Judge — February 22, 1908 — page 8: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

This 1908 Judge magazine cartoon depicts a massive donut labeled "CROPS" with text referencing "TOTAL FARM PRODUCTIONS IN U.S. IN 1907" and "EXPORTS EXCEEDED IMPORTS." The donut has a conspicuous hole, labeled "NATURAL RESOURCES" with specific dollar figures ("$15,000,000,000 WORTH OF CROPS"). The satire critiques American agricultural abundance and exports during the early 1900s, likely commenting on either wasteful farming practices or the gap between produced crops and actual profit/resources. The caption "DON'T LOOK AT THE HOLE" suggests the cartoonist wants viewers to ignore the deficit or loss—implying politicians or agricultural interests were deliberately obscuring economic problems beneath statistics about productivity. Artist: Grant E. Hamilton (credited at bottom).