SIX MEDFORD (OREGON) MAIL TRIBUNE
Tuesday. May 17. 1953 f
American Farms (Disappearing
(Editor' Note: Throughout the na
tion, the number of farms has de
creased while the size of farm units
has expanded. L. S. Department of
Agriculture figures show there are
1.389.0D0 fewer farms today than in
li35. TheJ-'nited res made a survey
to determine reasons for this trend.
This is the recond of two dispatthes
on the survey.
By FRANK L. SPENCER
United Press Correspondent
Chicago iU.Pj American
farmers are doing such a good
job that farms are 'disappear
mg. This country lost 1,389,000
farms in the past 20 years. 57.
000 of them last year. We'll
probably lose more. Although
there is some disagreement,
most authorities seem to feel it's
a good things.
Parke C. Brinkley, Virginia's
commissioner of agriculture, ex
plains the trend this way:
"When I took over operation
of our family farm in Nanse
mond County 20 years ago, it
took nine men to work a little
over 100 acres. Today, with new
methods, new feeds, new fer
tilizers, new insecticide and new
machinery, the same farm is
being worked by two and one
half men and we are producing
more than we did 20 years ago."
Brinkley said yields per acre
of corn have increased 60 per
cent in the past 15 years in Vir
ginia; tobacco yields have in
creased 50 per cent, wheat 33
per cent and peanuts 50 per cent.
Mechanization A Factor
Virginia farmers also are pro
ducing 20 per cent more hogs,
30 per cent more milk, 60 per
cent more cattle and 35 per cent
more eggs than they did in 1940,
he noted.
In the same period, he added
"Virginia's population which
lives and earns its living on the
farm has dropped from more
than one-third to a little over
one-fifth."
At the time Brinkley took
over his family's Virginia farm,
in 1935, there were 83,400 farms
in South Dakota, averaging 446
acres apiece. Now there are 18,
400 fewer South Dakota farms
and the average is 677 acres
apiece.
Howard Anderson, South Da
kota's assistant secretary of agri
culture, said that because of
mechanization farmers must
have more land to pay for the
machines.
Dewey O. Boston, Pennsylva
nia federal-state agricultural
statistician, said the family type
of farm is on the way out in that
state. A farmer starting out these
days must have enough land to
justify the use of the machines
which he must have for eco
nomical production.
Heavy Investment
Boster said that a farmer to
day must have equipment cost
ing from S20.000 to $25,000 to
get a return on his investment
and must operate a sufficient
acreage to bring a profitable re
turn. A Georgia agricultural expert
said the "average farmer" now
has an investment of 550,000 to
$60,000.
Chancellor Clifford M. Hardin
of the University of Nebraska
said that, in addition to capital"
and farming skill, any young
man launching a farm career
today must have "office" ability.
"The average operator 10
years from now will spend far
more time with so-called office
work than he does now," Hardin
said. "He will or he won't be in
business."
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j Officials of the Farmers Union
i in Minnesota also believe the
! family-sized farm may be dis
I appearing, but Farm Bureau of
ficials saw the trend as an indi
cation that mechanization is per
mitting farmers to handle an in
creased acreage more economi
cally. Independent farm economists
in Minnesota seemed to agree
with the Farm Bureau and added
that there now are fewer hired
hands, indicating that family
units are able to do more with
out outside help than was pos-
; sible previously.
L. C. Carpenter, Missouri s
commissioner of agriculture,
said he isn't sure the trend in
fewer, bigger farms is "advan
tageous to the country as a
whole."
Average Farmer Older
"If there is ever a lessening of
activity in industry, including
defense plants, there will be un
employment," Carpenter said.
"This means people will go back
to the farms in many cases to
earn only a marginal living."
But Math Dahl, Nort Dakota's
commissioner of agriculture,
doubted the trend would mean
an "adverse effect on the econ
omy." The long-range effect.
Dahl said, may be a shortage of
farm workers, and "it takes
workers to run the machines."
John White, Texas' agricul
ture commissioner, said there
was a "crisis of sorts" approach
ing in the comparative shortage
of young men on the farm.
"The average farmers today,"
White said, "is considerably
older than the age average of
1914. More and more young men
growing up or the farm are
choosing careers in business and
professional fields. We need
continual replacements of young
people who are trained in agri
culture and not men who turn
to the farm after failing in other
enterprises."
The farmer's son of 1955 prob
ably has less reason to leave the
farm than did his dad and grand
dad, a United Press survey on
agricultural trends disclosed.
One set of statistics may point
this up. In 1920 there were 5,697
tractors on Pennsylvania farms.
In 1950 there were 125,907.
Machines Work Longer
Brinkley said that 95 per cent
of the farms in Virginia have
electricity and nearly have of
them have pressure water sys
tems. Three out of five of them
have electric washers, one in
five has a home freezer and one
in four a television set, he said.
Joseph W. Kilgallen, secretary
of the New York state's depart
ment of . agriculture and mar
kets, said 12.9 per cent of New
York's farms had electric lights
in 1920, In 1950 the figure was
93.8 per cent. j
In another department, the !
