The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1917-09-14
FOR WANT OF POTATOES
GERMANY WILL LOSE WAR
Last Years Crop Was ShOrt-IndiCatiOnS
Are 1t Will Be Still Shorter
This Year

Is it possible that the result of the
greatest war this world has ever known
will be determined by the humblest,
homeliest Of all vegetables? The
vegetable that South America gave to
the world? That's the way it looks
now For many years the potato has
formed an important part Of the Ger
man nations diet, and the principal
part of the middle and lower classes.
Previous to the war the potato yield in
Germany was next to the highest in
the world. Only in Belgium was the
acreage yield higher. In 1916 the
potato harvest yielded little more than
half crop. Just now the indications
are that the 1917 crop will be little
better.
If, after all the care and preparation
and training that Germany has given
to her army during the past forty years
and more, it should turn out that a
question of potatoes is to be the means
Of her undoing, it would be a queer
but interesting commentary upon the
value of the purely military kind Of
preparedness which has hidden Germany
like nightmare for so many years.
But, says Oscar King Davis in the N.
Y. Times, it may certainly prove to be
potatoes that Germany needs. and for
lack Of which she fails, rather than for
lack OF men or guns or other munitions.
1t is on the potato behind the man be-
hind the gun that the fate OF Germany
is rapidly conf G to depend.
This American correspondent, who
returned from Germany with Ambas-
sador Gerard, writes from frst-hand
knowledge and after very recent in
vestigation of food conditions in the
German Emire. He found for pur-
poses of comparison that prior to the
wal the consumption of potatoes ap-
proximated three and one-half pounds
per adult a day, or little more than a
pound per meal 1t was about six me-
dium-sized potatoes for every person in
Germany for each meal, as estimated
by DR.. Karl Helfferich, at present
Finance Minister Of Germany and Vice
Chancellor, one of the foremost econ
omists of the empire.
We read that just preceding the out
break of the war Germany produced
more potatoes than any other country
on earth, altho her production per acre
YVES not so great as that of Belgium,
for instance, which led the world. The
German crop in 1918 was more than
100000 tons of potatoes; in 1914
it was 5000. 900 tons; in 1915, when
the war was in full swing and agricul-
ture felt the first effects of the with
drawal Of men for field service, it still
exceeded 100000 tons, or still
enough to supply her population at the
rate Of the twenty-five pounds per cap
tia per week estimated by DR.. Helff-
erich.
It was the failure OF the potato crop
OF 1916 that brought Germany face to
face with disaster in the winter that
has just passed, and that caused the
situation existing in Berlin at the time
Of out relations with Germany, when
no potatoes at all were being served in
the best hotels and restaurants there,
and when householders were skirmish-
ing as never before in order to get even
a small portion of their allotted supply.
Il believe another such failure this
year will bring Germany to her knees
irrespective of any and every other
cause. All else may go well, but with
out potatoes she will come down. With
potatoes any Of several other causes
may bring her down or may not, as
the case may be, but without potatoes
she must fall.
The German potato crop OF 1916
has not been entered in the public sta
tistics OF the empire. You will not
find it in the Statistical Year Book for
1916. But that is only one Of the
numerous omissions from that interest
ing publication. Instead Of the 500
pages crammed with valuable facts
which fill the year book Of 1915, there
are only about l40 pages in the annual
/ TO- 1o16 and rnoet nj thnSe are taken