Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1917-11-13
SOU More Wheat and OatS---NOW


urging farmers to SOW grain this fall and it
certainly will be a great help to country
and to all our interests for the farmers to
plenty of wheat and oats. The time VIII
soon be to and we hope you VIII
boom them up in the next issue of your paper
to raise plenty of grain crops and be lnde-
pendent. Whenever have to pay out all
that we make for western feed stuff there is
nothing left for any of to get chance at.
Trusting you will do all you can to encourage
them to SOW grain at once. we are
Yours very truly,
-- BRASELTON BANKING CO.
Braselton. Ga. Nov. 6, 1917.
The. foregoing letter touches a vital spot in
the needs of Georgia and the south today. The
cry the world over is for more grain-more
feed for animals and more food for human beings
This cry is insstent now and is destined to be-
come more shrill in its insistS2ce as the war
proceeds
The plain duty before the far mer of Georgia
and the south is to raise all the food and feed
crops possible during the coming year OF these
crops wheat and oats are the most important and
the time to plant them is The decision
must be made at once by the farmer of what his
allotment of acreage will be for these crops. He
should not be tempted by the high price of cotton
to delay making his decision till the opportunity
shall be lost The need of ourselves and our
urgent as the need for food Patriotism furnishes
the argument for more food crop acreage this fall
than before while self-interest cnches it,
For as the letter of the Braselton Banking COM
pany points out, IL our cotton money to
buy food and feed from other sections, where are
we the gamer? For if cotton is bringing a good
price. so also are wheat and oats Discussing this
feature OF the situation the Sandersville Progress
says: ....~
Plenty of wheat and oats should be given
consideration right now, which is the best
time of the year to get the grain crop
started. You may calculate that it will be
better to plant cotton and buy everything
else but the boil weevl may in and
take your cotton, just as the Germans took
Belgium, and you would be equally help
less in preventing them doing But If you
make your own wheat you know you have
it, and that is better than trying to make
money through another crop with which to
buy 1t. Besides the necessities of the Eu-
ropean countries going to make mighty
draft on our stocks of food next year, much
greater than this year, and the price of
. everything eatable is going much higher than
have yet experienced. Therefore 1t will
be wise to be- on the safe side by providing
everything that possibly be produced
at home.
The Progress makes mistake in saying that
our supply of food is going to be greatly depleted
by the demands of the war at home and abroad
next year. We will have more men in the field
and the armies and civilians of the nations allied
with us will find their of production yield
ing decreasing returns lack that we and we
alone supply.
That the food situation both now and for the
future must be given grave consideration pointed
out by the Manufacturers Record, which says:
This years wheat yield is 100000
bushels less than the average of the last five
years. 1t is $4,000, 900 bushels short of the
crop of 1901. or sixteen years ago. though
had a population at that time of at least
900 less than we have today.
At the average rate of consumption, based
on an increase of $4,000 900 people, we need
at least 125, 900 900 bushels of wheat more
than we needed for domestic consumption in
1901; but instead of having increase, we
are IS, 10000 bushels short of that years
yield
This years wheat crop is 10000, 900.
bushels short oflthe 1912 yield and 1913 ,OOO,
600 bushels short of the crop of 1913 1t is
$4,000, zoe bushels less than the wheat yield
| of 1915, which was record wheat crop
but which was not in excess of our needs and
those of the allies. d.
Georgia and the south have already made a
| good beginning in breaking away from the one
crop system, in raising more hogs and hay and
cattle and velvet beans and oats wheat and other
| grain. This beginning should be accorded heavy
| reinforcement this year. The movement should
score a noteworthy gain Let the farmers every
where rally to this call for if they heed it and
tain it generously, they will be doing some of the
most effective kind Of fighting for their country
| %