The Tupelo journal., 1918-02-22
soUTHs MUST FEED HERSELF

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IF the South neglects this year to
provide her own food and feed, she
IS likely to suffer serious privation,
and she will put a burden upon the
Nation which may prolong the wal
and even imperil our victory" says
Clarance Ousley, Assistant Secretary
Of Agriculture.
II am aware that these are strong
words" continues Secretary Ousley,
but they are 0 n too strong. I am
not expressing an alarmist personal
opinion. | am seeing through the
eyes of 48 agricultural colleges and of
county agents in nearly every agricul-
tural county. I have recently crossed
the continent from the Atlantic to
the Pacific. | have studied the res
ports gathered by the departments
$4,000 representatives and as many
more employees of the agricultural
colleges. have considered the con-
clusions of the International Institute
of Agriculture at Rome which has re-
ports from all the world.
THE plain, hard truth is that with
40 million people withdrawn from
productive. Industries and engaged in
the business of destruction, it is not
humanity possible for production on
the whole to exceed normal demand.
The question is whether production
can equal necessitious demand.
England, France, and Italy must
be sustained or their populations a
not stand the strain. They have been
on scanty rations for mare than
three years. The chief cause of Rus
sia's collapse was hunger. Soldiers
cannot fight when their wives and
children are starving.
Secretary McAdoo has given
warning that transportation may be
lacking in 1918, to haul food and
feed to States and communities that
do not provide for themselves. Ma
ny cattle have been sacrificed in the
drouth regions of the Northwest and
the Southwest during the last few
months, because railroad cars could
not be obtained as needed. Military
movements must have first consider
alton, and military movements will be
greater in 1918 than in 1917. The
prime question for the farmer is not
what product will bring the highest
price, but what products will insure
food for his family and feed for his
live stock, and the answer is: a veg
etable garden, a milk cow, a brood
sow, a poultry flock, ample corn, oats,
peanuts, ETC., and then as much cot
ton or tobacco as he can cultivate
well.
at is the highest demand of pa
triotism-it is the first requirement
of living-that in 1918 every State,
every county, every neighborhood,
every farmer, be as nearly self-sus-
tanning as possible.
"For the South to plunge on cot
ton or tobacco or any other specula-
tive crop and to depend upon the
corn belt for bread and meat will be
for the South to engage in a gamble
which may cause privation to it's peo-
pie and disaster to the Nation. For
any man now to determine his BUSH.
ness operations from the standpoint
of profit alone, without regard to the
Nations needs, is for him wilfully to
p~roiteer in the bolod of his fellows
who are fighting in France for the
preservation of the public. No man
can be excused for not taking his
share of the responsibility.
"My whole life has been spent in
the South. l know the Southern
farmer. He will do his duty as he
sees it.. l am appealing to every
man in the South to take these facts
to consider it his business to make
them known and / shall have no
doubt of the results. If they r not
made known in a way to impress the
crisis that confronts US, there may be
hunger in this bounteous land or
hunger over yonder in Europe, where
it will spell ruin for all that is worth
while in America"
The Charter of Incorporation of
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