The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-05-01

DN luf L HOIldS DEO-
cess out of their phosphor-bearing
| iron ore as they possibly could pro-
duce. Some of their officials with
whom | talked about it spoke with
confidence of having sufficient
quantity. Others We're somewhat
doubtful. But certainly there will
/ be a considerable quantity. and it
will be distributed under scientific
supervision so as TO apply it to the
soil where it is most needed and
where it will do the most good And
of course, all the natural animal fer
tiliZer available will he used as al
ways.
1t was pointed out to me by some
of the more enthuSiastic-or perhaps
optimistic would be better express
sion-GermanS that even small
quantity of fertilizer judiciously US
ed would produce great effect on
German soil. Because, as one OF
these hopeful men put it, 20 per cent
of German agricultural land was
owned and operated by wealthy men
and SO per cent by poorer men who
lived on and worked their farms
themselves. But 80 per cent of the
fertilizer that had been used in pre-
Vious years went on to this 20 per
cent OF the agricultural land held by
wealthy men, and only 20 per cent
ON to the so per cent of the land held
by the poorer farmers. Consequent
ly, this ingenious enthusiast argued,
the poor land had not been suffering
unusually from extra privation dur
ing the war, and now that distribu-
tion of fertilizer was to occur under
Government auspices and supervi-
sion it would be more even and eQui-
table and would cover all this poor
land as well as that of the wealthy.
Moreover, inasmuch as this land had
not been accustomed to treatment
with fertilizers, the result this year
would be much greater on such soil
than on the lands of the wealthy,
which had been so treated for years.
And as this poorer soil was four
times in area that of the wealthy it
obviously followed that the produc-
ton for all Germany this year would
be enormous.
1t was an ingenious, interesting
and plausible presentation of the
case and it illustrates the way in
which the German officials are think
ing about their food problems, and
striving 10 meet them.
The third phase of the problem,
however, is most serious of all, and
by no means so readily solvable. In
certain respects the Germans are
surely very badly off for seed. From
various reliable sources the informa- |
tion came to me that the potatoes |
harvested last year were not only |
small and poor in quality, but that |
they were badly blighted, so that it !
would be exceedingly difficult to Sc
cure sufficient quantities of proper |
seed for this year. The German an
swer to that is the old familiar one |
of Aus Rumanie." Everything good |
or desirable was to come out of Ru-
mania. 1t may be possible, of course,
for Germany to secure sufficient good |
potatoes for seed from Rumania But
it is certain that if she has to rely |
on the crop produced in her own
fields last year for the seed Of this
year the 1917 crop of potatoes in
Germany will not be worth much eff
Tort
Germsnv has some "a, 100000 hec-
ares-or little more than 10000
100 acres-of agricultural land, ac-
,ording to the statistical year book
or 1918. When the extraordinary
effort to get every available acre pos
'ible under cultivation this year is
aiken into consideration it is prob
lble that her acreage in 1917 will be
greater than it was in the
Tear for which these figures were
given. The Government has orga-
liZed farmers commissions under
he presidency of the local Magis-
rates in all the smallest subdivisions
If the country in the agricultural
districts for the express purpose of
eeing to it that not bit of land by
my possibility available for cultiva-
ion is neglected or permitted to lie
die. The Government does not at
empt to prescribe to the farmers
What they shall plant That might
interfere with the regular system of
rop rotation, it was explained to me,
nd such interference would be liable
o reduce production rather than to
timulate it. But the Government
insists that some food crop shall be
planted everywhere.
These local commissions are to
make local surveys also of the needs
or labor and seed, and the War Of
ice and the Ministry of Agriculture
nd the War Food Office will all CO.
operate to see that labor and seed
re supplied in sufficient quantity
md of proper quality. Agricultural
has been diminishing
apidly in Germany in recent years
nd industrial employment has in
reased. In 1882, according to DR..
1eifferich, AZ per cent of the whole
population was engaged in agricul-
ure and forestry, but this percent
ge had dwindled to % by 1907. On
he other hand, the percentage in
rade, transportation, and industry
n 1882 was AS, but it had grown to
6 by 1907. Now Germany is MAX
ng an official effort to get some of
hese industrial hands back into ag-