The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-03-29
OPEN FORUM.

Perma, Mont March &C. 1917.
Editor Of the Mssoulian:
have read with interest your editorial in The
Muscular Of this morning headaAxcGet Ready"
and want to endorse every word hff7Ai contained
Surely this is the time to get ready4d In order to
do so we should get busy at once. Ghy delay will
make the effort of avail for this year as we are
near the time of planting.
The farmers realize the situation ito some extent
and preparing to put in the largest acreage
Montana has ever had. but in order to materially
increase this years yield. they must,ave the sup
port and cooperation of the people engaged other
industries. The banker the merchant the labor
ing and every patriotic citizen in the state can
lend his help #
While the farmer is willing to do his share. he
cannot do it ALL and everyone is as much inter-
ested he why not all get together and get results
There is opportunity for some practical
work the part of the people living in the cities
and towns and of the many commercial organza-
tons and clubs There many thousands of
men in the other vocations of lifcSthat lend
valuable assistance to the farmer to The end that
our production of food stuffs will be greatly in
creased.
Take Mssoula the Bitter Root valley and the
reservation example. There arc thousands
of of the richest land in the world that will
lie idle this unless there is some well organ
izcd efficient and properly guided movement
started to get it into crop. In ordey that this may
be done the farmer will have to have the help of
others. He will need financial assistance. he will
need more horse power, more machinery, more seed
and more labor, The bankers, the business men.
and your commercial clubs furnish these things,
but the farmer if left to his RESOURCES, cannot
get them in the time left at his disposal though
he fully realized the situation and was willing to
try his utmost Just at this time many farmers
in western Montana short hay to feed their
stock and unless some relief is provided. great
loss of cattle will result and many field will lie
idle because they will not have feed FOR their work
horses. Many willing to buy hay at the
present extremely high price. but do not know
where to get it.
Every that is saved now a and
food producing animals should be carried Such
food producn ganimas should be carried Such
meats veal, lamb and sucking pigs should not
be on the market. Encouragement should be given
to poultry raising. These matters of concern
to every loyalSctiZen men in other walks of life
are just much concerned the farmers and
should assume their share of the responsibility.
We all must eat and all must do his share to sup
port his country in its hour of peril| "A man be-
hind the pillow will add this nations defense
in the next year than the same man will in the
trenches
America is wonderfully rich in all resources, we
have millions of men, have untold wealth, we
can produce unlimited supply of war material.
lat what avail all these if short of food for
the army, the navy and the people?
1t is always easy to tell the other fellow what to
is natural shift the responsibility onto
the other fellow But. this is time to talk it is
no time to shift-there has been too much shifting
it is time to act. Get together, organize, interest
the who do things; get your commercial
club together; appoint your committees: get out
among the people and you will be met with open
hands.
Yours truly,
REUBEN DWIGHT.