Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-04-29
PROBLEMS OF THE FARMERS.
They Are Urgently in Need of Early
Financial Aid.

To the Editor of The Star:
Since war was declared and for weeks
before. the columns of The Star have
been filled with plans and accounts of
enterprises for increasing the food sup
ply. Societies by scores have been or
ganixed for this end. Unused land, both
public and private, is being plowed
and unframed schoolboys and clerks.
who have never handled a hoe before.
are being drafted into the service of
producing food. Money is being lavish
ly contributed to finance this work. But
IN all this widespread enthusiasm and
generous effort to meet the emergency
there Is one phase of the subject which
is in danger of being overlooked or. at
least not looked after in time
There are already engaged in the
business of food production millions of
men and women who have given years
of labor to the requirement of expert
skill in such specialized lines as poul-
try raising, truck farming. bee keeping
da1rying, as well as general farming
All they possess is invested in plants
for this production. The bulk of their
possible product vastly outweighs any
thing that can be added by the efforts
OF Boy Scouts and backyard gardeners.
Yet at this very moment, in the face of
worldwide cry for more food thou
u,
agriculturists are asking themselves
these questions: Can ! keep on, in view
Of the rising cost of feeds, of seed. OF
labor, of everything l need to buy ?
every week, can / meet the financial
obligations always pressing close upon
me, the interest, the taxes the ar
rearages due the feedman or the grocer?
stock, let my mortgage be foreclosed,
and look for paying job In a factory
or munition pIant?"
This state VI affairs is peculiarly true
OF the poultry business, though not
confined to it Poultrymen who special
ize on poultry grow little or none of
their own feed, all must be bought
wheat Is now quoted at 1895 a bushel
by feedmen who purvey to poultry
Keepers, three times the price of a year
ago. 1t has been 50 a bushel since fall.
Other feeds have risen in like proper
ton Had the price of eggs increased
as much as the price of feeds con-
sumerS would now be paving from rs
cents to 80 cents a dozen, instead of 40
cents as at present No doubt next win
ter the price of eggs will have risen
enough eass to pay for the increased cost of
manage to feed his young stock through
summer and fall may make good in the
end. But it takes more than courage
and patriotic desire to increase the
food supply to do this IT takes a re-
serve of capital. a thing which very
few poultrymen or small farmers Of
any sort have.
Now. here is suggestion Let some
OF the people who are eager to help
increase the world food supply. and
who have money. spend some of il in
saving from ruin already going food
production plants. Let them form loan
associations to help out needy and en-
barrassed poultrymen. dairymen. bee
keepers. small farmers and gardeners
by furnishing them with capital on the
same terms upon which IL is furnished
to other productive enterprises, an in
vestment secured by personal character
and competence and faith in the bust
ness instead of by mortgages upon land
and buildings
Such timely first aid might prevent a
very serious curtailment in food pro-
duction. curtailment that will hardly
be compensated by the most jealous
efforts of agricultural volunteers.
MARGARET L. SEWALL