El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-12-29

today OF the farm tractor as a
- coming asset in our great war
with the Germans. It is an old say
ing that an army can move only upon
its belly. Cut off the food supply and
the troops are defeated. This was
never so true as now, when not onlv
the soldiers. but the nations behind
them must rely upon the outside for
the most Of their food.
The United States has become the
breadbasket Of the nations. We must
have food, not only for our 100000, 900
people at home. but for the hundreds
Of millions Of our allies and the ar
mics abroad
From now on the cry from the far
off Macedonia" over the ocean viii be
food, food and still more food. How
shall We supply It? We have the land,
but not the men to cultivate IT. Our
Ia5orers have been decimated by the
draft, and Uncle sam is calling more
and more men from the farms 10 the
army.
Our only salvation is the use of ma
chinerg. We must make gasoline,
kerosene and alcohol take the place
Of the human muscle we are forced
10 put into the trenches. and new in
ventions must enable one man to do
The work Of ten
Farm Tractors to Aid Armies.
Among the most important OF these
inventions is the farm tractor. We
have thousands already in use. and
the great factories here and at other
industrial centers are putting in new
machinery TO add to the number
They should be aided in every pos
sible way. ard the Council Of Nation
al Defense should see that they are
furnished with men and supplies.
understand that one sewing ma
chine company has recently taken an
order for S40.0o0.o00 worth Of trac-
tors 20 he built after a new design,
and I know that Henry Ford d son
have accepted orders 10 make thou I
sands OF cheap tractors for Europe,
and that they are now preparing the
Tools and plant to supply 5000 10 EnE-
land in time for the pIoWing next
spring
Mr. Ford said il is better business (
10 aid our allies 10 increase their own ]
food supply than 20, aid our farmers
in raising food which must be ship !
ped across 5000 miles OF water in (
Tested with submarines. whose ]
business II is TO destroy such supplies 4
Therefore the first Of his tractors /
probably be some time before they are
ready for the American market.
Tractors on English Estates.
Il Is only q Few weeks ago that
Lloyd George made a speech as to the
Eoyernme nt plans for increasing the
crops Of the British Isles At that
time ne said they had ordered thou
sands of tractors, and that England
would have 5000 breaking sod at thu
close Of this winter Many OF the ia
nous estates are 10 be devoted TO the
rss sing OF food, and parks and lawns
upon which the grass has grown for
centuries VIII be turned up by these
tractors Every acre Of cultivable
lauG is 10 be used. and the tractor IS
90 make up for the loss OF the labor
demands by the 1attlefields of France
II such a policy could be adopted
and carried out in the United state
we could feed all the people upon this
big. round earth. and suppOsing space
could be bridEed. have enough left
over Tor every man, woman and child
on the planet # Mars.
oar farming area today covers only
2 small part OF the Union The total
amount Of our land is more than
1000. H0o. 600 acres That means two
thousand millions. and So far we have
less than l.9ng.ore-puU acres IN farms J
TIE actual amount is S1S.Uu0.U00. and
or -his only 44s.0e3.00g has ever been
turned up by the DlOW- Nevertheless,
lAaL com IalalL-FelN small area mas
produced I'm one year more than l.
c0r-096.U00 bushels OF corn and wheat,
which at the current prices Of today, ,
Oue-dOllar corn and two dollar wheat. /
would be worth more than $4,000, 000.- ]
Gee.
II we could bring all the farm lands I
nov owned into use. this crop could q
be doubled, and the waste land that !
might be cultivated would make IL :
many times more The deep blowing q
Of the farm tractor and the intensive
cultivation possible through other I
farm machinery could easily make
two bushels Of corn and wheat grow
where one is now growing. so that 3
the potential foodstuffs Of the United +
States are really beyond the dreams (
Of the widest imagination. q
Take the corn crop In 1917 we pro- /
duced more than 3.000.000.0O0 bushels d
The average yield per acre Of that s
crop, the United States over. has neve. S
been more than so bushels. and that
Notwithstanding the boys Of the corn
clubs Of many OF the states have been ]
raising 100 bushels per acre and up
y ard We had more than 100. 0dO. G0J
acres in corn last year. and had we =
raised 50 bushels per acre the croD -
would have been twice what il was. r
and we might have shipped Z. 100000 {
600 bushels 70 Europe or other food p h