Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1917-05-06

before
pires-Ed.
r. THERE DO any virtue In publicity, the people
OF this country are now completely informed Of
the seriousness Of the present and prospective
food situation throughout the world. II may per-
haps DO doubted, however, whether they have as yet
really passed from tho stage Of intellectual appercep
ton of the facts to that Of realization Of what
these facts will ultimately moan for themselves IS
individuals.
The prices of the various kinds Of food in our
markets indeed Unfortunately high and the drain
upon the average pocketbook when they are pur-
chased is severe. Yet there is virtually no kind Of
FOOD that is not now easily procurabe-at price
IN every community in the country Great numbers
OF persons undoubtedly believe that the talk of
scarcity of food at least IN this country is fall
acous and INDUCED in for some sinister purpose
Naturally those in this frame of mind indignant
when told that it is duty of the United States
Notwithstanding the scantiness of its stores Of
food and the verincreasng prices therefor
these stores with other still necessitous
tries though these be allies in the
greatest Of all wars
Despite this sceptioism the people Of tho United
States have to face certainly for tho coming twelve
month. and in all probability for than year
thereafter condition OF things with respect to their
supply Of food the like of which has been seen
the North American continent since its earliest
colonization by tho white race unless exception per-
haps be made of the first winter of the Pilgrim Faith
THE TREND AWAY FROM THE FARM
For at least a generation past the tendency OF
American economic and social endeavor has been
ward increasing the of satsfactions enjoyed by
the urban producer and worker, while leaving the
rural producer and worker to fare as best they may
from the results Of their unheeded and toll
ha hiatt there has een
movement OF the agricultural population toward the
urban industries and employments, with scarcely a
trace Of counter balancing movement from the ur-
ban communities to the country
The continuance of the farmer his farm at all
has been due either the sluggish inertia of his mind
TO the instructive and deep-roo qualification
derived from the ownership land. Given alertness
of mind lack of relatively easy opportunity to own
land the part Of the rural dweller he has in the
great majority of his advantage in leay.
ing agriculture to become urban worker requiring
Instead of producing part of the countrys food SID
ply
This is the deep underlying of present
embarrassment of the United States in connection
with its food supply That this must ultimate
ly bring about crisis in the countrys economic sit
uation was long perceived by not few students
of the larger aspects of affairs the present
err for example. began to forecast such outcome
before the beginning of the European way And
yet for variety Of reasons-some of them coming
into play almost miraculously in the very nick of
time-the crisis was long postponed.
NOT THREE WORKERS TO EACH 100 ACRES
The lack of sufficient number of agricultural
workers is then the primary of the nadequacy
of agriculture to meet without fail the
creasing demands upon it. In Germany, whose agr-
culture Is much admired 1t is estimated that for
every 100 of improved less than Is
workers employed on the average. In Great
ain where the raising of has become subsidiary
to the raising of cattle sheep and horses, about
workers employed each acres of improved
land. But here in the United States we have less
than 2A workers the average for each 100 acres
Of improved farm land
The disproporton is too great with so scanty a
main d'oeuvre we conducting agricultural pro-
duction with maximum Of risk, and we must hence
forth not be surprised if time to time the fuctu-
atoms of this production give years when the sup
ply Of food produced is below the average of normal
demand.
1t is human experience that risks become threaten
ing and the losses consequent upon them disturbing
ut most inconvenient times This is what has hap
american crop season Of 1916 relatively ono Of
the most unpropitious experienced in this country
within the memory Of any person living. Two
81 our major food crops wheat and potatoes, were
short OF comfortable provision for our own popu-
"fon; third food crop, fell three four hum
sred ni'ie- OF bushels below the aggregate Of the
natural domestic demands upon IT, r., production Of
vegetables was scanty In proportion to our own needs
OF only two three Of the minor crops could II be
said that they gave full yield. Taking all our crops