The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1917-04-17
6TkONG AND SENSIBLE
IA APPEAL TO THE PRODUCER

" ~
APPEAL TO THE PRODUCER
kare at war. The sense of the
@ l seems to be slow in sitting
Ito US. Our people are dan
Rcomplacent. A lot OF people
Fl saying, with shocking flip
81 |l II g& won't amount to much"
81 geYidently thinks it amounts
Without a dissenting voice
has voted for armament and
M for this war the sum OF
Elion dollars. 1t is time our
ealize the solemn and stu
task we have entered on.
is time our people do their
E bach one his bit, in the interest
Ne preparedness which alone can
gre the victory.
Preparedness is not OF one sort.
There is armed preparedness and Wa
are making haste to get that. We
have the men, the money and the ma
terials for any amount of armed pre-
paredness We may need. But what
about farmed preparedness? Do our
people realize the need and the I'M
portance of that preparedness? Are
they planting gardens? Are they
raising live stock? Do they kno"
that the worlds supply OF food for
man and beast is low, almost exhaust
ed? Do they realize that even II there
were no war food will soon be hard
to get at any price? And that war
only adds to the emergency which,
we face, by its extra drains upon the
supply?
The people must be warned ana
reminded before it is too late. Now
is the accepted time. We do not have
to consult the weather and the sea-
sons when we go to building navies
and equipping armies. But If we
want something to eat next summer
and next winter we must go to plant
ing now. We can make guns any
time, but we cannot make seeds grow
outside of their appointed seasons.
The next few weeks are fraught with
destiny for America and the world.
To plant or not to plant is not the
question. To plant is beyond all
question a wise and patriotic duty.
And not to plant is to invite disaster
for ourselves and for our nation.
We can buy armament. Our initial
order is for seven billion dollars
worth, which means seven thousand
million dollars worth! But We can
not buy turnip, if none are planted
We cannot buy corn if none is plant
ed. We cannot buy meat, If none is
grown. The wealth of the world
cannot feed an empty stomach. Ana
there will be bread lines in South
Carolina before twelve month S are
passed unless the people go to rals-
ing food stuffs and live stock on eV-
cry piece of ground that is available.
we must not hold back these boys
whom the country calls to arms, or
these girls whom the country calls 10
service. 1t is a mans, a Woman's
plain and patriotic duty to respond
But woe betide us, if in our easy
complacent cocksureness OF mlno'
we fail to raise enough supplies 10
fill the knap-sacks of our soldiers ana
the pantries of our homes. Wars
cannot be won with wealth alone. II
takes meat and bread. And where Is
the meat and where is the bread to
come from?
Experts on food supply do not hes
itate to say the world is looking
straight into the face Of faminen. Our
nopulation in this country consumes
seven hundred million bushels OF
wheat annually, and the visible pres
ent supply is three hundred and forty
million bushels. Meats and tood
stufs are growing scarcer every
week. Our crops in year when we
needed them most are worse than any
or recent years.
Our people will have to go to max
ing gardens, if they want to save
themselves from hunger and If they
want to add to the strength OF their
nations fighting arm. Last year the
people of South Carolina bought from
outside the State millions OF dollars
worth of canned goods, millions OF
dollars worth of meats, and nour'
and feed. This year we are going III
for cotton again, going in stronger
than ever. But all the millions we
make out of cotton Will not buy the
food we should have raised at home.
There will be none to buy, or SO lit
tie of it the price Will be prohibl-
tive. And even if the North and
West had what We wanted to buy,
andwe could buy it, they tell US the
railroads will not be able to haul II
to US.
We have long boasted that il they
built wall around US We would get
along, with our soil and climate. we
could raise I'll we need, for man and
beast. We will have to make good
that boast this year. Circumstances
have set up that wall, strong and
high.
Every garden we plant in this coun-
try this year will not only provide
us a subsistence. 1t will not only
serve the purpose of self-preserva-
ton. It will be a positive service to
the country. Every vegetable gar
den will reduce the strain on our ma