Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1917-04-11
To the Citizens of Decorah and Win.
neshiek County to Raise
Food Stuffs.
CRY OF LACK FOOD
GOING FORTH EVERYWHERE
n Letter From Governor of Iowa
Appeals for Aid i'm Encourage
ing the People to Plant
All Available
Ground.
Office of The Mayor.
City of DEBORAH.

TO the Citizens OF Decorah, and
Winneshiek County:
A cry of lack of food supplies for
the world is going forth from every
country on the globe. The war has
been waged for nearly three years, !
and millions of men have been di-
verted from the activities of civil
pursuits, in consequence of this, a
shortage in food production has re-
suited, particularly in proportion to
the amount consumed by -produ-
GERS.
Effort is being made in Iowa and
the United States generally, to have
the people make extraordinary effort
to increase the acreage, and the aver
kind of foodstuff grown in the soil
a like effort is being made with refer
ence to the production of food-pro-
ducing animals.
A message from the Agricultural
College at Ames, Iowa, has been sent
to me, together with letter from
Governor Harding of Iowa, appealing
for aid in encouraging the people
even in towns and cities to plant ev-
cry available piece of ground with
some food-producing vegetable.
Let's make garden growing the
form of recreation for all men and
women who must work at the regu-
lar occupation in doors. We cannot
Itoo soon awake to the fact that this
war is serious business. England's
population could not until recently,
lbe brought to realize that self-denial,
sacrifice. and WORK, WORK,
WORK, WORK, was the one great
need for all of her civilian popula-
ton, men, women and children.
That we may avert the stress of
too meager supplies of food-stuffs in
the United States, Iowa, and Winne-
,shiek County, l am constrained to
urge upon all citizens of Decorah,
and of Winneshiek County, that we
prepare to do our ''bit" in producing
something for human food. Let, us
begin at once:
First:-To clean up every yard,
lot, and parcel of land that is, or
may be made, available for growing
such vegetables as are suited for this
latitude and locality.
Secondly:-Let us then spade
this land up, good and deep, thor
oughly pulverizing it as we spade it,
so as to preserve the moisture, and
} prepare a seed bed properly, then
let us plant each kind of seed in its
season, and cultivate we'll, and often,
allowing no weed to grow and ma
ture where some form of human food
may be grown.
Third: Let every farmer use eX-
traordinary care in selecting, plant
ing and cultivating his grains and
vegetable crops, allowing no waste
places" to remain uncultivated.
Fourth:-Let every one consider
that manual labor devoted to the
purposes herein set forth is but one
: form of patriotic and humanitarian
service. but is, under existing con-
ditions, one of the highest, and yet
most practical forms of such endea-
vor, and last, but not least,
Let every merchant, or other per-
son having for sale the essential
seed supplies to make possible the
; carrying out of the plans Of our peo-
pie to increase the sum total of food
supply, sell and dispose of his stocks
of such seed supply at prices which
will give only margin to meet ac-
tual cost, to the end that no person
who is able and willing and has the
land available, shall be compelled to
Let the land lie as an unproductive
waste tract.
This appeal is made with the most
solemn conviction that our people
must be awakened to the possible,
yes probable, condition of food
shortage that the world Is facing,
and that NOW is the time to begin
to counteract that shortage.
Very truly yours,
ELLIS j. HOOK,
Mayor.
An electric flash lamp with bulb
In the shape of hand is novelty