New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-04
Better Farms
Winning the War Means More Food,
and That Means Better Farming
By Clarence Dubose

The war has upset almost every human cal.
cLlation and altered almost every human att.
tudc. individuals and nations have made r.S.
eel readjustments in innumerablc affair, a,
life. The civilized world has united IN one
dominant thought. one grim purpose. On.
great gosl, without the attainment Of Whit
nothing else is worth while--to win the va,
Every endeayor is unimportant and ma,
sential unless 10 contributes 20 that era
There are as many minor problems as Their,
arc people on earth, but in each heart ana
mind the dominant. the overpovering hon.
and prayer and determination ito win -.
war
Nothing else counts. Only one eror. /,
now worthy one, and that is--to HELM Nj,
the war
Such is Americas Spirt to-day.
What must VIC have to win the war. Ne,
munitions. money, ships? To be sure Ever
ono understands the necessity for the,.
There has not been. perhaps, a sufficient m.
Outstanding of another need, a fundamental
reed, need that must be supplied or all n.
men and munitions and money and ships vii,
be Intellectual.
To win the war we must have men-and
food; munitions-and food; money-snJ
food ships--and food.
Without food armies cannot fight. Wi,has,
food factory workers caLnot manufaetu,,
shells and explosives. without food 10 4.
purchased with money Liberty bonds are ouiy
scraps Of paper. Without food shipbuild.r,
cannot construct ships, nor can ships. il con.
structed, transport 10 Europe a single fse,o,
that will help win the war unless sufcien,
food is also transported
To have sufficient food for military and
civilian necessities-for our armies. for ibs
Allies armies, for the civil populations Of the
Allies and for ourselves at home-we mus,
quickly develop an efficiency in American az.
riculture greater than VIC have ever known
before.
Winning the war means more food, and
more food means better farming. II will not
be sufficient for America TO farm as well ana
produce as much as before the war. II We do
that only we will fall short OF the essential
requirements for victory. We must produce
more on the farms of the United States thar
in the past. Otherwise Belgium and Northern
France and Serbia bespeak the consequence
Otherwise American graves in France have
been filed in vain.
II Americans had failed to volunteer. or IL
the selectve service plan had misearried. II
adequate armies had not responded 10 the
call, there would have been CONSERVATION IN
cur land-and rejoicing in Berlin.
If American farms fail, it means exactly the
same thing.
That is what every person must understand
now. That is why it is not merely the farm
er's problem. That is why the keenest and
most capable brains Of the nation must De.
vote their utmost capabilities 10 the sgri-
cultural problem. For the farmer faces many
difficulties. His task is not an easy one. No
great responsibility is ever easy, and this Is
the greatest responsibility any class Of men
has ever borne-the responsibility of saving
civilization. There are problems of labor,
of seed and machinery supplies, Of trans
portation, of marketing, of financial sccommo-
dGtion to be solved. There are few men, II
any, of economic, financial industrial infu
ence and force who cannot in some way as
sist in furthering the agricultural war pro-
gramme of the United States.
And agricultural production is the founda-
tion upon which the entire superstructure Of
our war organization rests.