The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1917-12-23
GREECE IS PLANNING
TO OPERATE GREAT
MACEDONIAN FARM
-Four Thousand Square Miles
Will Be Cultivated and
10000 Men Will Be
Employed

! Athens, December 5.-(Correspondence
\ of the Associated Press.)-Deputy
Choremsi of the Greek Chamber of Dep
uties is the representative of the govern
ment in the gigantic farming project
| for developing Macedonia, in which 1000
square miles will be farmed by TO-
O0 soldier-farmers, modified like an
| army and living in tents on the farm
Hand. He is also the head of that other
unique farm which embraces one of the
worlds greatest battlefields, the battle
field of Marathon. Mr.. horems de-
scribed these two projects to a repre-
sentative of the Associated Press today.
THE development of Macedonia is an
outcome of the European war" said he.
1T is in reality war-farm, for the
war demonstrated for the first time that
Greece needed to produce more wheat
and cereals at home. While it had plenty
of land, yet it was buying two-thirds of
| its wheat from foreign countries Out
| of 100000 bushels 1t consumed every
| year it grew only 100000 here and bought
the other 100000 from foreign countries.
\ Greece found herself unable to get the
foreign wheat she had always depend
ed on. 1t meant short supplies, and
bread rations and a pretty hard trial
| for the people.
| THE government is now going to as
sist in making Greece self-supporting in
| foodstuffs, and this Is going to be one
of the most useful economic lessons of
| the war; We have plenty of rich land
| in Macedonia, acquired from Turkey as a
| result of the Balkan war, and the
government now gives $4,000 acres of this
| land, rent free, for a period of five years
A company has been formed with cap
ital of 100000 to carry out the project.
| Under the arrangement made the gov
| eminent has the first right to the entire
stock of wheat and foodstuffs produced
| But If the government does not want the
whole or part of the product, then the
wheat and other products are to be sold
at prices fixed by the government. This
gives the government food stock to
| rely upon, and also permits it to fix the
price at which the food is to be sold
| to private consumers.
[ 1.-THE government supplies the farm la
! Dor, mobilizing it the same as soldiers
are modified for the front, but the com
pany pays the wages at about so cents
| a day. The first real start will be made
next spring, as it was too late this
year to complete plans and get the farm
| ing machinery from America The or
ders already placed there call for $780,
| 900 worth Of steam tractors, rakes, reap
| ers, etc.
Wheat oats and all the cereals, pota-
4
| The production Of cereals is expected to
| reach the full amount required for
Greece, making her self-supporting with
| in a year or SO from the start. Cot
ton has already been grown In this Sec
ton, but it is not like the long fiber
| Egyptian cotton shipped to Americab
| but is a short fiber product, good only
| for home USE"
| Mr.. Choremsi says there is much more
of this land in Macedonia which offers
| a rich field for American investment
| The best of this lies between the Vardar
and .Galicos rivers, which streams fur
nish natural irrigation for vast tracts.
| Mr.. Choremsi's other farm covers 1000
acres of the battlefield of Marathon AL
though this was fought in the year 400
B. c., there are relics Of 1T still visible,
principally in the Soros, where a great
mount 40 feet high and 200 feet around,
| is what remains of huge funeral
mound erected over the Athenians who
fell in the battle. Mr.. Choremsi has
| vigorously forbidden any excavating
around this sacred mound.
| Near by is the point where the
Marathon runners start in their run for
| the stadium in Athens. after the man
ner of the ancient Marathon runers