The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1917-05-10
The Winter Wheat Failure

Confirmation of the disaster to the
| winter wheat crop comes in the nick
+! of time to speed up other crops, es-
pecially spring wheat. The condition
| of the surviving portion of the Win
| ter crop has improved, but that is
more than offset by the abandon
| ment of more than -, 100000 acres,
nearly a third of all planted. There
| is no precedent for such a slaughter
of winter wheat. Twice the previous
maximum loss, and a decrease Of
promise by 64.000,000 bushels dur
ing April, is a record which will
stand forever, it may be hoped. On
the area planted the farmers had a
prospect of possible 100000
bushels, the yield on similar acre
age in 1915. In 1914 smaller ac-
reage produced 6S4 100000. The
present prospect is for loss on those
comparisons of 800, 100000 bushels.
1t is d calamity that should stiffen
the back of every soldier of the soil.
1t is necessary that every acre shall
be made to bring forth all the pro-
duce of which it is capable, at time
when the loss Of labor is comparable
with the loss of wheat. OrganiZa-
rion and machinery must make up
for the shortage of muscle. The Or
ganiZation will reinforce the efforts
of the unskilled amateurs by putting
experience and knowledge at their
service Without oversight and
counsel their efforts would be misdi-
rected and wasted in considerable
degree, however strenuous. Machin-
cry will tighten the burden of human
and animal labor.
President Peters of the Long Is
land Railroad, who is leading the
work on Long Island, says that a
man and a tractor will do the work
of three men and three teams. The
State Food Supply Commission has
furnished twenty-five tractors for CO.
operative use on nominal rental and
will finance the purchase of them by
those willing to buy. The Buffalo,
Rochester G Pittsburgh is one of the
railways which are furnishing trac-
tors to farmers along their lines, and
they are to be worked twenty-four
hours daily. The General Motors
Company is turning its large facili
ties toward tractors instead of plea
sure wagons All implement MAX
ers are speeding their works and are
being helped by precedence in trans
portation of their materials, by or
der of the Federal Government.
These are straws which show that
the emergency is appreciated and is
being grappled with earnestly. The
news which is to come must be bet
ter, for it cannot be worse. We shall
soon hear of the results of what is
now being done. However, good the
future figures, they will not meet the
emergency, but they will be better
than they seem. That is because of
the great additions this year to the
invisible supply. Thousands. per-
haps millions, will produce for their
own consumption. These unreport- !
ed crops will add to the visible sup
ply whatever amount would other |
wish be taken from it for the uses of |
these farmer free lances.
Consolation also may be found in |
the thought that, however great the |
scarcity anywhere else, it is greater
in Germany. We must divide our last !
crust fairly with our friends, but
there will be nothing to spare for our
enemies, nor even for the neutrals
under suspicion of giving them aid
4 Z ~ fart vii h cur goods. After
the worst is said, it. remains true
that it is still early in the crop year,
and the yield of substitute crops un-
der this stimulus may be greater
than otherwise could have been ex-
pected.-N. Y. Timeg,