Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1917-05-16
The CROP SIDE OF IT
NORGORD TELLS BIG FENNIMORE
CROWD WHAT FARMERS MUST
DO.-URGES UNITED STAND.

Commissioner Of Agriculture, G. P.
Norgord, addressed a large crowd at
Fennimore last Friday following the
big parade. Mr. NorgOrd is a Wiscon-
sin young man and might be called
the states boss farmer" At least
everyone comedies that he under
stands his business and the farmers
generally lend respectful ear to
what he has to say Norgord knows.
Touching upon the duty of the ma
ton in raising food supplies in album
dance for itself and it's allies, Mr.
Norgord said that in the past two
years we had consumed 1919 bushels
of wheat per capita, exported 51a
bushels per capita but had only pro-
duced 16 bushels per capita. Thus
exceeding our production by two
bushels per capita and consequently
dipping into our reserve.
Taking the world as a whole Mr.
Norgord's outlook was anything but
cheerful. The figures for wheat this
year are as follows: France So per
cent; Australia, 70 per cent; New
Zealand, 70 per cent; Argentine, 70
per cent. The harvest is over in the
last three countries. In Argentine an
embargo was placed on wheat but re
Gently removed to afford exports.
Our wheat crop will be short 100000
600 bushels. The 1916 production for
the world was: wheat, "A per cent;
potatoes, Sc per cent; corn, 85 per
cent.
In Wisconsin the conditions are
somewhat more encouraging. The
winter wheat and meadows are in
splendid condition and an increase of
$4,000 acres has been made in wheat.
This year we will harvest 100000 &C
res of winter wheat giving us a pos
sible production of 100000 bushels
The pOtatOe crop will be about nor
NAL as the planting has been enor-
nous.
Mr.. Norgord laid strong emphasis
upon raising imperishable crops and
stated that the farm labor problem
was the most serious of all. He did
not believe that city men would be of
much use on the farms unless they
had been brought up there. He said
that the country needs men on the
farms just as much as in the army
and no stigma should be placed upon
the man who fights in the field with
a pillow instead of in the ranks with a
musket In Illinois, for instance,
these men are being enrolled in a reg
ular army and wear service badges.
Eventually, Mr.. Norgord holds, the
farm workers will be enlisted just as
soldiers are and drifting and floating
will be promptly checked. A man
cannot stay at home and not do his
duty.
Mr.. Norgord thought that with
long war the nation would fix food
prices Just as Great Britain hV done,
both as a protection to the producer
from a slump in the market and to the
consumer from the merciless specu-
IatOrs huge census Of labor facil-
tiles will also come when the various
community organizations will forward
to the county seats their entire stat
us. These figures in turn will go to
the state board and thence to the ma
tionaI headquarters. 1t will be high
Iv probable that labor will be shift
ed from one community to another
and possibly around the state as the
exigencies of the harvest increase.
In conclusion Mr.. Norgord said
that now was no time to discuss prev
ious issues and that as we loved our
country and desired that it not per-
ish from among the nations, we should
one and all stand together for democ-
racy and freedom.
AS the old-timer says-"It was a
mighty good address"