The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-04-16
FOOD MOBILIZATION
is A NECESSITY
Prof. Eugene Davenport of the Univer-
sity of Illinois Declares There Is Not
Enough Labor Left on American Farms
to Raise What the People of the
United States Need.

mobilize for the production of food as
well as for fighting, declared Eugene
Davenport, dean of the University of IL
linois college OF agriculture, in a state
ment which he has issued defining plan
of the university to organize a civil
military service to be composed of men
disqualified for military service at the
front and of boys, to work on farms
rented by the government
To show the necessity for enlistment
in this service, Deacon Davenport as
serted that there is not now enough labor
left upon the land to produce what Amer
lea should consume and that unless this
farm labor is increased, the food supply
will drop to level that may easily
prove disastrous"
In his statement, Dean Davenport said:
For generations food has been so
abundant that it has often been actually
cheaper to waste than to save. But con
dtions have suddenly changed-over
night as it were and we are having food
riots not only in hungry Europe, not
only in congested New York, but in Chi
cago, the very heart of the greatest food
! production region in the world. These
| riots are attributed to high prices. but
| high prices mean something. They do
not come of themselves, nor when there
| is an abundance of food. Therefore, when
the police are called out to put down the
riots, it is we'll that statesmen and those
in authority inquire into the causes,
particularly now as we enter the great
est struggle in all history.
people do not generally know that
real shortage of food exists. They do not
know that the last two years have been
lean years upon the land, and that as
matters stand to-day, unless the coming
season should be extremely exceptional,
serious situation would confront us.
When the food supply of Europe was cut
down by war, they-the allies at least
could look to importation, but no such
prospect is, held out to America. We are
at the end of the line, and if we fail
that ends it,
People generally do not realize the ex
tent to which labor has been-deserting |
the land for the last half dozen years |
and erecting conditions of employment !
that tend strongly to cut off the food |
supply, for the farmer cannot operate |
his farm on the eight-hour plan nor ac- /
cording to union rules. BY the use of |
large and still larger machinery, the 4
farmer has done the best he could TO |
make good the loss. He has worked his |
boys early and late and still he cannot |
work his acres for high yields. Some
lands are being abandoned and turned
into cheap pasturage. The writer has
seen crops plowed under, while he knows
of harvests ungathered because labor
could not be had for the gathering. No
wonder the farmer works II to 10 hours
a day, and no wonder considerable II
number are forced back into the self
sufiicing system with no hope of working
the land to the best advantage.
Gas we go into the greatest war of all
time, and as our mind is on enlistment
for service at the front let every Amer
lean citizen UNDERSTANDING realize what
il means if he can--that there is not now
enough labor left upon the land to pro-
duce what we ourselves should consume.
What then of western Europe whose
fields are devastated Shall we then be
driven to Importation Very well. from
whom shall we'import, and whats Ar
gentina has already placed an embargo
upon wheat. The Canadian yield must
decline, fol many a man that ran trac-
tor on the plains of Alberta and Sas-
katchewan two years ago is now but
bundle of bones on the battlefield OF
France.
"Shall we then limit the food supply
of the people! How then can we expect
to win, for energy and power come only
from food. A hungry people never has
been and never can be a victorious peo-
pie, besides it would require more men
TO enforce a restricted diet than il would
to produce enough to turn a scarcity into
an abundance.
America has acres enough if reason
ably well worked to feed both herself and
western Europe. Here lies her strength
in the present struggle, il only she is wise
enough TO know it before she throws
away her one great and peculiar oppor-
tunity.
Butt il will not take care of itself. II
enlistment for service at the front is to
be made unfortunately and without
plans to definitely increase labor on the
land, then it IS inevitable that food will
drop to a level that may easily prove
disastrous
"But viii not this cut Of the supply
Of labor for general manufacturer A.
suredly it viii. but no wis a time to cut
out Injuries Of dress and display. II nee