range and finished on cheap
corn supplied the packers with cheap
meat, with which they soon captured
the markets of the country. The local
butchers stopped butchering and began
to handle the packers’ meats. This
destroyed the local markets for live
animals, and as a result the produc
tion of beef in the older farming sec
tions was practically discontinued, and
the production of other meat animals
was greatly reduced."
Change In Situation.
However, the department experts
know that in recent years the high
price of corn and the reduction in the
area of the range has wrought a great
change in the live stock situation. At
present the meat supply is'decreasing,
and the consumption is increasing.
This situation has forced upon us a
problem which cannot be met in but
■one way. they say. and that is more
live stock must he produced upon
farms. Two things, they continue, are
necessary to induce the fanner to pro
duce live stock—first, tie must have a
ready market for his animals, whether
few or many, and, second, he must be
able to realize a profit on their produc
'd on.
When the farms become the main
source of our meat supply, as seems
inevitable, it Is said much economy
will be gained where each community
produces its own meat supply. Under
such circumstances local slaughtering
of some sort on a scale sufficiently
large to be done economically seems
essential to the greatest economy.
This would tend to steady the market,
as well as to increase the economy of
production, slaughtering and market
ing. £t present, however, the impor
tant consideration Is a good market for
animals In small numbers.
It Is useless to expect the farmers
tp become interested in live stock pro
duction until there is a ready market.
At present the most fundamental fac
tor in profitable meat production is the
cost of pasturage and feed. The ranges
of the west are falling ofT in meat pro
duction because their areas are de
creasing.
Solution With Small Farmer.
The farming sections have more sur
plus feed than the ranges, but they
have not the pastures. If this falling
off in the range pasturage were rg-
People Advised It Is Useless
to Depend on Import
ed Food.
placed by pasturage of better quality
on the farms and if suitable markets
for the farms were created it is rea
sonable to conclude. It is declared, that
the normal production of live stock
would be restored. That will depend
very largely upon the cost of the farm
pastures. continue the experts.
While admitting that the solution of
the meat problem lies with the small
farmer, the department experts de
clare that he is doing little to improve
his pasturage. It will be quite ex
pensive at first, but after the first ex
pense the cost of maintenance, they
declare, will be almost negligible.
Little is known as to the best meth
ods of improving these waste lands.
There are declared to be many difficult
problems involved, as. for example,
how best to remove or destroy the
brush, what is the best treatment of
the soil for grass, the best iSixtures of
grass for certain conditions of soil and
climate, the best systems of grazing,
the best way to prevent the growth of
weeds, etc.
These and similar problems must be
solved for each locality, and in but few
places have they received much atten
tion. A large amount of information
is needed, but little is declared to be
available since but few investigations
in this line have been made. As to the
possibility of converting a very large
per cent of these waste lands into per
manent pastures there is little doubt,
but as to the cost of doing it little is
known, according to the department of
agriculture.
Pastures a Necessity.
However that may be. the establish
ment of these pastures seems to be a
necessity in "order to put the live stock
of this country on a sound basis. The
farms of this country are declared to
have almost unlimited possibilities for
live stock production. If the farmers
can be shown how to produce live
stock at a reasonable profit and how to
get a ready market for it when it is
produced, they will furnish all the
meat that is needed.
Taking up the question of the high
cost of meat the department of agri
culture aims a passing shot at the
methods in the United States of dis
tributing the meat through a long line
of middlemen In this fashion:
“An important reason why farmers
produce less meat than formerly is to
be found in the system of distribution
from producer to consumer that has
grown up in this country. In most of
the countries of Europe public abat
toirs have been constructed to which
farmers may consign their fat stock,
the meat from which is then sold to
the consumer without passing through
the hands of an interminable line of
middlemen.
Frices Not Adequate.
“In this country the farmer receives
only a small fraction of the price paid
by the consumer. Enormous packing
establishments have monopolized the
business, and there is little or no com
petition in buying the farmer’s stock.
The enormous fortunes that have
grown up in this business in recent
years show that the farmer has not
been getting his fail share of the prof
its.
“Again, the retail meat business as
at present conducted in cities renders
enormous profits necessary. Numerous
small groceries, each with its independ
ent delivery system, clerks, fixtures,
etc., each serve a few patrons scatter
ed over considerable overlapping areas.
“Better organization of the retail
business, whereby It shall be conduct
ed In larger units, with well system
atized methods of delivery, are seri
ously needed. Such organization
•should greatly lessen the retail price
of meats, and at the same time per
mit the fanner to receive better [trices.
This would encourage greater produc
tion.
“Private organizations for the sys
tematizing of the retailing of meats,
without public supervision, will not
meet the situation. Such organizations
have already grown up in the retail
milk business, but instead of cheapen
ing the product to consumers, or in
creasing the price to producers, they
have converted the saving thus ef
fected Into exorbitant profits. Public
abattoirs, with public sale of the meats
of animals slaughtered at them, have
become a crying need in this country.”
Summing Up Suggestions.
Summing up Its suggestions for in
creasing the meat supply, the bulletin
says:
“Our meat supply can be maintained
or even increased in the following
ways: .
beef cattle were raised were common.
The rise in value of land and the in
crease In the price of corn caused
pastures to be plowed tip and the beef
cows disposed of. A reaction is now
setting in which promises to become
Important. A similar movement Is
noticeable In the eastern and New Eng
land states. Success depends on the
utilization of pastures and diet.,. rough
age.
“By raising sheep more extensively
in the corn belt and in eastern states
The Importance of the wool Industry
causes farmers to overlook the value
of sheep for mutton and as weed
destroyers. A small flock of sheep of
one of the mutton breeds should be
kept on every farm to graze the road
ways. the stubble fields after grain Is
cut. and the cornfields after the corn
is full grown. Both wool and lf\mbs
are salable."
Free, Free, Free
It pays to trade with Dr. J. T.
Wages Drug Company, and Red
Cross Pharmacy, the R/ixall
Stores. Next Saturday they will
give free with each 25c cash pur
chase one box (2 bars) good toil
et soap ; with each 50c cash pur
chase one hox (3 bars) good toil
et soap, and with each SI.OO cash
purchase one best made Venician
Bath Tablet.
Stoves. Ranges and Heaters
ALL SIZES
We have them at reasonable prices. We ha /e Heaters
for small offices and large store rooms. You are in
vited to eaxmine them and get price before buying.
it Jhß
WE ALSO HAVE THREE
DISC REVERSABLE PLOWS
and a big stock of one and two-horse turners that were slightly smoked
in the fire that we are offering at a good price. -
YOU MUST SEE THEM
CJM^^ —^ tm <m>*mmtmmmm -■ mmm*mmmmmm mmm jmmmm mmwmm mm mmmmmwmmmmtmmmmmmmwmmwmamm
Woodruff Hardware Company
Winder, ... - Georgia.
rrr tn rzrci a.
We have it; you need it.
Now is the time sow grain
and we handle the best
grain Fertilizer on the mar
ket. Analysis 10:2:4.
WINDER OIL MILL,
Winder, Georgia.
' 111 '—■■■■■■' ■■ " !. ■_ *!
STOP! LOOK!! LISTEN!!!
Is your business as big as you want it? If so, sell
cut, you are not progressive. If it is not, plant a
little advertising seed and watch it grow. Try it.
ALL STYLES