U. S. Department of Agriculture
said the ' average net per farm
income in 1925 was $962 an
nually. Last year it was $2,209.
But there was disagreement on
work hours. Minnesota agricul
tural authorities said machines
haVe brought shorter hours to
the farm.
Dahl said, hpwever, that the
machines brought longer hours
to North Dakota farms. "Horses
could only be worked so many j
nours a day, uan saia. Ma
chines can go all night.'
Elroy Hawes, Massachusetts'
agricultural commissioner, said
today's farmer works just as
hard a his dad and granddad who
toiled in the pre-tractor era.
But Hawes added that there
soon would be a mechanical
revolution on the farms that will
make the McCormick reaper
"look pale."
Effects of Blasts
Studied by Device
Chicago (U.R) The largest
laboratory device yet developed
for simulating the blasts from
bombs has been designed at
Armour Research Foundation of
the Illinois Institute of Technol
ogy. The instrument is called a
"shock tube." It allows engineers
to study the effects of blasts
without actually exploding a
bomb.
The new shock tube has a six
foot diameter. Arne M. Wieder
mann, associate engineer in pro
pulsion and structural research,
said it is by far the largest yet
developed in this country.
The tube, built in nearby Gary,
Ind., for the Air Force, has an
over-all length of 150 feet.
A certain amount of combus
tible gas is introduced into one
section of the tube and is con
fined by a light diaphragm. The
diaphragm is shattered when the
gas is ignited and the released
pressure wave travels down the
tube to a test section, where a
model of a building has been ;
placed.
The resulting forces are re
corded with electronic equipment.
Back Stairs: Adams Takes Up Golf
By MERRIMAN SMITH
United Press
White House Writer
Washington (U.R) Back
stairs at the White House:
Sherman Adams, the assistant
to the President, and his wife
have taken up golf seriously.
They play together frequently
on a small course near the sol
diers' home here in the late aft
ernoons. Adams, ihe former governor
of New Hampshire, is a great be
liever in exercise the year
around. When his busy schedule
will permit, he sometimes slips
away on winter week ends for
skiing and skating.
MORE GARAGES
Chicago (U.R) Construction
on the last of Chicago's 10 multi
level garages being built in the
city's S50.000.000 off - street
parking program will begin
soon. Plans call for a four-level
structure of reinforced -concrete
with a capacity of 261 cars. It
will be of the ramp type with
open walls. The city - owned
garages offer both self-parking
and attendant parking facilities.
Vice - President Richard M.
Nixon reports that his golf has
been suffering from overwork.
Nixon hasn't been playing as
much as he would like to, and
consequently, his form has be
come a trifle rusty. The Presi
dent is keeping in shape with
frequent afternoon practice ses
sions on the White House
grounds.
The National Geographic So
ciety estimates that more than
50,000 people will visit Presi
dent Eisenhower's Scottish cas
tle this year.
Culzean pronounced cul-lane
Castle was given to Mr. Eisen
hower in 1945 by the British
government in recognition of his
leadership of the Allied armies.
Actually, only a relatively small
apartment is reserved for the
President in the castle which has
crumbled somewhat against the
ravages of time and the weather
of Scotland.
The castle took 20 years to
build and was completed in the
late 18th century. The Chief
Executive has visited his Scot
ish property twice once in 1946
and again in 1951. When Mrs.
Eisenhower saw the castle for
the first time, she said it was
"just like a fairy castle, the kind
we read about in Grimm's story
book."
Where will the Big Four meet
ing be? The President isn't say
ing just yet, but an official of a
Swiss airline has been In confer
ence at the White House recent
ly, escorted by representatives
of Eastern Air Lines.
All the big air carriers will be
trying for some of the business
in connection with the Big Four
conference, wherever it may be
held.
There were something like 200
news personnal at the Bermuda
Big Three meeting in late 1953.
A European meeting of the Big
Four undoubtedly will attract
closer to 11,000 newsmen and re
lated personnel.
Mr. Eisenhower was deeply
moved by a prayer he heard the
other night at the dedication of a
new Jewish temple here. The
rabbi read:
"Cause us. O Lord our God, to
lie down each night in peace and
to awaken each morning to re
newed life and strength. Spread
over us the tabernacle of Thy
peace. Help us to order our lives
by Thy counsel and lead us in
the paths of righteousness.
"Be Thou a shield about us,
New Haven, Conn! "
Minnie Landau, 65, didn't plan
it, but she easily thwarted a hold
up of her grocery. Two timid
teenaged bandits fled without
taking anything when she fainted.
protecting us from hate and war,
from pestilence and sorrow.
Curb Thou also within us the in
clination to do evil, and shelter
us beneath the shadow of Thy
winds. Guard our going out and
our coming in unto . life and
peace from this time and forever-more."
Rubber. Crossing Eases
Bumps for Motorists
Akron, O. (U.R) --"'s
a railroad crossing her,.
motorists don't mind driv.
over at all. It's the first rubber
one in the world, installed over
the main track of the Erie Rail
road. Engineers predicted that the
new use for rubber would elim
inate one of the major irritations
of motorists. The rubber slabs
form a watertight wedge to the
rails.
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