The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-21
a(lIES DEPEND ON ]. S.
oftR SUPPLY Of t0OOS
Situation Best Since War Began
Though Transportation OfTers
serious Problem.
FRENCH CROPS ARE GOOD.
Euxar. However. Is woFully Scans, Al
lowance Being Less Than One
Ounce Per Day For Each Per"
son.
BY RoBI.Rr !. PREV.

Paris. Oct. 10 Cby mail 10 New
orig y.--Jn the eve of the approach
ing winter. the fourth year Of the
war, at least three OF the great
powers of the entente allies Eng
lard. France and Jtats, particularly
Trsnce--are discovered in the most
favofabie light with regard 70 food
supplies with the exception OF sugar,
Whatever causes may lend to force
An end to the war. IT viii not be
eath<w starvation or coal famine. as
far as FEnnce T. concerned. White
the harvsss Of the most important
item Of all, wheat. has not Vet been
completed indications are that It viii
al least equal last year $. and pfep8ra-
.fous have already been made to
rerzcey the deficit between the crop
and the average consumption. Coal
has been received sufficient 10 insure
the needs OF the population and the
industries for the winter. while the
Herds live stock throughout the re-
cubic have never been Ia better con
tfftrr since the outbreak Of hostih-
sies
The scheme Of bread and coal ra-
ssontng instituted for the first tiFnc
in France. ard which has hscn In
FORE Tn Germany since the inception
OF Che war, has led many people 10
believe that the economic conditions
OF the country were far from Satissac-
snry, but such Is far from being the
ca~a, and only prudence Ii behind the
measures thai stern necessity imposed
upon the rcutonfc empires three years
ago.
A tour throughout agricultural
france reveals that crops are IN ex-
ce~dinglv good condition. while the
fruit crop has been the largest of AIRY
tyear of the war, In some localities
spears. peaches and apples actually are
lying Totting on the ground because
of the scarcity OF labor to gather them
kup, This is true Of the whole OF
France. except in some few isolated
-epots. not areas of any notable ex
tent, where local haiIstorms knocked
the fruit from the trees before II had
sffne to ripen or where too heavy
Yatnfaiis DELAYED the harvest or caus-
ed the grain TO sprcut too rapidly
Caftie In Good Condition.
But what damage the rain and hail
have done In. some areas has beer
more than compensated by the good
a. has worked in others where II has
xivrn such an impetus to the growth
~ fodder the cattle are fine and fat
the cows aYording more than the
usual amount of milk This has bean
made into butter and cheese and large
quantities of cheese have lately APP
pAAred on the market at price that
caljsd for q drop of from 81 TO 81
per. hundredwcight. Besides, the at
tfAcktve prices beef and mutton fetch
"a last winter have induced the cat
4lSanen to increase ana preserve their
hsrde, with the result that all meat
p91oaa, with the exception of pork.
hUVv taken q downward trend.
Even the constant requisitioning OF
Sa4fie by the French government has
] not affected the herds, AZ may be
seen from the tact that the govern
tnent not only promised to suspend
The meAtiecs days on October ID. but
tAa police are now tolerating the
Upen sale of meat on the two So
4 eAllAd ''msatiess days tn restaurants
Ind hotels. In most any restaurant
/ In France at least three meat dishes
TRAY Be observed an the menu ON thu
( sA1neatisas days" One restaurant In q
popular quarter hrazenly posted II.
/ menu on It's window, as ts the Gus
koAs. advertising ''Meatless day spe
4 n4Ami Beef 4 in mode. caifs head
4 mutton stew" thereby calling dowr
upon Itself a commentary from ont
Y Of the newspapers. but no action b,
!. 1hs police.
Before the war Frances annua
4 consumption OF wheat was 2Ss million
bushels. The annual production wa
4 klo million bushels, leaving a defect
4 bf ~ million bushels. imported from
Y the United states and other whea
y AfoWfng countries. Three years O
Il warfare reduced the average produc
Il zion to lTs million bushels. With IN
u eakionins of the population the gov
N eminent experts estimate they will ef
RI Feet q saving OF at least IL million
n puShsis. The law fixing the percent
N AEa Of white flour that may be used Il
n the baking OF bread and the deere
III requiring the immixture of oatmea
b rye. barley or buckwheat in the loa
a have cut another Ave per cent at leas
% Cd the consumption.
E Bread Cards in Use.
N Thus subtracting the saving OF 8
II million bushels, the deficit is reduce
~ u - million bushels. This deficit ma