Denver labor bulletin., 1917-08-04

said that upon them "rest the fate of
the war and the fate OF nations"
Such is the impression gathered from
Washington dispatches that publish
the department of agriculture's July
crop report, and the Boston News
Bureau says that never before did such
report mean so much to the
country and the whole non-Teutonic
world" 1t has military value, and
the departments statistics crank now
with the draft and the appropriation
figures" The great national question
is how far we can artificially augment
our 1917 crops, according to this finan-
cial authority, 'by varied conserva-
ton and by substitution, especially
thru an increased dependence on vege-
tables; then how much we shall have
to spare for our allies, and how to get
that surplus across" The greatest
guns in the world are being trained on
the kaiser by the farmer, is the COM
ment of the Chicago Herald on the re-
port, which it summarizes as follows:
Wheat .......... 678,0O0,O0O bu.
Corn ...... ..... g, ,124 100000 bu.
Oats .............1,4 i ,453 100000 bu.
Potatoes ......... 452, 100000 bu.
sweet potatoes. s2,00O,00o bu.
Barley ........... 214,000,000 bu.
Rye .......... 56,000,000 bu.
Cotton .......... 11,600,00O bales
The Pittsburg Dispatch points out
that there are in prospect now a bill
lion bushels more of food-crops than
were raised last year. Four, and prob
ably five, crops will attain new records.
Corn passes the three billion bushel es-
innate for the first time, we are told,
white potatoes reach a new total,
sweet potatoes follow, rye is another
record -brea ker, and probably oats also,
while rice is the second largest crop
ever known. Wheat is doing much bet
ter than was estimated. While spring
ditions in some sections, the net gain
is steadily growing, and the whole
production is figured at 100000
bushels more than last year. The po-
tato production indicated in the report,
as this journal and others note, does
not include any estimate for the war
garden crops which are considerable
enough in number to assure abund-
ance. The New York Commercial pre-
diets that if no disaster befalls the
farmers before the end of the harvest
period, the farmers will be rolling in
wealth because prices are high and are
reasonably certain to remain so for
some months. Even with peace and
the removal of all danger of loss of
shipping thru submarine operations,
this journal goes on to say, North
America would have a practical mon
opoly of food markets of Europe and
all its cotton markets until next March.
This means that domestic trade will
be good because the farmers will have
plenty of money to spend during the
fall and winter. A fly in the ointment
is discovered by Mr.. Herbert c. Col
lingwood, editor of the Rural New
Yorker, who is quoted in the New York
Times as saying that as far as the
farmer is concerned the great ques-
ton now is
whether our methods of distribu-
tion will be improved in commensu-
rate manner and food speculation be
properly curtailed, so that the con-
sumer will get his food at moderate
prices, while the farmer, at the same
time, receives a reasonable remunera-
; tion for his labor and additional ex-
pense.
Congress is making a great play
in the line of looking out for the con-
sumer in respect to cheaper prices.
That is all right in its way, and be-
lieve that the prices of some foods
will be cheaper. There is, however, n
growing feeling of unrest among the
farmers that after supplying a big
food crop congress may leave them at
the mercy of the spectators without
the assurance of minimum price for
the leading food staples"
In the midst of rejoicing over our
bountiful crops, sundry journals issue
word of caution against misuse of
our prosperity. Thus the New York
Times says that our wheat and cotton
must be carefully guarded. The con-
sumption Of wheat here should be re-
duced by one-fourth, or even one-third.
Other foodstuffs can be substituted,