Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-11-08
HARVEST CROPS
ATVERYEDGES
OF THE TRENCHES
Germans Use Every Possible
Yard of Ground to Produce
Food for People

Karl II Won Wiegand, special Ger
man correspondent of the New York
/ World, declares that Germany is har-
yesting crops at the very edge of the
! trenches. to insure sufficient food sup
/ plies for the blockaded country He
writes: .....s T.
on THE WEST FRONT, via Der.
! lin. Amsterdam and Londonl THE
! German economical organization ex-
! tends TO the very edge of the
| trenches; yes, TO the trenches them.
selves. While even today the internal
organization of distribution has not
yet reached that perfection and
! smooth running of so gigantic ma
chine as might be desired, German
resourcefulness, ingenuity, industry
and economy are the marvels of this
war and of this people
Here on the west front the fields of
barley, wheat, rye and oats extend
to the very trenches In numerous
places the cutting and harvesting can
be done only at night because of the
machine gun fire from the French
trenches. A thousand acres are under
easy cannon range Of the French, but
this does not prevent harvesting.
Provides Change for Mem
Companies and entire battalions
drawn back from the trenches for
change and rest are detailed for this
purpose. The huge motor trucks and
wagons, which bring up the shells and
shrapnel to the German guns are turn
ed for a few hours or days into the
peaceful pursuit Of hauling grain.
Thirty-five threshing machines have
been ordered from Germany for the
west front by Lieut.-Col. s., agri-
cultural director. Col Sis assist
ed by corps of German agriculture
specialists brought here for that pur-
pose.
Many French threshers We're avail
able, but they were found so inferior
that the loss of grain in threshing
the war crop would amount to three
times the. cost of the thirty-fiye new
German machines, 100000.
Sufficient for Whole Army
1t is expected that the crop on the
occupied French area, after giving the
population its allotment, will be suf.
tho German forces there.
For some time now even the rem
nants and scraps of the very simple
fare in the trenches and Immediately
behind the line where there is no ac-
tive battle have been gathered daily.
These scraps of food, says Col. s.,
would be sufficient to raise, feed and
fatten $4,000 pigs to eatable size every
four months.
One corps has dairy of 600 COWS
behind the lines which furnishes this
corps with butter and cheese. This
corps has its own slaughterhouse |
and brewery, through which Major K
showed me. Sixty-five beeves and |
zoo hoge are slaughtered daily. One
ton of bolognas is turned out every |
day. The bones are ground up and |
used as chicken feed in the corps poul |
try yard.
$4,000 Bottles Of Beer
Twelve thousand bottles of beer are |
bottled daily at cost to the men OF
six cents and as much settler water |
at a cost of one cent a bottle.
The daily allowance of meat to |
the men in the trenches is 5O0 grams /
III pounds) six days a week, or more |
than twice as much as the people of !
Berlin get in week. But there is one |
meatless day in the trenches. When
relieved in the trenches for rest in |
the rear the daily allowance is 165
grams.
Many of these corps and divisions
live better than do in hotel in /
Berlin. This almost luxurious condi-
ton applies only to troops which have
long been in the same position. These
men must not be confused with the
many tens of thousands engaged in
battle of the Somme or Ancre or those
who are constantly on the move from
one point to another, as the situation
requires.