The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-04-02
France Is Forcing
Her Agricultural Work
'(By Associated Press.)

Paris, April 2-The present situation
of French agriculture and its pros
poets after the war, have something
to do with American commerce gen.
| orally. There will be less demand on
American wheat. or, which is the
same thing, prices may be lowered il
the French keep up their production
and after war rapidly recover their
self-sustaining independence. II, as
seems possible. some use of Indian
corn -four is introduced. there will be
a long awaited demand for one of
Americas unlimited products. The
United States may with difficulty
grow enough potatoes for their own
consumption, but French crops suf-
ficient for French consumption will by
SO much lessen prices the world over.
American commerce will have to be
international rather than foreign after
the war. for all the different nations
will have to stand by each other until
the great need is past. ...
For the present year French agri-
culture is keeping on better than
could be expected. There are ma
terial difficulties due to war. Fertiliz-
ers often cannot reach the farms on
account OF the encumberment of
transport lines: and the women and
children and old men who are doing
the work are not always equal to the
task. Parliament and the war office
are working together to meet this
shortness Of hands by furloughs of
soldiers who are farmers. or from the
auxiliary ranks. Kabyles from North
Africa, belonging to the original Ber-
Der race and not greatly different
even now from the Mediterranean
habits Of agriculture, are being
brought on. Before the war there
were 5000 such laborers in the har-
vest fields Of France, last year there
were $4,000. On transport ship
sunk last week by q German sub
marine there were numbers OF them
coming early in the season. Their
help to France is at the same time q
training for French Africa, which is
parable only to that of our own west
ern states in their first cultivation.
The Inhabitants Of the Chaouia
(Shawia) back from Casablanca, in
Morocco, are already among the first
wheat growing populations of the
world. The agricultural prospects of
all this region from Tunis to the At
lantic are not sufficiently appreciated,
whether with reference to France, of
which 1t is q part, or to the influence
of its production on world prices. 1t
was for centuries the granary Of the
Roman empire, and settled govern
ment and encouragement to fix Guilt
walton have been enough to set 1t back
on the upward way.
1t Is worth adding that, in the i'm
mense French possessions down the
western coast of Africa, as well as in
Belgian Congo, successful experiments
in cotton growing are being carried on.
The skepticism which Is commonly
shown concerning such efforts is very
likely q. mistake. Americans ought to
remember the effect of our Civil war
In developing cotton cultivation in
Egypt. France and Belgium will need
to develop their colonies to the utmost
and war will have been q training for
colonial enterprise, while the mixing
up of the natives of the colonies with
Frenchmen has gone beyond every
thing which would have been thought
possible before the war. The patriot
ism shown by Mahometan Senegalese
and North Africans, Arabs as well as
Berbers, is very real and intelligent;
and Moroccans have learned to prize
French rule, because 1t leaves them
their country intact, and they are be-
ginning to be well off in their country.
Petroleum In Alaiers.
1t is not out Of the way to note here
a revelation made in a recent debate
OF the French parliament. The Pear
son petroleum companies had negotia-
ated with the government prospecting
rights over immense territories of AL
giers, offering to bear all the heavy
expenses themselves. AS such COM
panies do not engage in operations
for their health, 1t may be taken for
granted that there is good prospect in 4
these regions of an important addi-
ton to the worlds petroleum supply.
The possible effect on American COM
merce Il obvious