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Show HIGH PRICES PROTECTION I FOR LOSS IN PRODUCTION Car Shortage During Fallj Most Serious in History of Gem State. 1917 Government Crop Report for Idaho. A summary of estimates of crop production by the bureau of crop estimates es-timates for Idaho for 1017 by the United State3 department of agriculture, agricul-ture, is as follows: Wheat, bushels, this year, 13. SU,-iXXi; SU,-iXXi; production la-st year, December estimate, 15.071.Ouu. Oats, bushels, this year, 13,040.000; 'wr production last year, December esti-r esti-r mate. 13,330,000. Barley, bushels, this year, 5.R-0.0OO; pioduction last year, December estimate, esti-mate, 7.410,000. Potatoes, bushels, this year. 6,160,-000; 6,160,-000; production last year, December estimaie, 4,050.000. All hay, tons, this year, 2,337.000; production last year, December -estimate, 1,946.000. Apples, agricultural crop, barrels of three bushels, this year, 7io,000; production pro-duction last vear, December estimate, 147,000. The first price Riven below is the average on November 1, this year, and tile second the average on November No-vember 1, last year; Wheat, per bushel. S1.S2 and 51.34. Corn, per bushel. $1.S0 and Hoc. Oats, per bushel, 71c and 46c' Potatoes, per bushel. 73c and H.0S. i Hay, per ton, $1,6.40 and $10.70. Egss, per dozen, 43c and 36c. Cioo shipments in 1&17 were: Cars of hay, 5000. Cars of potatoes, 6.j00. Cars of wheat. 5500. Cars of oats. 1000. Cars of barley, 500. Cars of peas. 400. Cars of beans, 150. Cars of clover, fifty. Cars of alfalfa seed. five. WHILE Idaho produced 1:3,500,-000 1:3,500,-000 bushels of wheat in 1917, it was short 1,500,000 bushels of the 1916 crop, authorities on crop production in this state claim. The oat crop was close to 13,000,000 bushels id the .year just closed, but was 1,500,000 less than the crop produced 1 in 1910. The barley crop was 5 per cent less than during the year previous. The potato crop at the usual time of ripening was close to 40 per cent greater than in 191W, but the early freeze ami shortage of cars greatly reduced it. There was a marked increase in the hay production, the. crop being 20 per cent greater thau in 1916. t The prevailing high prices and' the prospects that they will be maintained V will probably make up for the difference differ-ence in yield and farmers make as much if not more than they did in 1916. The grain crop alone had a valuation of i40,UO0,O00. ' The grain crop was approximately ap-proximately oS.000,000 bushels. Weather Hurt Crops. There were several very good reasons why the yield was cut in the year just closed. The spring was late and the summer long and exceptionally dry. Hitch of the fall sown wheat was frozen out and had to be replanted, with the yield being short as a result. The hot summer hit the dry farm sec tions nai u ami uiinii.u out nun n u, their crop. Karly freezes iu (he fall did nSt improve conditions. In spite of these, reverses the grain crop is, 95 per cent of what it was in 1916 and the potato crop is equal to that of the year previous. Had conditions been favorable, with the increased crop propaganda which influenced growers to cultivate and seed more land, Idaho would have raised the greatest crop in its history. Owing to the shortage in cars to move the crop the growers met with another serious handicap. They claim that is one of the reasons why so large a percentage of potatoes was lost. It takes approximately 35.000 cars to move the southern Idaho crop alone, and the movement is within a sixty-day sixty-day period. The period for crop movement move-ment is too short and it is asserted to be a physical impossibility for the carriers car-riers to' move that number of cars in sixtv days. For this reason the state farm market hurenu is urging growers to provide storage facilities, so that the bulk of the crop can be stored until cars can. bo obtained to move them. Car Shortage Serious. Cinpiestion.'ibly the car shortage in the fall of 1917 was the most serious in the state's history and authorities agree that something must be done to prevent a repetition of it. in 101 S. Growers have become discouraged over the inability to move the produce they raise. In these days when everything irrown can he put to good use, due to the fact half the world is actuallv a non-producer of crops, growers declare it to he a sname ana disgrace cnai what they rajse cannot be moved to those who need it. Radical action to, bring about a better car supply is to lie taken. Not only was there a short- I age in the potato crop due to the inability in-ability to move the cars to shipping points in the numbers needed, but the fruit crop suffered. The carriers are not to blame as much a? has been the general impression. impres-sion. All