Agricultural Production Compared with Railway Traffic in Farm Products During the Depression

Excerpts from the Introduction: During the depression the railroads have become less and less important in the disposal of farm products. Farmers have reduced their production of most products only moderately, while the tonnage of many of these products originated by the railways has declined more severely. In some cases, farmers have actually produced larger crops, while the tonnage received by the railroads has declined. A survey of the facts as to the divergence between farm production and railway traffic follows. discussion of crops for which such a discrepancy is noted is presented first. This is followed by a discussion of cases in which no significant divergence has occurred. In both cases the commodities are discussed in the order in which they are listed in Freight Commodity Statistics. The discussion of each is indicated by the reference numeral and class description employed in that publication. A summary comparison for all commodities studied is added.