Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1917-05-12
"S0NS OF WEST VIRGINIA PATRIOTIC
AND WILL RALLY To FARMS AS WELL TO
THE COLORS," SAYS SENATOR SILVER
Recognized Authority Agriculture Proving Interest and Faith
in Farm by Planting Lberay-Gives Important Facts
and Figures General Farming and Live Stock Raising
and Greater Possibilities This Time When a Food
Crisis is Impending

consider for a minute that they are
required to pay much higher wages
due to the high food cost, they can
readily see the advantage would be
both to the working man and opera
tors and all industries concerned II
the maximum resources of our soil
can be utilized and the food products
made more abundant, thereby lessen
'ng f1e cost to the consumer, and put
ting him on basis where he could
live cheaper This will be of untold
advantage to the development Of the
state, but the producer must have
reasonable protection and some en-.
enlargement. WHY SHOULD WEST
VIRGINIA, WITH AMPLE ACRE.
AGE TO CARRY FROM FIVE TO
SIX MILLIONS OF SHEEP, HAVE,
ACCORDING TO OUR LAST CEN
sUs, BUT ONE-THIRD OF ONE
MILLION SHEEP? CANNOT THIS
CONDITION BE REMEDIED AND
REMEDIED AT ONCE?
''In addition to the meat produc.
ton from the lambs, there would be
from these same flocks of sheep the
wool production of an average of
about six pounds per head or 33,000,-
600 pounds Of wool, which at the pres
ent price is selling at above SO cents
per pound, or $16,500, 100000. Our
people have been so busy with quick
returns from coal, oil, gas, timber,
ETC., that they have overlooked the
resources of that greatest and only
future asset, the soil, consequently
find themselves at this great FOOD
CRISIS of being helpless to feed
themselves, and absolutely dependent
upon other people to feed us, or avail
ourselves of the resources of the soil.
We have for some years been send
ing 100000, 100000 dollars out of the
state to purchase food supplies, but
what will money avail us when we
have no place to purchase the neces-
sary food supplies to make us COM
Portable and sustain life.
TAKE the case of potatoes, for
which we are now, paying from $500
to $500 per bushei, due to the fact
that we depend upon other people to
furnish these potatoes, and have ne
elected to take advantage of the
waste land for the production of this
most essential food. The same can
be said of corn, wheat, oats, barley.
rye, and in fact all food products.
These crops must be grown at the
proper season. 1t takes time and a
great amount of labor in which to
produce. Not so with the mutton and
wool growing. The season is just
approaching in which to stock up
with sheep and the returns are quick
enough to give us this meat supply
during the coming winter, and contin-
ue for years to come.
SHOULD food products be as scarce
as the governments of the world have
announced, the only we'll fed people
will be those who have by co-opera.
ton produced food for themselves.
MONEY WILL NOT BUY FOOD
WHEN THERE is NOME TO BUY.
HAS not our state authorities and
national defense committee called
the attention to the actual scarcity
of these food supplies? Will not ev
cry organization and individual re
spond promptly and actively, and is
it not to the advantage of the con
sumner who ultimately pays the bills
to assist and encourage in making
available the greatest possible pro
| duction of all kinds of food supplies
VIII not our Boards of Trade, Cham
bers of Commerce, Rotary Clubs, Bus
mess Mems Associations, Labor Or
CARNATIONS, Women's Clubs and Civ
ic Organizations join with the pro
ducers of our agricultural products II
assisting West Virginia to produce
sufficient amounts of all kinds of nee
essary food supplies for ourselves
and in addition surplus for hungry
mouths in other parts of the world
by appealing to your state authori
ties and members of your Legislature
to carry out the plans of the Nation
al Defense Committee.
"a ten word amendment to on
present dog law would be worth |
million dollars per word per year t
the consumers of meat in this state
Owing to the fact that the farme
must finance himself and bid for la
Dor against the manufacturer wh
has a contract for his output at