AGRICULTURAL MARKETING REVOLVING FUND 9
creased use of wheat within the country, or we may reduce produc-
tion to the quantity which can be used within the country, which, 1
believe, can be done.
Mr. Ayres. Do you not think that it is a rather difficult propo-
sition to go out into communities in the wheat country, where they
can not produce anything else, and urge that reduction? It may be
that they can not produce anything else. There are many localities
of that kind in the United States, and to say to those people, “ You
have to reduce your wheat acreage,” is a little hard.
Mr. Lecce. I do not find it so. I have been out into practically
every wheat-growing State and have talked to the people collectively.
in large groups, and here is the reasoning that was given: “If the
last 20 per cent of wheat you grow only results in your getting less
financial return for your crop, why grow it?” We say to them,
* What benefit is it to you to go on raising that extra 20 per cent
if, by doing so, you lower the price for your whole production ?
Mr. Ayres. As you know, there are sections of the country where
they can produce practically nothing but wheat.
Mr. Lecee. There are a few such sections but not many.
Mr. Ayres. There are some wheat-producing States that can, per-
haps, produce flax. That can be done in some of the far northern
States, and no doubt those people could afford to reduce their wheat
acreage and produce something else. I think it is a serious question,
whether you could persuade wheat producers in many localities of
the United States to decrease their wheat acreage when they have
land that can be used for no other crop.
The Cramrman. Take the State of Kansas, for instance; Kansas
is recognized as being the largest wheat-producing State in the
Union, but Kansas can also produce corn. .
Mr. Ayres. We can not. I have been there for 50 years. There
was a time when they could produce corn, but there are many sec-
tions of Kansas now where they can scarcely produce anv corn
Mr. Tayior. Why? }
Mr. Ayres. Simply because of the lack of moisture. There are
parts of Kansas that are as good corn-producing sections as we have
in the country, and the average shows a fairly good production in
those parts of the State, but if you take certain localities, in middle
and south Kansas, those are not corn-producing sections. You can
aot produce flax there, and there is no longer any need of producing
alfalfa, because we can not feed that to tractors and Ford auto-
mobiles. Therefore, there is only one thing left for them to produce
'n those sections, and that is wheat.
Mr. Bacox. Do you have any authority to offer money or finan-
cial help to aid farmers in putting in other crops?
Mr. Lecee. We have no authority in the law for that. I would
like to follow your question up a little bit, Mr. Ayres. We have
ooth known Kansas for at least 50 years. I know I have known it
that long. In Kansas, as you know, we met with a good deal of
local opposition to any such proposals as we made. Yet, notwith-
standing that, J. C. Mohler is out with a statement that Kansas
acreage is 6 per cent down this year. That is against a record for
the five previous years of practically 10 per cent per year increase.
There was an increase of practically 10 per cent per annum in the
five preceeding vears. So since the tide is turnine from an increase of