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Show RESIDENTS URGED TO RAISE GARDENTRUGK Farmers Advised to So Diversify Di-versify Crops as to Make Each Section of U. S. Self-sustaining.. WASHINGTON, March 24. A statement state-ment urging that as a patriotic duty city residents transform their yards into gardens and farmers so diversify their crops as to make each section self-sustaining, was issued tonight by Carl Vrooman, assistant secretary of agriculture. The great need in war time, Mr. Yrooman said, -would be a surplus of whj--th which the nation could feed -fd allies. He also declared acreage of soy beans and cow peas ehould be increased in-creased to augment the resources for protein, which in emergency could replace re-place meat for human consumption. Two or three crops of some sort should bo raised during the coming summer, he said, on every vacant square -foot in the cities. If national policy decrees that there should be a big increase in our acreage and yields per acre for food crops, M the statement says, "then the nation as a whole and not the farmers as a class should and must assume the major part of the risk involved. The department is urging each section of the country to become as nearly as practicable agriculturally independent. Good Policy at Any Time. "This is good policy in time of peace and would be a vitally important policy poli-cy in time of war, when our transportation transpor-tation systems necessarily would be chierly occupied with the transportation transporta-tion of soldierB and war supplies. Jn view of the apparent world-wide wheat shortage and present and prospective pros-pective high prices in those parts of the country where spring wheat at nor- : ma I prices is as profitable or almost as ; profitable as oats, farmers would do well to seid a part at least of their normal nor-mal oats acreage to spring wheat. In cae of wu few things would be more important than that the United States should hae on hand a largo surplus of wheat witi which to feed its allies. Duty to Plant Gardens. "It is he patriotic duty of every city boy, jrirl and woman who can to transform ; bis or her yard, or some near bytcant lot into a garden, each squR'yr'oot of which will grow two olsibly three crops during the com- "iig summer. Moreover, the average small farmer and . his family owe it to Hwtsjr country, as well as to themselves, torjiise at least 100 chickens, to keep 1 niiew or more, at least enough hogs for hoN consumption, and perhaps a little bunch of sheep. "The cheapest, ' most profitable and quickest meaus of increasing general production is by the use of lime. There are few sections in the United States without some local supply of limestone, marl or oyster shells. 1 1' every farmer in the country would apply from two to four tons or crushed limestone per acre to all his Bour land our national supply of breadstuffs this year would be augmented by a surprising number of million bushels. " Lubin Sends Plan. ROME, via Paris, March 34, 5 p. m. The United States must devote itself to increased acrricultural production, in the opinion of David Lubin, the American representative in the International Institute Insti-tute of Agriculture hers. Mr. Lubin has sent to President Wilson a plan for food mobilization in case of war, based on the experience of Europe, and aiming' to obtain ob-tain a greater agricultural effort in view of the world's shortage of food, and also to prevent food speculation. To the Associated As-sociated Press, Mr. Lubin said: The first and necessary thing is to plant potatoes, turnips, carrots and corn on farms, and also on every available city lot. The same measures mea-sures should be taken for animal food and for industrial agricultural products, such as cotton, if America goes to war It must understand that the war will last perhaps two years longer. Germany's agricultural mobilization mob-ilization has kept her alive and fighting:. fight-ing:. A system of food distribution through the parcel post is desirable in order to avoid high prices and the activities of speculators. Congress also should adopt Senator Sheppard's hill to solve the food problem. |