Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1914-10-16
GREATEST IN HISTORY
WONDERFUL YIELD OF WHEAT
FIELDS OF UNITED STATES.
Never Has Any Nation Grown Such a
Crop As That Which Is Now Be.
Ing Garnered-Food to Feed
Half the World.

The mind of man cannot conceive
absolute silence, remarks the Phila.
delphia North American. Yet in this
very state-the absolute silence of
growth-does nature clothe field, vale
and forest, providing for all living
creatures the wherewithal to sustain
life.
The stiffness Of death attends the
bursting Of the acorn, whose strength,
silently developed, shall form the
shelter of the home or the Invaluable
spoke Of the wheels of trade or the
ribs Of the stout young ship. No
sprouting seed, no opening bud, ever
has breathed sound.
Far from human habitations, where
neither roof nor spire points skyward,
In the dead calm Of a windless noon,
the keenest ear buried in Gods green
carpet Of grass can catch no sound of
movement. The brook sings and the
sea mutters or shouts; the wind
makes known its presence in a thou
sand tones; and even the gentlest fall
of rain proclaims its blessings, but
growth-the ever new manifestation
Of creation-has yet to be heard.
For months this silence pregnant
with power and plenty has brooded
over countless fields in this good land
OF ours. On more than 100000 acres
Of plowed and narrowed soil the wheat
silently has risen from grain to gold.
And now, in the glow of summers
smile, goes out an army of men, horses
and machines larger than any that
ever marched to fight for gain or
glory, to gather from these fields the
food that shall help feed half the
world until, in the mysterious cycle of
seasons, comes again the time for this
life-laden silence!
Out where the sun but yesterday
lighted a sweep Of plains coursed by
herds of buffalo and rowing bands OF
American Indians the vanguard Of this
mighty force is at work. The call of
Kansas and Oklahoma has echoed
through the states, and regiment after
regiment of men hungry for work has
answered.
Often before has this same call been
sounded, but never as this year. For
never in the history of men and fields
has the silence borne fruit Of such
bounty.
Through Missouri, Indiana, Illinois,
Ohio and Pennsylvania 1t shall spread
and then on to Michigan, Minnesota,
Nebraska, North Dakota and Washing
ton. These are the high IL among the
wheat states.
And when these and the others in
which the rest OF our wheat is grown
have swung the last bundle into the
shock young Uncle Sam may stand on
his highest hill and, forming trum-
pet OF his calloused. sunburnt hands,
shout to a world that must eat three
times day. Mine hundred million
bushels, and all is well!"
Never before in the history Of the
world has any nation grown such
crop Of wheat. Five years ago Russia,
with an acreage one.third larger, came
within 117,000,0O0 bushels Of this pro-
digious total. Our own next largest
crop was 137.o00,00O bushels short of
the present food of gold.
For a moment, at least, we may turn
from the perplexities OF psychological
business depresslons. graft-grown ma
tional backdowns and horrors OF war
to sweep with wonder-propped eyes
this stretch Of wealth which pales to
sickly hue the bravest dreams Of the
brave admiral who dared uncharted
seas to find another sort OF gold.