Show it t Ii s. s I. ir t A J E f i It y 42 Will Be Record Year rr t j 1 t j For American Farm Crops r f Y 1 1 Food Goals Are Raised to Boost Production I il i j As Agricultures Agriculture's Part in Winning inning ti 1 The War Wara for U. U S. S and Allies 1 a By BAUKHAGE National Farm and Nome Home Hour Commentator I Service 1343 II Street N W Washington ashington L as bin g t D D. D C Ct C. C t n x The farmer came across if He produced more the past year than any year in history Never has America blossomed and borne fruit as she did Next year the production production 4 s tion will be even higher for the department department des de- de f. f of agriculture found that the farmer was willing to meet the goals set up last August and even evento evento evento to exceed them But that doesn't mean that the victory for problem has been settled Now the department of agriculture finds a part of the problem problem problem lem back in its own lap for we are in the war ourselves and our allies depend on us for supplies The farmer farm farm- er must be assured labor supplies and machinery to carry out his part of the job And the processor must have the equipment to take care of perishable products when the farmer farm farm- er lays them down at the door Experts here tell teIl me that the labor farm-labor problem is not able The combined demands of war and industry mean that the farmer will have to put up with older hands with less skilled farm hands It means that schools will have to be dismissed at harvest time and when harvest time and cultivation time come together It may mean a land army of women But the farmer will get the help he needs even if U it isn't exactly the kind of help he would prefer Can Get Repairs The farmer Gan can also get the parts he needs to repair his farm machin machin- ery He will get some new machinery enough to get by with He may have to skimp a little on the nitrates and the phosphates although although although al al- though at present there are reserve supplies But the big problem is to provide the processor with the essentials he needs to prepare the food and to wrap it up in packages for the con con- sumers Take for instance milk some 24 new evaporating plants will have to be built some cheese factories will have to be put up And PIGS This year was a record record record rec rec- ord crop Next year will be bigger Will the packers pickers be able to take care of the porkers which may be 1 waddling up at the rate of a possible thousand a day to squeal their last squeals for freedom That is one I I thing which the secretary of agriculture agriculture agriculture agri agri- culture is battling over now It takes tin and stainless steel and a lot of other things which the army wants before you can change a pig into a portable meal And the army is tighter than a Sunday shoe when it comes to yielding up any of those essential metals It is interested chiefly in destroying not preserving Food Goals Raised The department of agriculture has raised the food goals goals already already it has called for a 25 per cent boost in inthe inthe the tomatoes wanted 33 per cent in snap-beans snap corn and peas for can can- ning Russia is very likely going to ask for food that we had not figured on supplying China may need more And then who knows there may be bean bean bean an American Expeditionary Force probably will be before we are through which will have to be fed Modern armies still move on their stomachs but even in that position they cannot eat off the land as they used to These extra added demands were not in the cards when the original food for freedom goals were set up But they will have to be taken care of Americas America's good earth can produce them the farmers can and will raise them The n next thing is isto isto to wangle the means of putting them into the packages that will take them where they are going Its It's a abig 1 J big job one job one of those which when done will win the war I 1 Wartime Washington Washington- Crowded and Busy Wartime Washington crowded crowd crowd- ed press and radio conferences at atthe atthe atthe the White House with no one admitted admitted admitted ad ad- without a photographic pass registered fingerprints or a special signed card issued only to known and guaranteed bearers Special ial police secret service men and two superintendents each from press and radio galleries to inspect each card a modification of the same system for entrance to all aU government government government gov gov- buildings anti-aircraft anti guns with their crews like the one I can see from my window as I write on top of buildings more British reporters no Japanese German German German Ger Ger- man or Italian newsmen a sign on the window of one of our many Filipino-driven Filipino taxis Philippines USA U.S.A. U.S.A. explanation explanation from the grinning grinning grinning grin grin- ning driver Best take no chances many people take the Filipinos for Japanese Fur coats on government workers which will be the last for a long longtime longtime longtime time Paw Brigadier General General General Gen Gen- eral Watson presidential secretary secretary secre secre- tary in his uniform like hundreds of others black paint around the edges of the broadcasting stations station's stations station's stations station's sta sta- sta- sta tion's windows to keep the light from leaking out during blackouts messenger-girls messenger tire boot and tire-thieves tire traffic jams Will the Horse Stage a Comeback My l kingdom for a horsA hors horse A lot of the people who own Americas America's Americas America's Americas America's Amer Amer- ica's 30 million vehicles may murmur murmur murmur mur mur- mur that wish before long With sale of new autos auto and trucks banned pending rationing and with the rationing in effect My kingdom for a horse may become no idle wish And nobody knows today when the farmer will be told he can have no new farm machinery when what he has wears out So the question naturally comes comesup comesup comesup up will the horse come pack back In the city he just cant Some cities wont won't allow horse-drawn horse vehicles vehicles vehicles cles on certain streets Washington is one of them and not long ago a aman aman aman man drove an old fashioned carriage with a team of mules down Sixteenth street just to see if he could get getaway getaway getaway away with it He did did because because after all even a cop knows a mule isn't a horse But the city man even if he learns which end of pf the horse to put the crouper trouper on wouldn't have any place to park the animal animal he he couldn't leave it out beside the curb all night the way many do their cars On the farm the horse may become become become be be- come a necessity But his return will not be achieved overnight In Inthe Inthe Inthe the first place every year with the increased mechanization of the farm the supply of horseflesh has been dwindling The situation isn't as bad as it was some years ago before before before be be- fore vaccination scotched the sleeping sleeping sleeping sleep sleep- ing sickness that threatened to reduce reduce reduce re re- re- re duce the equine population still fur fur- ther But considering that it takes n nearly arly four years after br breeding eding before before before be be- fore you get a horse in shape for regular heavy work a market couldn't be built up to supply any increased demand for some time It is true that in 1932 and 1933 when money was scarce and feed was cheap a lot of farmers used horses instead of trucks But the American is a mechanical minded man and unless he just naturally takes to animals he would a lot rather drive a motor As one horse expert said to me more more a a lot of folks are afraid of horses Many men who will drive a farm truck 50 miles an hour nowadays would think he had hada a runaway on his hands if a team he was driving broke into a trot On the more serious side of the question however is the possible time long-time demand of the army for essential materials that go into trucks and tractors and which may cut down perceptibly the machines that run farms today t day A lot of farmers farmers farmers farm farm- ers like a lot of city people really cant can't afford to own wn the machinery they have It makes work easier A horse is more trouble than a ma ma- chine But a machine is not always necessary to do farm work any anymore anymore m more re than a car is necessary to the city dweller to do the work his own father made a shanks shank's mare do Also a horse can eat a lot of non- non salable roughage which food is much cheaper than gasoline is going to be while we need it for tanks and andi i airplanes and army jeeps The United States now has civilian pilots at the end of 1941 or five times as many as it had on July 1 I 1938 About of the new pilots were trained in the Civil aeronautics administration program begun begin in 1939 Buy Buy Defense Bonds Bonds- |