Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1917-04-06

~uppiN OF 1000 StuHS lot their armies anu
the public will be the dominant factor in
the final test of the European war. Ger
many does not expect TO whip Great Brit
ain. She hopes 10 starve her into sub
mission. Germany's submarine campaign
is not conducted under the rules of war
fare. 1t j. designed to create hunger riots
by shutting off food supplies. Shortage
of food to a starving point in London or
Berlin would bring the same riots and over
throw of the governments a. in Petrograd.
No well organized stomach war has ever
failed. and never will.
The newspapers keep the country in
formed abou the organization and getting
ready of all kinds of facilities. the mohili-
zation of all available skilled and un~killed
labor for charging facilities and i%ncreaS-
ing the output of ammunition preparatory
70 engaging in the world war. while food
shortage. the very thing that j. giving the
warning nations Of Europe more concern
than fighting equipment, will certainly face
this country unless prompt action i taken
to forestall II.
There are two conditions that cause dis
turbance: A shortage Of supply and alb
normally high prices. We are headed for
both.
WHEAT.
Bread has now reached it, highest point
since the civil war. with the ontloo for
this years crop not too cheerful. Ii H. es-
.timated that the annual average consump-
- q -l~.& -. "a. ,xa,.. l.tfarant ,aal
including seed for planting. i seven bush
els per capita, or 100000. 900 bushels for
our 100. 200, 900 population.
Bushels
The 1876 wheat crop was l,Oll 900 900
OF which we exported. 80. 244,000, 900
Leaving for home use. 76T, 1000 900
The last wheat crop in round
figures was ........... ESQ., 900 900
OF which we exported 1890. 124 ,OO0. 600
Leaving for nome use. $4,000, 900
or only five bushels per capita, 200, 900 900
bushels short of normal.
MILK-A NECESSITY TO A NATIONS
LIFE.
High prices and scarcity of milk are be-
ing much discussed. Yet within the short
period Of ten years the number of mich
COWS has decreased from 265 for each 1905
people to 222. The reason for this j easily
found. The average %dairyman j. not max
ing any money. Many have stood their
losses a long a they could, sold their
cows, and quit the business. Dairying be-
ing n branch of farming, ] will treat them
together, and in this connection IT won't be
out of place 10 show a few of the things
that the farmers are up against. n some
people lave grown into the feeling, with
out knowledge of the facts, that IL l. up To
the farmer TO feed the rest OF mankind
without due consideration Ia himself.
Taking twenty-five of the various ar
ticles, including labor, fertilizer, etc, that
a farmer must buy. the average increase
in cost in the last three years has been "A
per cent. This means that & farmer selling
milk three years ago at 3 cents n quart
must now get 5 IA cents a quart 10 make
the same net results a he made three
years ago.
POTATOES-ANOTHER COMMODITY
OF UNIVERSAL USE.
The agricultural report for 1916 shows
an average Weld Of 80 bushels per acre.
Farmers are now paying for good seed po-
tatoes for this spring. planting from $3.50
To 50 a bushel. ID requires about IL bush
els to plant an acre, making the initial cost
of a potato crop from $50 to SI2 an acre.
Adding to this the cost of fertillzing, S25,
and cultivating, harvesting, bagging, ship
ping, and transportation, $50, will make
the cost Of producing and marketing an
scre of potatoes in this section of the
country 800. So there H. no profit on po-
patoes if sold by the producer for less than
$50 per bushel delivered at the market.
The high price Of seed for all crops i
causing n number of farmers 10 reduce
their acreage.
Aside from sugar planters, rice growers,
and a few other producers who are com
merciaIly organized and can fix their own
prices, there are only isolated eases where
small Eastern farmers and dairymen are
more than breaking even, after allowing q
per cent en- the value Of their farm, de-
probation on buildings and machinery.
The $500, 900 farms of the country must
feed 1OO, 900, 900 people, or each farm an
average of Is people. To put it another
way: There are an average of five persons
10 the farm. or $4,000. 600 people who must
feed themselves and 81 600 200 others.