of the railroads nave reen taxed to their utmost capacity to handle the heavy burdens iu freight and troop movement hroupht about bv the war. They have been at a disadvantage disad-vantage through these extra demands to take care of the demands of much of their territory. It is believed that to bring about a more uniform crop movement either the rolling stock will have to be increased or a different system of car movement worked out. Constitute Problem. The car shortage trouble was principally princi-pally confined to the southern Idaho territory. The crops over this territory ,'oastilute a bigger problem from a ti ausoortation sl;nidpoint each year, for tlicre is more land coming under cultivation annually and greater development. de-velopment. The upper Snake river valley val-ley from Teton to Hear Lake county is becoming one of the greatest po!:iio belts in ;he lnited States. I'otato braising there is carried on along a gi-gsnlie gi-gsnlie scale. It is also the pea growing grow-ing section of the northwest, while its lands are famous for grains and grasses. From Pocatello west to Boise, the southern Idaho country is largely devoted to diversified farming. Seel growing is becoming very profitable and the farming communities are prospering. pros-pering. Vast amounts of hav are also raised. The southeastern portion last year raised the more delicate fruits. Its apple crop in the vear just closed was the biggest in its history. Through the northern section, the' Lcwtston fruit belt raised in the year just closed a big fruit crop, particularly the choicest choic-est of grapes, while the famous Palouse wheat belt there maintained its reputation repu-tation of being one of the most productive pro-ductive grain sections in the count rv. Growers in this state were greatly assisted by the state farm market bureau bu-reau established for that purpose, now in charge of Harvey Allred as director. The object of the department is to promote pro-mote economical and efficient production produc-tion and distribution of all farm commodities, com-modities, to provide the producero with information as to the crops grown and the best to be grown, with the market's mar-ket's demands as to kind, quality, quantity and prices, to aid the producer and consumer in economical and equitable equit-able distribution of all agricultural products, to keep a watchful eye on the methods of purchase, sale and resale re-sale of agricultural products in order that waste, fraud and injustice may be overcome, to promote the welfare of home builders and prevent deception through false statements or advertising of lands and resources of the state, to act as a farm labor bureau, receiving applications for employment and supplying sup-plying labor for the' agriculturalist without cost to the employer or employee, em-ployee, to establish standards for receptacles re-ceptacles for farm products and standards stand-ards for the grading and classification of farm products, with rules governing the marks and brands to be placed on all classified products. Powers Enlarged. The last legislature empowered the bureau with greater responsibilities iu the supervision of the farms of Idaho. During 1917 the department made an earlv survey of the prospective crop conditions of all states entering into competition with Idaho's farm products prod-ucts and thereby was more able to determine de-termine the market demands for the state's crops. Bealizing the necessity of efficient and economical methods of marketing farm products, it has been the policy of the department to recognize particularly the various farm bureaus and farmers' organizations, as one of the most profitable and equitable equit-able means of distribution of farm products as it affects the producer and consumer. , In the spring of 1917, with the profitable prof-itable aid of local conservation committees, com-mittees, the bureau acted as a medium between the purchaser and seller of hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of hav, seeds and needed supplies by which" thousands of head of cattle, horses and sheep were saved. Seed was provided the agriculturalist in every part of the state bv buying and selling direct or by placing the buyer in touch with the seller. The banks in nearly all parts of the state came to the assistance of hundreds of farmers, farm-ers, providing money with which to buy seeds, feed, and in most instances assuming much risk. In the serious situation confronting the farmers because be-cause of the shortage of labor during the year, the bureau, with the aid ot the 'agricultural extension department through the countv agricultural agents, supplied hundreds of laborers from every walk of life that would otherwise' other-wise' not have been available. |
