OCR Text |
Show SUPPLY OF BREAD WILL DEC! VI Agricultural Expert Says One of Chief Duties Is to Increase Production. By TE,. F. S. HARRIS, Director, Experiment Station, titan Agricultural College. It is pretty generally conceded that the result of the war" will largely be determined by bread. The group of nations whose food supply remains am-pie am-pie after the supply of the other group is exhausted will probably be victorious in the struggle. This means that we must do all we can to assist our allies by supplying food as well as by furnishing furn-ishing fighting men and ammunition. Since "the beginning of the war the need for American-grown wheat in Europe Eu-rope has steadily increased and will continue con-tinue to increase during the period of the conflict. At first we were easily able to supply the demand from our ample store, but as the demand from our our reserve has gradually decreased till at present our allies need more wheat than can be supplied from our surplus. This means one of two things: Either our production must be increased, or there will be a shortage; and a shortage of -bread will endanger the chances of 1 success of the United States and her allies in the greatest war of all time. If we were engaged in an ordinary conflict to settle a minor point of territorial terri-torial boundary or national infringement infringe-ment success would not be so important; but we have assumed the rolp of defender de-fender of the liberties of mankind, and have deuded to give our all. if need be, to insure to the peoples of thp world the justice and representation in government gov-ernment for which our forefathers fought and bled when our nation was founded. Thus we are fighting for the greatest prUe the world t-an offer, and we can well afford to make every human effort to succeed. If success depends on increasing our wheat production, then in the name of goodness let us increase our wheat, even though it means sacrifice in other ways. The compensation offered by the law of simply and demand is such that no sacrifice will be necessary in increasing the production of wheat, for the price , the farmer will receive for his cop will j be ample reward for every effort he ! puts forth. Never in the history of the nation has there been such an opportu- , nity to make money raising wheat. Even I in the days when practically all work had to be done by hand the price was not so high as it js at present. We do not advocate abandoning all other crops; on the contrary the ordinary ordi-nary balance in running the farm should be maintained. Hay, potatoes, sugar beets and vegetables must continue to be raised in large quantities. The increase in-crease m wheat should come from better methods of handling the crop on old land and from adding to the cultivated area that previously has not been producing. pro-ducing. Much of this non-producing land could not be made to pay when wheat was 60 cents a bushel, but with the price raised to $2 there will be a handsome margin of profit. Let every patriotic citizen lend his hifluenee to help out the campaign of the government to increase during the year 1H18 the wheat supnly of the country; not f hat we arc a f raid of starvation, but by supplying our allies with bread we help to insure their success and ours. |