Show Fascists Squeeze Soil Soils For Greater Crops Cops s Editor Editors note With a look at M the Kalian Italian farm problem Richard G. G Massock Mas- Mas sock cOD concludes lude hi Jill his three part on wartime Ital Italy By RICHARD G. G MASSOCK l ROME Correspondence of the Special News Service Service- Service Service- Italy has embarked on a campaign campaign campaign cam cam- of intensive land cultivation cultivation cultivation with better farming methods in an attempt to squeeze from her thin soil more food for Germany as well as asto asto asto to feed her own people Neutral observers have estimated estimated estimated esti esti- mated that Italy is supplying Germany with one-fourth one or more of her fruit crops one- one fourth of her cheese third one-third of her olive oil and one-eighth one of her huge tomato output Italy has agreed to ship stillmore still stillmore stillmore more foodstuffs to Germany this year particularly v vegetables e g get e t a bias and fruits Seek sufficiency Self Italian agriculture producing 90 per cent of the he nations nation's food therefore is striving toward complete sufficiency self by increasing increasing in increasing in- in creasing its food crops and also its livestock raising to give the country meat and fats Wheat ranks janks first as the es essential essential es- es crop Last years year's production production production pro pro- was estimated at bushels quin quintals which were considered almost almost al almost al- al most adequate for Italy's needs But with the crop depending on the weather and other variable factors agricultural experts are urging measures to grow more wheat as better assurance of the bread and spaghetti supply They are ae calling for more Intensive intensive in intensive in- in cultivation of hilly land and mountainside where the average yield of abo about 17 to 20 bush bushels ls an acre to 14 quintals quintals quintals quin quin- per per hectare is considered too low The use of seed varieties varie ties better adapted to high al al- al is recommended along with terracing and better fer fer- Urging More Corn Agricultural authorities also are urging the raising of more corn now mixed with wheat in flour milling more rice potatoes potatoes potatoes pota pota- toes and beans The olive oil goal is about tons 3 quintals as compared to an estimated production now of about tons quintals Much of the desired increase in Italian food crops is expected expect expect- ed to come from more intensive and extensive cultivation of land landin landin landin in southern Italy where more than acres one million million mil rail lion hectares are estimated to tobe tobe tobe be idle A big start already has been made toward breaking up the great landed estates in Sicily into small farms for colonization and better cultivation More than 2590 such f farms r s with houses have been created To Live on Own O Plots Where the peasants were ac accustomed accustomed ac- ac accustomed to living in crowded rural centers and going to work on scattered fields of big es estates estates estates es- es tates they are to live henceforth on their own plots of land With more forage crops called for in the plan to raise more livestock Sicilians are being urged to rotate their grain crops with forage crops and plow up poor pasture land to sow withfield with withfield withfield field beans chick peas and len len- By raising forage which can be stored in silos the Sicilians would be able under the new farm plans to feed livestock during the long dry spell each summer which has burnt up what pasturage existed in the past |