The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-08-13
MEN ALL At WAR BUT
GOOD CROPS ARE MADE
There VIII BE No Starvation In Cen
trail Empires Is Word From
Special Correspondent.
HARVEST FIELDS DECIDE WAR
Grain Crop. with All Lack of Labor
Is at Least seventh Per Cent of
Normal--Intcnsive Farming Pro-
duCdng Results.
by WILLIAM BAYARD HALE.

Budapest. Via Copenhagen and
London. Aug l2.--This correspondent
has tourneyed across the breadth OF
the Central Empires with view 10
ascertatning the results of the harvest.
For the greatest battle OF the war has
been fought upon the farms OF Ger
many and Austria.
From within sight OF the citadel of
Nerdnu and the shells that are hat
tarsng IL, across part Of Northern
France. now under a high state of
cultivation, across the Rhineland,
Westphalia and Mecklenhurg- Schwer-
in. Poland. across all Austria. along
the Danube. through the fruitful
plains Of Hungary TO the extreme vii
lagos of Siehenburgen into the noun
tains OF Transyivania he has made a
war correspondents notes of the
harvest.
On the Meuse and on the somme,
In the Bukowina and in Volhynia, men
are killing and offering themselves
20 be killed for the possession Of a
few mikes of earth. and the eyes OF
the world are turned upon the
sansinary struggles as II they were the
determining factors.
Deciding Battle In the Fields.
The fact is that the real. the de-
Gliding. battle OF the.war Is fought else
where. This has been the effect of
the German people while holding back
their human enemies: To wrest from
nature enough sustenanoe for another
year OF existence. Verdun will fall.
The English offensive Will penetrate
few ktlometers Of the German lines.
Every valley and prairie is riotous
with ripe heads of nodding wheat.
every Hill side jubilant with fruitage.
ENS a ~
fast trains through fields running over
with gathered sheaves teeming with
lahorers and noisy with the clack of
busy machines. Through the Ions
twilight women are bus>- on the straw
ricks. troops of children among the
gleanlngs and at sun-up smoke Is
pouring from the traction engines and
batteries of American threshing ma
chimes. Often a dozen In the field are
at work. pouring out their golden
rivulets OF grain and building whole
towns of straw stacks.
10 tell the truth. an Indiana farmer
would notice that there's somewhat too
much straw In proportion to wheat.
The heads are not all fun.
AS one fares eastwards. fields OF
indian corn replace IN, wheat and sam
Pies or the early ears proved plump
and toothsome--such as any Iowa wife
would be glad to set before the visit
ing minister with his Sunday chicken.
1T IL wonderful how differently
every thing turned out from what we
expected" said Count Apponyi to me
3cAterday as we t-aVe.cd down tho
danube Valley from HIS estate at Eber--
hardt to Budapest. where the Hungar-
ian parliament IL about to open session.
The count Is . large agriculturist.
W0nderfuliy Resourceful.
Some OF us had ben saying" he
resumed. that war nowadays would
be impossible, that 1t had grown 30
murderous and colossal that IL wouls
exterminate itself. But here we are, at
the end OF the second year of war. and
somehow we have been able TO get
along much a. II no war were in prog
rsss 1t all. There are hsrdships and
prtvations Of all sorts. expsdicnts and
maks-shift substitutes. But the hu-
man animal u wonderfully resource
full and adaptable. and we are doing
with what u on the whole surprising
ease. on what We thought quite impos-
sible.
Now we are putting away the rat
tsfactory harvest, how I don't quite
understand. bat what with the women
and hoys and children. II 10 being donA."
And % II h Throughout the Tsutonic
countries Tia hASvsst l. coming sat-
isfe0tos1ly. The travellers sees also
that II ovUry Swallowed pasture ara
along the eool bordore ~ streams heY1e