The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-04-17
of Finance

i 1.-THE CROP SUPPLY i AM E,rope-neutrals as well as war |, ing countries-has been placed upon
 : ood rations to eke out supplies until the new crop is harvested. This 1 ountry entered. the present crop year |. ast July with 1S4.00O,O00 bushels of wheat carried over from the crop of 915, and in 1916 produced 4Sz'ooo'- ! ( % bushels of winter wheat and 15S,-
 0O,00O of spring wheat; total supply l s04, 100000. This year there will pc 1 ! ractically no wheat carried over and the governments estimate upon the winter crop ,forecases yield Of only l. 3O,OOO,O00. On this basis the spring i>vheat crop must be 214,0O0,O0O bush- Is larger than last year in order to i've us a wheat supply equal to what ye will export and consume Tn the crop year now closing This is an 1 farming outlook. The spring wheat crop is notoriously subject to weather 1 onditions. More spring wheat should | 1e sowrl, but 1t is doubtful If the wheat !, hortage can be made up. Other food l crops must be grown to meet the de- atciency.
 This country is now at war, and our l Lilies, Belgium, Great Britain, France :snd Italy are dependent upon us for food. They will have no reserves and must have more from us in the coming year than in the past, or they will not be able to feed all their peo- Iple. Added to the appeals of starv- l ing humanity will be military reasons making it impossible for us to put an embargo upon the exportation of food. We must divide what we grow this wear with these countries. and with the neutral countries-Houand.D Dem mark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain-which afe not self sustain ing in grain supplies. And not only
 must we, supply enough to keep these peoples Mom starving, but enough to cover the heavy losses at sea which re- suit from the submarine warfare. If we grow no more food than we did last year-and so far the outlook is for lessrthere is danger of food situation such as the world in mod irn times has not dreamed of. No other country has the resources in land and population to meet this emergency but the United States. There is no business upon which all ether business depends as upon this Of ;rowing big crop in America this year. And the work must be started immediately. There is no time to wait on organization from outside. The emergency can be met only by spon- taneous action in every state, county s.nd school district. forming local or s,anizations.
 Picture in your mind what condi- lions will be in our own cities next winter, and, of the effect upon all in- ,lustfy, If food supplies are scarcer
 and dearer than they are now! It
 must be impressed upon every body
 that no wage advances or regulation
 of prices can add one bushel of wheat or potatoes to the supply after the
 rowing season is over.
 The country is aroused, but mere There must be organized personal
 work. headed in every locality by men of force and influence.
 
 he enlistment of boys from 1s to IS Q work either in town gardens or upon tho farms. President Wilson avs that these boys will be Soldiers of the Commissary." There are fine possibilities in this idea. The boys nay be brought to feel that they are crying their country as truly as their older brothers who enlist in army or navy: and the girls should have a
 ehance as well. They should have a
 medal to keep as lifelong evidence If their service in the last great war let us hope-of the worlds history. Some banks are arranging for gar len plots for all their clerks. In- iustrial employers are doing like wise, and will provide seeds and in truction. Organized work of this ind with suitable supervision will be most effective. Every employer in rour locality should be waited upon Dy a committee, and invited to CO., operate in this manner.
 Although it is of course desirable 70 increase the farm crops. and espec- ally the spring wheat crop, 1t may De that the best chance to increase lhe food supply is by the intensive cultivation of garden tracts in and ad- ,acent to towns, where labor addition Il to the regular farm supply can be secured for growing potatoes. beans, t onions. etc. Each community is able to go ahead upon this work without lelp from outside. The aggregate result will depend upon the efficiency of the local organizations.
 The Connecticut Committee of Food Supply, created by Gov. Holcomb to
 consider means by which this state can produce the largest crops pos- s;ible and utilize its lands to the ut most. has opened an office in Hartford and the memebers have begun work ing out the program which will be advanced to the people of the state
 The committee was named by Gov srnor Holcomb under the power given llim by the emergency law recent
 " passed, by the Legislature. Under | his the governor may take any action he considers necessary to meet the situation caused by Americas entry into the war. The members of the committee are, Joseph w. Alsop of Avon, Clifford I. Stoddard of Wood bridge, Charles T. Davis of Middle own, Robert W. Perkins of Norwich, Wilson H. Lee of Orange, Robert Sco- lille of Salisbury, George M. Lan- tlers of New Britain, William c. Che 4, <~R HHov ok ToI,