Show Soviets Fight Famine With U. U S. S Seeds 7 Russian Wheat seat Sent to Native Land to Feed War Victims If an Axis enemy had been able to occupy North and South Dakota Nebraska Ian Kansas as Minnesota Iowa Missouri Wisconsin Wisconsin Wis Wis- and Illinois and then retreated retreated retreated re re- re- re treated after destroying or stealing stealing steal steal- ing all existing seed stocks in int t j those rich agricultural areas our food problem would be comparable comparable comparable com com- parable to that of the Russians as they move back into their re recaptured recaptured recaptured re- re captured territory American farmers seed growers grow grow- ers and victory gardeners have responded to the needs of their ally by sending pounds of seeds into these Russian areas which were plundered by the Nazis Those seeds which were sent from Kansas and Nebraska were really returning to their native native native na na- na- na tive country For 70 years ago Ukrainian immigrants who settled in the Midwest brought their native wheat with them From this stock our own Red Turkey family has been derived and this wheat of Russian Russian Russian Rus Rus- sian origin is present in 90 per cent of American bread Enough seeds were sent from America to Russia last spring to plant acres of land with an estimated yield of tons of food enough to feed 15 million lies And it is sorely needed for even today there are many Russians living exclusively off black bread and cabbage soup Average Civilian Diet At best the average civilian diet for a workman who puts in from 12 to 14 hours a day consists of one bowl of thin soup less meat fish and and E poultry combined than the amount of meat in one hamburger a a single serving of potatoes a single serving of cereal one loaf of bread three hard candies or little more sugar than one teaspoonful To Americans the ration of bread may seem large but bread must compensate for a lack of green voge- voge t t r t i y r S d Young and ami old work in Russia to prevent famine This picture of a year old farmers farmer's wife and her grandchild typifies the agricultural struggle of this country countr as its citizens labor to transform battlefield into farm fields tables fruits and sweets all of which are rationed in addition to meat fish poultry and all cereal products Salt too is rationed and so incidentally incidentally incidentally inci inci- dentally are matches Though the Russian rationing system system system tem is the same as ours the rations are far more limited In his scant diet the Russian gets 1600 calories daily compared to 2500 consumed by the average civilian in Great Britain and in this country As a result of the seeds Americans Americans Americans Ameri Ameri- cans have sent the Russians this year will undoubtedly have more food These The e seeds are now being harvested by millions of women and children who practically unaided today to today today to- to day are responsible for feeding the Red army and the civilian populace working behind the lines Except for the aged men most of whom have emerged from retirement the women alone are left in in the fields Millions of them are now driving tractors working in three shifts and during harvest time sleeping as few as three out of 24 hours Youngsters Youngsters Youngsters Young Young- four years and over are helping helping helping help help- ing their mothers and sometimes grandmothers to gather the crops on which Russia depends to continue continue continue con con- her epic struggle In Gardens at 5 A. A M. M City dwellers are also helping to toward toward toward ward off famine The city folk vol vol- vol- vol one day a week to work in inthe inthe inthe the fields helping farmers or growing growing growing grow grow- ing their own victory gardens which line the outskirts of large cities like Moscow On Sundays who spend six days a week at their factory workbench rise at 5 a. a m m. to devote the entire day to weeding weeding weeding weed weed- ing hoeing and tending the well well- manicured acres of potatoes lettuce lettuce lettuce let let- tuce parsnip squash tomatoes radishes radishes radishes rad rad- and other vegetables Even within the city limits victory victory victory vic vic- vic vic- tory gardens are grown grown in in every vacant lot around hospitals factories factories factories facto facto- ries school buildings and apartment apartment apartment apart apart- ment houses along boulevards anc ancon and andon on balconies and window sills This year school cafeterias will serve only the produce grown by pupils in th the school courtyards The number of victory gardens is limited only by the shortage o of seeds and in this and other respects respects respects re re- re- re the seed problem has contributed contributed con con- to the scarcity of food The Russians have had to withhold wheat and vegetables from a hungry populace populace populace lace in order to use this produce for seeds Only in this way could they provide for their future needs but it was a bitter choice to sow sov their fields with grain that might have been fed to little children mothers and m men man n and women working working working work work- ing heroically on on the home front |