The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-04-21
FOOD SITUATION
SERIOUS ONE;
FARMERS SHOULD
PLANT EXTENSIVELY

most important meeting was
held ON Monday of this week at the
county seat of Polk ounty, at which
about 75 people were present. The
object of the meeting was to arouse
interest in the food problem which
is getting to be more serious one
in this country than the average citi-
zen realizes. II was gratifying to
note that quite number of farmers
were present and seemed to be
greatly interested in the short talks
made by those who were called upon.
The time in which crops can now be
planted for this season is very short
and the variety considerably limited,
nevertheless. if there is quick action.
some useful and profitable crops can
Yet be grown, considering the enorm-
Gus demand and high prices which
food stuffs of all kinds are bringing
and will continue to bring.
The great trouble is that the ex-
perience of the average farmer in
make him enthusiastic in putting out
extensive crops. and he has to be
shown that this is a time whine he is
more likely than ever to get salts
factory returns for his outlay The
GlE ~ % In for fft,nn ngf fC
somewhat discouraging be the state
ment that there never yet has been
long dry spell but what it was fol
lowed by rain" leads us to hope and
believe that we may soon have the
needed moisture
The Dean of the University of IL
linois College of Agriculture says:
For generations food has been so
abundant that it has often been actu-
ally cheaper to waste than to save.
But conditions have suddenly changed
over night as it were-and we are
having food rio.i rot only in hungry
Europe, not only in congested New
York, hut in the very heart of some
of the greatest food-producing re.
gions in the world. People do not
generally know that real shortage
of food exists. They do not know
that the last two years have been
lean years upon the land. and that
as matters stand today, unless the
coming season should be extremely
exceptional, serious situation would
confront us. When the food supply
of Europe was cut down by war. they
the Allies at least-could look tC
importation. but no such prospect i.
held out to America. We are at tn,
end of the line. and if we fail thai
ends it,
As has been stated. the serious
part of the situation is that the time
in this section of the country Is SC
short that unless immediate steps
are taken to plant such crops as car
still be successfully harvested, Flor
ida will face the situation of depend
ing more and more upon importa
tions, and the question is, where will
these importations come from. and
what prices will have to be paid foi
the needed supplies. With the fer
tile lands we possess, together with
an Incompatible climate. Florida
better than any State in the Union
ought to be able to feed herself.
The most unsatisfactory part OF
the meeting at Barlow was that moth
ing definite was arrived at in the
way of plans to meet the situation
1t was suggested that a Commission
should be created, consisting of men
and women too-who would make
a personal matter of ii in the vari'
Gus sections of the county. going
right to the farmers I'm their imme'
diate section, urging upon them the
necessity of planting every possible
acre to food crops. both for man
and beast; to encourage and urge ev'
cry citizen as far as possible, to
plant his own back yard with some
thing to help out his own table at
least.
There was some talk of another
meeting to be called, but, as we see
it, the time has passed for talking
and will soon have gone by when
anything worth while can be done
In the meantime everyone is busy
with today's affairs and the outlook
ominous as 1t really is to a thinking
man. so far away. that there is hard
ly any chance left now to get any
satisfactory results from this or any
similar meeting.