The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-12-11

flee per week, but it is clear 10 ms
that about one-half or perhaps three
nfths of the food consumed bv th. ru-
raj population is purchased. 1t is i'm
possible 10 calculate with any ac-
curacy, but We imagine that two and
SlNpence Il week or three shiltings
spent in food per head would not re-
suit in obesity and would be q very
low estimate Of what was REQUIRED
To feed people properly much moro
would be required. Yet the report
on the agricultural output, which wa
assume was very carefully compiled
mentions figure as the value of the
food consumed off Of the farm which
would, if spread over the families
working on the land, only account
Tor food valued at about one shilling
and twopence per head per week. So
1T is obvious that the imported food
stuffs shown by the Department in it's
reports on the Irish trade do not go
to the Irish towns only, but are large
ly consumed by the farmers them
selves 1t is obvious that the Irish
farmer is indeed feeding his family by
his work on the land, but he is not
feeding his family off the land as he
might.
When we consider that Ireland
produces potatoes oats, barley, fruit.
wheat, cattle, butter, pigs. eggs.
poultry, sheep, and vegeta bles. il is
difficult to see what necessary ar
ticlc of diet Irish farmers could not
produce plentifully. We grant that
a single farmer would think it fool
ish to Kill one Of his fat cattle or his
pigs for consumption by his own
family. and that it is natural enough
FOR him If he wants meat to send to
the nearest butcher. Yet there is
distinct loss in doing So The old arts
once practised on every Irish farm
or corning beef and curing bacon
have almost disappeared But Irish
country people were better fed then
than they are now. The farmer with
sides of bacon and hams hung up in
his kitchen or with barrels of corned
beef in pickle might smile through a
war which made the townsman lean.
The right thing to do today is for the
farmers to use their cooperative So
ciety as curing or corning factory,
to send their pigs there, and get them
back cured. The society should act
as butcher for its members, and kill
mutton or beef, or corn ii, as NAV be
required. The idea TO be aimed at is
TO make the cooperative community
self-supporting in all the necessaries
of life so far as is possible Societies
like Achonry which have started ba-
son curing for their members t.-e go-
ing on the right lines Enrhseo rthv
already supplies meat e. its meln-
bers. Other societies are T. sing f.
up, and if this policy
IL the societies cured tn bacon killed
and corned the beef, AMI + .1c in
dlvidual farmer grew mo-. Vegetables
and fruit, consumed mo- uf n.s own
grain, produced more poultry and
eggs for the use of his family. rural
ireland in short while would he self
supporting in all the necessaries of
ilfe' and whatever destiny might have
in store for us as the result of a
great European conflict, we would not
be hungry. and nearly the worst
thing war brings with it is famine.
1t is very likely if hostile cruisers
were playing havoc with the food
bearing ocean liners, and if there was
any scarcity of food in Great Britain.
the cattle in the fields would be COM
mandeered. At a lecture given a
that this would be the policy of the
Government. 1t has been the policy
of the bulgarian Government to conf
mandeer all the foodstuffs il required
for the army. The Government in
these islands would never let herds
OF cattle and droves of pigs and
sheep remain in ireland if London.
Liverpool Manchester Birmingham or
Glasgow were crying out for food.
The cattle on our Irish farms would
je Communicated with very little
reference 10 Irish needs. We fore
see this as clearly as anything could
he foreseen, and We wish 10 point out
that If Irish farmers make il a settled
policy to feed their families off the
land, 10 have their own bacon. corneJ
beef. vegetables, fruit, etc, on their
tarms they Will be the most secnre