The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1917-04-09
MESOPOTAMIA RICH
IN AGRICULTURE
Germany Is Being Shut OFF From a Ter
ritory of Tremendous Natural Ad-
vantages, Great Britain's Pow
er Being Doubled.

Chicago, April .9-Possession OF a
source of wheat supply, capable of feed
ing the entire world, is one of the stakes
at issue in the fighting in Mesopotamis
and on the adjoining fronts, asserts Prof
John Adams Scott of the Northwestern
university, Chicago, who is an interna.
tional authority on the Oriental coun-
tries.
| In describing the commercial and mill
tary possibilities in the country beyond
Bagdad, Prof. Scott said:
There is no doubt that the English
are now trying to close the door by
which any new troops can reach Mesopo-
tamia. 1t is computed that ancient
Babylonia and the territory under its
control covered only about one fifth Of
Mesopotamia, yet the soil was so fertile
and free from defects which produce fla
mine that it supported in wealth pop
ulation greater than the state of New
| York now possesses. When Darius was
defeated by Alexander, there was found
in the vaults of Darius gold and silver 10
the value of S650,000,000.
IF all of Mesopotamia can come under
there can be a comprehensive and unified
development of reservoirs and irrigation,
il is safe to say that it will be the rich
est land on earth, since no other land
has soil made in alluvisl deposits and
which contains Is per cent of lime II
is the lime beyond all else which makes
this country so valuable, and which
makes rust, mildew and kindred evils
impossible. Two harvests can be gar
nered each year, one from rain and one
from irrigation. The one from rain is
the only harvest now.
"The movement from Egypt is intend
ed to shut off all access from Europe by
land. since the Russians are now in con-
troll of Armenia and the overland pass,
so that the Turks are forced 80 send
troops through the 1ssus pass, or by the
Alexandretta gulf. This is the route
of the Bsgdad railroad Asia Minor has
double series of most difficult mountain
ranges, Taurus and AntiTaurus, so that
armies must skirt them to the north or
to the south Russia now closes the
route to the north so that if England
can close the one to the south. she will
be as secure in Mesopotamia as she is in
South Africa. since there is no avenue
by which an army could come. The
great difficulty in coming in or out OF
Egypt has been the intense heat of the
desert south and west of GAIA but the !
papers speak of a railroad having been
built across this desert. This desert is
cool at night. so that trains need run |
through it only BY night. since the dis |
lance is not great The English already |
have naval base at Cyprus. so that |
thev control the sea and can thus assist /
the army moving bv land. The English |
arc about 400 miles from their goal and 1
must cross the high mountains of Debs- 4
non or swing 70 the east. whore a rail-
road has already been built through Da-
maseus. They may have so completely
iemoralized the Turks that this protec-
ton is not necessary.
This seems 10 me the board on which
the game ri the war i being MIA we'd.
Already Germany i helpless in Armenia
and Mesopotamia and if English forces
IAN get Alcppo then the power and in.
auencc Of England viii have been dou-
bled bv this war and the immense re-
sources Of Egypt and the entire valley
u the Fuphrates and Tigris will fall
INTO her Ian. This will mean railroad
rom Capetown to BOMBAY and a future
or the wrold which has never entered
nto the mind Of the most enthusiastic
lreamer"
Incidentally. IL is pointed out that the
British forces in their northward march
through Palestine toward the ancient
ass OF Issus must cross the supposed
icld Of the battle Of Armageddon.