The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-12-08

Washington. Dec. ,S-Wlth record crops from this year the nations farm and livestock production must be stimulated to 8 still higher efficiency during the coming twelve months il domestic demands and the needs or the Allies are to be adequately met, | Secretary Houston says Tn ms ahnuoi report to Congress today.
 ''That the farmers of the Nation
 have generously responded to the ap-
 peals for increased production ana that much has already been done 10 insure a large supply of foods and feedstuffs," says the report "justifies
 no let-down in their activities or in those of all agricultural agencies. On the contrary even greater efforts
 must be put forth in the coming months.
 ''There must be no breakdown on 1 the farms, no failure of foods, feed I stuffs or clothing. I cannot empha- size too strongly the urgent necessity of doing everything possible to bring about a still further increase in the production of all essential commodl- ties, particularly of the staple crops and livestock
 Confidence in the ability of the farmers to meet the unusual emer- gency caused by Americas entrance
 into the war is reiterated by the Secretary Their willing cooperation since April has been prolific of en- couraging crop increases, he says, and
 there is no doubt but that they have i oI,1, ,,1irr
 of the demands to be supplied as the
 war proceeds. ''The spirit revealed by the farmers and the results of their efforts during the present year." he says, indicate that they recognize the responsibility resting upon them in this emergency. I am confident that they will patrioti-
 cally continue to assume and bear their full share of the country's | burden.
 '"The farmers of the nation have a1-
 ways shown their devotion to the cause of freedom and have not been slow to. respond to the country's call
 for men and means to defend it's rights.
 AS it becomes more obvious that l Il1C ouI S0L way IO 1OICO d I1SulGOuS
 peace is to employ effectively all the
 resources of the nation, the farmers
 will increasingly put forth their
 strength, send their sons to fight at the front, and see to it that neither
 this nation nor those with which we
 are associated lack anything in the way of materials for food and cloth ing"
 While the precise figures for meat, poultry, dairy products and vegetable
 oils are not yet available, the Secre- 1 tary's estimates that the quantity of these commodities is greater than for 1915 and 1916.
 An increase of billion bushels over the five year pre-war average was ef- fected in this years crop of staples. Unrevised estimates contained in the report are as follows: 3,191,000,000
 bushels of corn, 59,797, 900 of wheat 1,580, 900, 900 of oats, 20165 900 of
 barley, 56,OO0,O0O of rye, 16,S13,0 900 of buckwheat, 33,256,O00 of rice, 73,- 38O,OO0 of kafir, 39,686,0O0 of Irish
 potatoes, 84,727,O00O of sweet pota-
 toes, 15,957,0 of commercial beans,
 AZ, ,O00 of peaches, 11,419,000 of
 pears, 177,733,000 of apples, and T. i 621, 900 of sugar beets.
 1 "The number of milch cows and 1 other cattle" the report adds, "has ] shown an increase during the last
 four years, the estimate for the for mer for the present year being 23,- i 9O6, 900 as against 22,76S,000 a year
 ago and 20, ,497, ,O00 in 1913, before the European war began, while that for the cattle is 43,291, 900 as against 40,- 849, 900 a year ago and 36,030,O0O in 1913. Unfortunately, the number of
 sheep continues to decline; the esti-
 mate for 1917 is only 46,059,000 as against 48,483,00 a year ago and 51,4S2,000 in 1913. It is estimated that the number of hogs, which dur ing recent years has shown an up- ward tendency, decreased over 4,000,- GOO, or from 67,543,o00 to 62,747,O0o. "In considering the whole meat situation it should be kept in mind that there is close relationship be-
 tween the production of live stock and the supply Of feedstuffs and that for
 more than a year past there has been
 a relative shortage of grains and of
 forage The large production of these necessaries during the present crop ! season should conduce to more satis
 factory conditions for the producers
 of live stock and should, other things
 being equal, tend to bring about an increase.
 But with the destruction of live stock in Europe and the great de-