Judge, 1932-03-05 · page 9 of 36
Judge — March 5, 1932 — page 9: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Unlucky Strike This two-panel Judge page satirizes early 20th-century American agricultural anxieties through rural dialogue. The main cartoon depicts a farmer's complaint about discovering oil on his property—a reversal of fortune that appears disastrous. Two farmers discuss crop failures, falling cabbage prices (seven dollars a ton), failed irrigation schemes, and rotting produce. The punchline: engineers discovered oil reserves on the farmer's land, which he views as a curse rather than blessing. The satire mocks rural skepticism toward sudden wealth and modernization—the farmer prefers familiar agricultural problems to unexpected industrial development disrupting his way of life. The smaller cartoon shows children playing with oversized pumpkins, captioned "Papa went down to see about a walrus"—a non-sequitur joke with unclear satirical intent. The page reflects Judge's urban, educated audience mocking rural conservatism and resistance to economic change during the oil boom era.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
TDGE Unlucky Strike VV tte Steves you're sure lookin’ glu, son.” What's wrong? Crops pannin’ out bad or sumpin? “Worse 'n that, Abner. [just heard the gol dangdest bit of news that ever came my way in’ forty years of | farmin’,”” | “Don't tell me, old-timer. [know how it is myself... . Never thought Vd live to see the day when cabl sold for seven dollars a ton, Don’t it beat all tarnation? And you with five ndred acres all laid out!” “T's even worse than that. pard- | ner. You recall what [ told you about ' those engineers out at my pl nd | how they went over the ground “LT know what you're goin’ to say. Don't let em, that’s all. There ain't one of those irrigatin’ schemes worth a bushel of wheat Stop a minute, Abner; they wasn't irrigatin’, by gum, It’s worse “n that. Here Tam with my barns full of wheat I can’t sell and vegetables rot- ting in the fields, and what do those two ga and do, d'ye reckon?” rots 2 Tell me, for Pete's sakes.” “They go and find oil all over my farm! “Don’t it beat h—I how 1 luck will follow a man in the farmin’ game !!" Rex Deast ri, throw out my blonde—'n’ I'll go home ” comicbooks.com