Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1917-07-26

ing? Factories are raising the price
of labor to the point at which they are
drawing from the farms our young
men. There is one thing that we can
do and that is for US to utilize the a.
mount Of labor that we have to the
greatest amount of efficiency. This
does not mean to increase the acreage.
but 1t does mean a better use of the
land that we now have. We have a
reduced labor supply for our purpose
and we must get the most out of it.
We should obtain good seed, absolutely
the best seed that we can buy. It
means the best possible conditions
with reference to the tillage of the
soil so that the best growth will be
secured. 1t means the elimination and
control of all plant diseases. You take
for instance the tax we are paying in
letting the weeds grow. Why it is
perfectly enormous. Many of these
weeds are of serious economic i'm
portance. They are taking toll of our
field as very heavy load for US to
pay. Every man groans when he sees
the amount of taxes, but the tax
levied by weeds and fungus diseases
amounts to many times this amount.
You take plant diseases alone. Hun
Sradc of M i11;ors of loIIo-. -. 49,. IL . j
by not taking care of the various dis
eases that we have to control in order
to make the most of the use of our la
Dor. Now it is true that in many of
these cases even yet we do not know
a successful way in order to overcome
these troubles. It would be possible
for many to reduce the loss of this
many fold. 1t involves some labor.
it is true, but isn't it better to spend
a moderate amount Of labor on a pro-
cess of this sort than to plant seed that
will not grow? The tax that is levied
on our live stock runs up into millions
of dollars. tuberculosis is a disease
which can be easily controlled by the
use of tuberculin tests. We must re-
member that all Of these diseases are
contagious and spread rapidly when
once started in herd The surround
lngs, however, modify the rate at
which the disease spreads. It spreads
quicker in a barn that is damp and
dark than it does where the animals
are out of doors. Collie is another dis
ease that costs US millions of dollars
Yet many farmers run along with the
hope that Providence is going to be
good to them. They are running a
risk under any conditions. Contagious
abortion is one of the livestock dis
eases which can be kept out Of the
herd with the proper selection and
treatment of the individual. And SC
| say that this question is a question
Of more than intensive agriculture, il
is a question of using these methods
which have worked out under expert
mental conditions and then applying
them under common conditions success
fully.
This year is going to bring us face
to face with utilizing food products
to the greatest measure possible. Il
is going to bring about a correlation
between the efforts or the part of the
farmer and the efforts on the part OF
the home. The work done by the wo.
men is going to result in the saving
Of untold amounts to this country.
1t is impossible to estimate what
this will result in. That work is be.
ing furthered thru the medium of wo.
men who are giving lessons in drying
and IN canning and preserving. These
methods in many instances are lost
art IN the cities. This year you will
see the sweet corn that goes back to
the times of our mothers and grand.
mothers. Corn will be conserved and
preserved for use this coming winter
and it is going to lesson the draft on
the food supplies of the nation and
any surplus is going to be produced
is then made available. Our methods
are going to be radically modified.
With reference to wheat, we are
going to have in the west phenomen-
al crop according to predictions. AT
forty cents a bushel, the income for
wheat will amount to twelve million
dollars. There will be return of over
thirty million dollars over that Of the
normal crop. This year will run be-
tween thirty and forty-fve million
bushel and the question will not be
considered as to whether there may or
may not be profit at which this pro-
duct will be sold. The government
cannot ask the farmers Of the United
States to put forth double efforts from
standpoint of patriotism. If it can
not be made to pay a reasonable a.
mount it can not be expected that an
extra effort is going to be put forth.
What is going to be done no one knows
but we know that our duty at the pres
ent time is to help conserve the ma
lions food The draft that is being
put on America today is such that she
has never been asked to bear before.
Is it any wonder that they are talk
ing Of the inability to secure the sup
plies necessary. In the New England