New-York tribune., 1917-07-12
Bv THEODORE Nj. KNAPPEN

swathS collected III heaps. For those
h remain there escape The small grams harvest is
,styhile waving fields of gold now begin give place
IL erned SHOCKS ''a' '>'N' ''
onth ago the began the assault the grain
Texas and Oklahoma. Two weeks ago the attack was
" i; Southern Kansas. Now the clicking whrrng binders
the attack throughout the middle and northern parts of
he state - ,. l.. , \, .,, -
ebt;no in the universal war. Many farmers boy, as
seat on the red Mccormick jumps and jerks the cods
ave horses imagincs himself leading charge against the
As the revolving reel reentessy presses the
wheat against the sickle and the self binder neatly ties
s into bundles and caeessy throws them the ground
d he SAYS to himself Wheat is necessary to victory
ord then is almost ashamed OF his flight OF imagination
% oo imagination itself and his steady team
s rounds of the golden field inexoraby taking off 5foo
Ga o the still bravey outstanding grain, he pictures himself
awful havoc in the ranks of the massed troops OF the
Kaiser
Surely there much fire his imagination The environment
v unwarlkc but endless fields, this whole earths
e utilized extensively by the aid Of ingenious machinery for
d Of miles tells OF the power and strength of nation AS
and harvester rattle down side OF the field the boyish
% Of the farm looks across fence mile OF corn with its
M Green leaves rustlng softly against each other and waving
m and triunphany in the air Already the vigorous growth
lands waithqh and gives great promise for the reserve food
amy the wheat shall be sacrificed van the corn VIII save
,dsv Corn is the symbol of agricultural America
On another side OF the field OF wheat is wide field OF alfalfa
. green of the Leaf, and lightly tinged with blue of the
Hssom It is potential energy for horse power and potential
md in the form OF and dairy products.
On third side a pasture dotted with trees sopng down
"a the muddy plains river, deep and placid
On the fourth side long train laden with soldiers rushes
~ by on transconnental railway. The farmer boys world
train and track united the great world and the great war
bvond He thrills and cracks the whip and the shockers SLIP
y and stumbling through the subbe behind cry Tor mercy
hard enough to pod rough fields under burning sum-
with the mercury standing 100 in the shade and strive eyes blinded
with sweat TO put eight bundles OF wheat into neat ran-poo
shocks as fast as the harvester deposits themeven when the
teams move at their usual slow and gaitbu when martial
nagranon wields the whip the task becomes impossible
Now take scene something like what has Just been
aeAed and multiply a hundred thousand times and more
m what an aeeing eye might in the great West to-day
O sshers in the Ohio Valley states increasing numbers
Missouri solid armies Kansas The annual reckoning OF hhe
wheat crop crop the barley CROP the hay crop Is IN
progress What the machines cutting to-day as pecisey and
regularly as vour mother used the pie you who read TINS
your beyond the shall eat you eat bread at all
And lest the farmer and the farmers boy and the hired man
should forget their great and responsible mission IN this ate1u
year OF grace 1917 when noonte and the men eat he
hearty lunches and throw themselves prone on the grass IN the
shady corner bv the we'll their eyes meet poster atxed to
ree which declares in valiant red and blue type: