The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-04-27
FOOD CROPS or The United States
MUST Be INCREASED TO The Limit
Secretary Of Agriculture Houston Urges Farmers to In.
crease Their Acreage Of All Grains and vegetabJes-War
Demands and World Food Shortage Should Be
Met by Farmers of United States.

should be selected where possible. and
the planting should be done at the ear
Hest suitable date. With the small
grains an advance of three or four
days in stage of maturity frequently
saves Il crop from serious damage by
rusts. With corn a similar advantage
is obtained by early maturity when
severe drOughts are encountered and
when killing frosts occur toward the
end o. the season.
Hay and Forage.
"a deficiency Of hay and forage for
the next winter would jeopardiZe the
future meat and dairy supplies OF
the country and result in a shortage
of %roughage for military draft and
saddle animals. In regions where
dairying dominates, the full acreage
of clover, alfalfa, and the grasses that
is in productive condition should be
maintained. Under the conditions pre-
vailing in most dairying sections these
crops can be carried with less man
peNSi lldH tIil ltIIllGu III tlilti
crops. The older, thinner and less
productive grass lands, however, fire.
qucntly Il be made to produce much
larger yields of feed in corn than if
left as they are in unproductive grass.
seed potatoes should be conserved
by planting on the best lands available
for them and planning for thorough
tillage and protection of the crop
against disease and insect pests. po-
tatoes can be grown most advantage
ously near the centers of population
in the Northern States where trans
portation cost may be reduced to Il
minimum. This crop is capable of
quick and large increase Of produc-
ton when conditions are favorable.
such vegetable crops as carrots,
r~utahaga. turnips. onions, and cab
bage are worthy Of much more atten-
ton than they generally receive, espe-
cially in the eastern United States.
All these crops are capable of large
production on suitable land under in
tensive culture throughout the more
densely populated portions of the
country.
THE high prices ftr foodstuffs that
have prevailed during the last few
months have stimulated interest in the
increase of home supplies of vegeta-
bles. poultry, and dairy products on
farms.
Through increased attention to
poultry on farms it is possible to add
quickly and materially to the food
supply.
when conditions render it feasible
small fiocks Of poultry should be kept
by families in villages. towns. and es-
pecially in the suburbs of large cities.
The need for this extension of poultry
raising is particularly great where
consumption exceeds production. as in
the Northeastern states.
Consumers living in villages and
in the suburbs of cities do not appre-
ciate sufficiently the possibility of add
ing materially to their food supply by
utilizing suitable idle soil in yards. VA
cant lots. and unused outlying fields.
The total contribution to the food SUP
ply Of families and communities which
can be brought about through such ac-
tivities is great. Gardening is pecu-
liarly AZ activity in which the family
and the community may share with
resultant mutual h%elpfulness and
benefit.
1.-The duty of the individual farmer
at this time is to increase his produc-
ton. particularly of food crops. If he
has control of tillable land not in use,
or money lying idle, or labor unem-
ployed-he should extend his opera
tons so as to employ those
to the fullest extent. This does not
mean that he should rob his land.
waste his capital. or expend his labor