The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-08-14
INCREASE Of 30
PERCENT, OHIO s
AIM WITH WHEAT
: State Plans To Have Three
Million Acres
Planted
SPECIAL INSTRUCTORS
TO BE AT 100 FAIRS
Tractors And Community
Harvesting Part Of The
General Scheme
LRy Asaoclated rress 10 The BannerI

Columbus, O., Aug '10-Ohio is go
ing to do her bit to win the war with
wheat. The objective is a fifty per-
cent increase. in acreage which will
make the wheat area 100000 acres,
from which 66,O00000 bushels should
be harvested next year.
Use of farm tractors in cultivation
of idle lands, this work to be done by
community organizations of farmers,
is one of the new plans proposed.
Thousands of acres will be titled in
the community war defense work
that proved so effective in Ohio this
year.
A minimum price of So a bushel for
wheat will be an inducement to farm
ers in Ohio to plant as much if not
more wheat than they had this year
The average yield of % bushels an
acre will mean big money to them.
Agents and demonstrators from the
agricultural extension department of
Ohio State university, experts from
the college of agriculture, a big force
of county agents and specialists in
the employ of the state and the feder-
al government to say nothing of OK
perts who will take the field in behalf
the Ohio branch, Council of National
Defense, and the moral encourage
ment from an enthusiastic war de-
fense" citizenship are the agencies
that will spread the gospel of more
wheat" .....
More than 100 county and commun,
ity fairs besides the state fair will
be demonstration schools. Here farm
ers will get instructions on raising
war wheat-will be told the best mar
ket for getting seed, shown how to
prepare the seed bed for big produc
with what, in absence of a sufficient
store of commercial fertilizer.
And Ohio is not going about solv-
ing that problem of fifty percent in
crease in acreage in sing-songy
sterotyped way. The state war de-
fense council is preparing to put
punch and pep" into its fight for
wheat for war. The best talent in
various needed phases of the work is
being sorted and picked over-then
asked to serve for the honor of the
country. There have been as in all
other war defense efforts few refus-
ais.
Akron business men started the
movement for community farms culti~
vated by farm tractors, and the De-
fense Council with an effectiveness
that has characterized it as one of the
most efficient in the country, is work
ing out plans to make the project
statewide.
The plan started recently when
for war munition workers at Akron
Munitions makers finally went to the
country and rented farm houses,
sometimes for figure that was so
satisfying that farmers were not Gag
er to till all their land
Business men of Akron learned of
the situation. They took up with the
War Council their proposal to organ
ize community farm clubs" men
with money furnishing capital to buy
tractors.
These clubs are getting wheat land.
Some is donated to them, some is
rented. They expect the profits to
pay all costs, and perhaps leave mon
ey to contribute to the Red Cross or
other cause to make the world safe
for democracy"
1t is the plan of the War Council
to have a regular method of organiza-
tion with a code of "ethics" that will
permit the clubs operating farms to
have a reasonable profit for their in
vestment and work, so that the en-.
terprise will not be commercializcd
but be made movement of patriot
ism-a part of Ohio's bit toward win
ming the war with wheat"