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Show Hlivestocle 2i r The best minds of agriculture have! for many years been attempting- to solve the troubles that seem to beset those engaged in agriculture. There .. has been made or less idle talk yetl the fact that agriculture is in need of relief is a matter beyond question. The editor of a western newspaper comes forth with the thought that the key to the puzzle is likely to be found so simple 'that it would have come long ago if we had not lost out-selves out-selves in the woods trying to find a tree.' He then goes on to point out that agriculture as a whole has never been satisfactory unless the livestock business was profitable, and that the" present tendency towards agricultural recovery was not notice lble until values val-ues of livestock had reached higher levels. As a matter of fact, western agriculture agri-culture and western business depend to a great extent on the prosperity of the livestock business. Livestock has always been and probably always will be the best means of marketing our grain and forage crops and without that means of transportation and marketing, mar-keting, the farmer must resort to artificial art-ificial methods of disposition of his crops, resulting, in the end, in a substantial sub-stantial decrease in his income; hence, in his purchasing power. An import- ant feature in this connection lies in the fact that off-grade hay and grain may be utilized to the best advantage when fed to livestock whereas if sold on the market, a material reduction would be made in the price. Even the cotton farmer depends, to a great extent, ex-tent, upon the stockman, because cottonseed cot-tonseed cake and meal constitute important livestock feeds and these by-products have much to do with making cotton production profitable. We can go on almost without end, pointing out the connection between ivestock and profitable crop produc-ion produc-ion either as the most available neans of maintaining soil fertility or he best way to market our crops. Then, too, a scarcity of livestock s likely to encourage the use of land "or agricultural crops coming in direct di-rect competition with land already levoted to that purpose, and producing produc-ing enough to meet all practical needs. In many cases, the land is not suited to anything but pasture with the result that it produces a ow grade product sold, however, in competition with the best quality, and reducing the price levels all along the line. When it is generally realized that livestock production occupies an important place in the agricultural setup, there is little doubt that conditions con-ditions may become more stabilized. There is too much of a disposition :n the western areas to specialize in certain crops. Too many land owners hope to make a 'killing' by planting a specialty crop, which has a limited market, resulting in over-production and the inevitable price slump. When we begin to recognize that agriculture is a business, selecting and continuing continu-ing to produce on certain lands adapt-scl adapt-scl to such use, a commodity for which there is a constant demand, we will then begin- to stabilize. Our whole business structure is based upon the law of average so that the 'in and outer" and the fellow who seeks the highest prevailing price on a specialized commodity is, in most cases, courting disaster as well as disturbing our whole scheme of production pro-duction and distribution. When it is generally understood that cattle, hogs and sheep offer a practical means of soil fertility and farm diversification, diversifica-tion, then agriculture as a whole may become more profitable. Farm relief would seem to lie in producing stable crops and in producing quality products. pro-ducts. Poor quality foods, whether we refer to meat, fruits or what not, are always to hardest to sell. Livestock Live-stock on the smaller farms will provide pro-vide the fertilization which will do much towards producing such quality products. Then, too, n HL-cticm which in i m-poilinK m-poilinK largo antunnlK of a Hlaplr commodity which can ju- t us well In' urowri nt home is cmiting a yrc-.tt. economic wa.sli'. For instance, the importation of millions of dulhu-.i worth of hogs and pork products from the middle west is economically unsound, un-sound, when there is plenty of feed nnd plenty of room for tho growing and feeding of hogs on the Pacific Const witli the nifjst favorable climatic cli-matic conditions. ' Furm relief will undoubtedly will come only when agriculture tiikes stock of itself. The government can help through the dissemination of reliable re-liable crop and market Information and through valuable aid in teaching us to grow better products. Livestock production and feeding is important to the average agriculturist because it is a means of cash Income the year around, instead of cashing In only once a year, as is the case with most farm crops. o |