The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1917-05-01


Require Several Years to Overcome,
According TO Reports From Chicago
stoekyards-in a Month or Two They |
Would Be More Valuable.
Farmers OF the United States, OF
their own volition. are making the
same mistake that agriculturists OF
Germany did under government COM
pulslon, at the outbreak of the war.
and the United States as result will
suffer from lack of meats later on,
Just as Germany Is suffering now, ac-
cording to reports from the Chicago
stockyards.
The mistake Is the slaughter of
young beef animals and improperly
fattened or unfinished" hogs, which
are being rushed to the market in
great numbers, partly to take advan-
tage OF the present high prices, which
the average farmer thinks are too
good to last, and partly because of a
rumor which has spread throughout
the country that the government Is
contemplating in the near future fixing
maximum prices for food products.
Every day thousands of hogs weigh
ing from 175 to 200 pounds are pour
ing into the yards to be slaughtered.
BY feeding them month or two more
they might be made to weigh from $50
to 300 pounds. The loss of meat by
this kind of marketing is enormous.
When the war started the German
government, realizing that the country
was to be blockaded by the British
navy, but thinking the war would not
be long one, ordered the immediate
slaughter of great proportion of its
food animals. The result was tempo
rary plenty, but breeding stock was
encroached upon and as result as the
weary years went by there was all
ever increasing scarcity OF meat.
| A crop OF wheat or corn can be rails
ed in one season, but breeding stock on
the farms cannot be replenished so
rapidly, SO that IL the indiscriminate
| slaughter of immature stock does not
cease packers fear that present prices
will in another year be considered ex-
tremely low.
To Open Food Bureau.
A food production bureau to act as a
clearing house in the employment of
men and women and boys and girls on
the farms of Cook county will be open
| ed in Chicago by the Cook County
| Truck Gardeners and Farmers associ-
alton in the plan to increase the acre
| age of farm crops this summer along
the lines suggested by the federal gov
ernment
THE farmers of Cook county have
been dependent to certain extent
upon labor agencies to get farm help"
! said Mr.. Geweke, "but the class of
help obtained from this source. of
course, has been the expert help. What
we will need now, if our crops are to
be increased, are people to carry the
crops through the wedding and har-
vesting season.
1--WE will be able to get enough ex-
pert farm help to plant the crops. as
one man can plant as much as twenty
men can harvest. But we must have
some assurance that we will have Ia
Dor to care for the crops after they
have been planted"
Prefer Experienced Workers.
Mr.. Geweke said that the Cook cOun-
| ty farmers would ask the Chicago
board of education to help them obtain
boys and girls from the schools, who
will be provided with permits. A par
ticular appeal will be made to the Po-
lish and Bohemian sections of the
city for helpers. The wages for un-
skilled farm labor, he said, would be
from 81 to So day during the weed
ing season and probably as high as So
day during the harvest season.
Those who have had some farm ex-
perience will be given preference in
employment.
! James A. Patten has volunteered to
help buy two carloads of seed potatoes
provided others will join with him In
the project.
The city authorities have under con-
sideration plan to place the vagrants
of the city and the inmates OF the
Bridewell and other penal institutions
not otherwise employed on tract OF
land of more than 1000 acres In ex-
tent near the Bridewell and raise there
vegetables and other farm products.
The plan has the sanction Of the cir
cult judges and others interested.
| These gardeners" would be under di-
rect supervision of guards and COM
PEELED to work.