The farmer and mechanic., 1915-02-23


began the question of how long the |
United Kingdom could feed herself
was discussed with animation. Some |
times it came up in Parliament Oh !
ten it was the theme Of partisan con- |
troversy. Frequently it was the topic
Of profound observation by political
economists. Statesmen with pracu-
cal mind--and most English states
men are Of that sort-usually con-
sidered it in connection with the navy.
Some OF the theorists used to main
tain that even under peace conditions
two months would be the limit under
which the English people could get
along without going very hungry, but
the weight OF opinion was IN favor or
ninety days. A compromise view was
that ninety days in peace and sixty
days in war would be the limit, says
an article in the Philadelphia Re-
cord.
Want Wheat Bread.
This did not mean that the mass Of
the population would eat more in war
than in peace. 1t assumed that there
might be some interference with do
mestic agricultural production, and
that supplies would be further de-
pleted by the necessity of provision
ing the army 4
10 fill the bread basket of -i4,0o0.S
| is limited, it is clear that other sources
| Of supply than the domestic one must
| be looked to. There is, moreover, the
| fact that the English people want
| wheat bread. Germans may thrive on
| rye bread, and America. may develop
| robust men and women who know and
enjoy corn bread. but with the Britons
| at home eating wheat bread has be-
| come much habit that it may be
cl;,ssed with other British institutions,
| such as Parliament and the limitation
| of the Kings perogativeS.
In peace times ali the world is open
to the United Kingdom TO draw wheat
and flour from. There are the British
possessions overseas, all Europe it.
self, the United States and South
America. These sources OF supply are
ample TO insure the average quantity
of bread, since a world wide failure
of the wheat crop never happens.
In ordinary years it takes above one
hundred million hundredWeight, or
about two hundred million bushels OF
imported wheat to fill the bread bas-
ket Of the United Kingdom. in addi-
, ton to the domestic supply In 1918
: the importations were approximately
one hundred and six million hundred
, weight, or about two hundred million
= bushels.
5 Part Of this wheat came from coun-
2 tries which are now allies Of England
in the world war; Comparatively lit.
! tie Of it was from countries with
which England is at war.
Russia has been a beautiful source
l Of supply, except in the years Wher
l. | there was q crop shortage within he
s own vast borders. That was the cas-,
I in 1913, when the United Kingdom
$ only obtained 100000 bushels Bu
T in 1910 Russia supplied ENGLAND will
a upward Of 100000 bushels, and II
e other years from 10000 coo busheI
/ up to 35.000,000 bushels
5 Russia May Have Surplus
The Russian wheat fields have no
y ceased to produce because millions O
u Russians are enrolled in the arm
u ranks. The claim has been made tha
c there has been, and will be, no def
- cheney in the harvestS due to failure t
70 plant the crop. This may be true
g The Siberian wheat fields may hav
- Some surplus for shipment to Grea
=. Britain across the Pacific Som
:. wheat also might be gotten out b
- way OF the Black Sea, but the Baiti
hardly would be considered as SAT
for transportation.
Russia, however, like any countr
-. engaged in war, must think Of he
~ own people first and Of her allie
afterwards. The tendency would /
D. to provide means for keeping the buf
Of her " heat crop at home while hos
l. tiiities last. even if there were amp1
e means Of getting it afioat consigned
g friendly nations.
y. 1t is not likely that English state:
er men who have TO think Of feeding tt
II, forty odd million Britons who are n,
OF in arms, as we'll as the million
to arms, are counting on Russia as = r,
in liab bic contributor to the bread baslz,
he curing the next year or two
Rumanla may not technically |
he classed among the allies as Vet IN
al her attitude Is not unfriendlv. TT
d. United Kingdom has been drawine. :
IN Rumania 10 the extent of .oo0, 900
ar 4,ooo'ooo bushels OF wheat in goo
r. crop years, although occasionalGv -
We imports would be sarnlI. either =
nj cause Of abundance from 9TH.
A sources or because the Rumanian crc
gh was short =