Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-03-10
FOOD OUTLOOK IN u. S. CHEERING,|
DESPITE WHEAT DEARTH TO AUGUST

I power to send it overseas-and it in
tends to exercise that power 1t holds
| the sending of this wheat to be as
| necessary a war measure as the send
+! ing of men and munitions. 1t drafted
| the men to send, and it is going to draft
| the wheat.
The American people have two
choices. They may so restrict their
use of wheat that what is left for. them
| can be spread thin over the period
until the new crop becomes available
| Or they may continue using wheat at
| the present rate and then go month
! or two months without any wheat at
| all The food administration will pre-
| scribe further restrictions on wheat
! distribution and consumption with the
purpose of outstanding the scant sup
ply. But these regulations, even il it
| were possible to enforce them fully.
| will not accomplish it. If there is to
be a saving of 5O,O00.000 bushels by
August l voluntary conservation must
! he practiced on scale which has not
| even been asked before.
OF other foods to take the place of wheat
| during these critical months there will be
no lack. There will be an overabundance of
corn and of potatoes. There will be a
sufficiency of beef. and during part of
the period. at least, an increased supply
of pork. Solution of the wheat problem
does not call for any real privation: does
not involve the necessity of any one going
y.
, in the eating habits Of the people. with
the possibility of a temporary upsetting
OF panpered digestions
Wheat a Hold-over Problem.
The wheat problem is the only food prob
lem of consequence there is in America
today, and it is a hold-over problem. the
result OF last years short crop of wheat
The corn problem and the potato problem
resulting from last years transportation
congestion. now are on the way to rapid
solution. In most parts of the country
they already have been solved. Other
foodstuffs are moving to market along
lines as nearly normal as is to be expected
in war times.
Now that the worst is known of the food
problem Immediately confronting the ma
ton interest naturally turns to the out
look for the coming year. Are food con-
ditions to be better or worse than they
were in 1917 and the early months of the
present year?
If the people are to be called upon
for still greater self-denial they would
like to know it now, and know why
If there is prospect of better things
to come. of fewer restrictions when
the new crops are harvested, they will
be better able to endure with fortitude
OF wheat which is necessary until
August. and from there now is no
escape
The people are not interested in the
no hurt because one official steps on
the toes of another. They are not in
terested even in who is to blame for
Whatever mistakes the last year has
witnessed Their interest is in the fu-
ture- They want to win the war and
are willing to do all things necessary
TO its winning. But they don't want
the order of their lives upset because
some one in authority has fad or
in an effort to justify the opinion of
one official when he comes into conflict
with another
therefore. they are asbing questions,
ana the most insistent one regards the
food outlook for the coming year.
Official View Optimistic.
Both Secretary of Agriculture Hous-
ton and Food Administrator Hoover
take an optimistic view of the food out
look for 1918. Director General Nc
Aooo gives assurances that whatever
crops the American farmers grow the
railroads will be able to transport to
market and to the seaboard
But the 1918 crops are yet to be
harvested All remain to be planted in
facf. except winter wheat and rye And
asrlcuiture. more than any other
human activity. lies at the mercy of the
elements. Unusually favorable plant
ing and growing seasons may make the
harvest so large that it will be possible
10 remove all restrictions on the eating
haoits of the people Conversely un-
usually unfavora BILE seasons NAV SO
reduce the planting and harvest that
food conditions will be more serious
than they were last year
mere are elements other than the
chance of weather which are Operating
against the production of large crops,
tertiliZers are scarce. of poor quality
and the prices are all but prohi bitiye
Ihere is an almost absolute lack Of
some OF the raw materials necessary
H.f fn~
The farm labor situation never was
50 acute. and prices of all kinds of
farm machinery are high and going
higher Though prices for farm prod
ers hesitate because of the uncertain
mes OF next year to invest in high
priced iabor-SaVing machinery Wheat
farmers already are besieging members
CT Congress to fix government guar
antee price for the 1919 wheat crop
They contend that they cannot afford
to buy the machinery they need with
no guarantee beyond the crop of the
present year.
Furloughed to Garner.
Earnest efforts are being made by the
Department of Agriculture in co-opera-
tion with the Department of Labor tn
assure farmers supply of labor dur
Ing the planting and harvest seasons.
and the Secretary of War has obtained
from Congress permission to furlough
soldiers to help with crops In a state
ment in another column of today's
Star Secretary Houston calls on CITY
jewellers who have had some farm ex-
perience. or are willing to gain such
experience, to volunteer for agricul-
tural service.
Secretary Houston expresses conf
dence that the American farmers will
overcome the obstacles which confront
them and again grow the huge crops
which are necessary to the feeding of
America and her allies. Herbert C.
Hoover. in an article written for The
Star and which appears elsewhere in
today's issue. takes the same hopeful
view.
The food problem of America. of the
world. in fact. reyolvss around wheat
American farmers last fall sowed more
land to wheat than ever before. If
they plant much spring wheat this
year as they did last, the total wheat
acreage will be larger than that of 1915,
the record breaking crop.
The latest estimate of the Department
of Agriculture is that the harvest from