Norwich bulletin., 1917-11-27
LETTERS To THE EDIT0l
This Country's Food.

MT. Editor-Goid, sixty eight years ago. started the downward trend of Conecticuts agriculture.
 In the year 1849, the great California gold boom started and for some years after, many New England farmers went west in search of untold wealth. ConDecticuts farms were deserted and our agricultural conditions. received a hard jolt. The farmers used to raise their own milk, mutton, vegetables, beef and pork. They raised enough for themselves and enough for everyone in the town, too. The farmer may not have had very much TnOEey-nObOoy did in those dayS-but he was mary elously well off The more our farms were deserted, the more the great west grew and today practically everything we consume is freighted one or two thousand miles. and who pays the freight. The West sells the goods and the West gets the money, while we eat the produce and have nothing left. Why shouldn't we grow our own meats and grain as our grandfathers did?
 We can and we should keep more stock, both for patriotic and economic reasons If we had an abundance of stock in proportion to the increase of population, it would be easy to realize how the fertility of the soil would in- crease. It takes very little imagina- tion to comprehend how conditions would change. The millions upon millions of dollars which are now go- ing West and South for our mainten- ance would be spent and kept here in Connecticut.
 The following figures will perhaps convey some idea as to why we should keep more stock grow more grain, and, in every, way possible maintain our selves. We can't grow crops without stock and stock only answers half it's purpose without crops. They go together.
 In 1914 the United States exported S97 100000 worth of meat products and in 1916 the amount was s201 000, GOO. And further. in 1914 we exported 1,70o 900 bushels of potatoes and in the first nine months of 1916u potato ex- ports amounted to 2,700,oG0 bushels. A million bushels more were shipped abroad and 10000 bushels less were grown. Do those figures convey in any way, the explanation why foodstuffs cost more than they did? If they don't just look at the following figures which have been compiled with equal care.
 In 1s45 there were in the State of Connecticut 162,717 sheep, 206 229 cat tie, and 139 900 hogs. Roughly 508,0 head of stock. In the census of 1915 it 11s 900 cattle and 5s GOO hogs-a total of 96, 900 head. The population of Con- necticut since 1845 has grown to near ly four times what it was then. Then there were enough potatoes and there was enough meat for the people. Mul- tiply the figures of 1S45 by four and you will easily find how many head of livestock Connecticut should have, or how many we would not have to pay transportation on today. In brief, our farms only carry a total of about 196.000 cattle, sheep and swine today. Limited States Department of Agri- culture, census 1915.)
 If the numbers were commensurate with the increase of population there should be 1.904,6S2 head of stock or 1,79S,682 more than there are now. In 1845- the1o is no. record of meat being shipped into Connecticut but statistics show that now 404 $50, coo pounds of slaughtered meat are shipped in annu- ally. beside thousands of animals on the hoof, for slaughter. At the rate3a