The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-02-19
Urges South To Provide
Food For Own Needs
Assistant Secretary Of Agriculture
Points Out War Facts

Washington, Feb. 19-"If the south
neglects this year to provide her
own food and feed, she is likely to
suffer serious privation, and she will
put burden upon the nation which
may prolong the war and even inn
peril our victory" says Clarence Ows-
ley, assistant secretary of agriculture.
81 am aware that these are strong
words continues Secretary Owsley,
"but they are home too strong. ] am
not expressing an alarmist personal
opinion. | am seeing through the
eyes of 4S agricultural colleges and
of county agents in nearly every agri-
cultural county. | have recently
crossed the continent from the Allan
tic to the Pacific. have studied the
reports gathered by the departments
$4,000 representatives and as many
more employees of the agricultural
colleges. ! have considered the con-
illusions of the International Insti-
tute of Agriculture at Rome which
has reports from all the world.
"The plain, hard truth is that with
4O,0O0,0OO people withdrawn from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 necessitous demand.
England, France and Italy must be
sustained or their populations can
not stand the strain. They have
been on scanty rations for more 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. Many cattle
have been sacrificed in the drouth re-
gions of the northwest and the south
west during the last few months. be-
cause railroad cars could not be oh.
tanned as needed. Military move
ments must have first condition. and
military movements will be greater in
1918 than in 1917 The prime ques-
tion for the farmer is not what prod.
uct 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 vegetable garden,
a milk COW, a brood SOW, poultry
flock, ample corn, oats, peanuts, ETC.,
and then as much cotton or tobacco
as he can cultivate we'll
ut is the highest demand of pa
triatism-it is the first requirement
OF living-that in 1918 every state,
every county, every neighborhood, ev-
cry farmer, bea nearly selfsustain.
ing as possible
For the south to plunge on cotton
or tobacco or any other speculative
crop and to depend upon the corn
belt for bread and meat will be for
the south to engage in gamble
which may cause privation to it's
people and disaster to the nation.
For any man now to determine his
business operations from the stand
point of profit alone, without regard
to the nations needs, is for him will.
fully to profiteer in the blood of his
fellows who are fighting in France
for the preservation of the republic.
No man can be excused for not taking
his share of the responsibility.
My whole life has been spent in
the south, ] know the southern farm.
err He will do his duty as he sees
it. 1t am appealing to every man in
the south to make known these facts
to consider it his bushes to make
them known-and | shall have no
Goubt of the results. If they are not
made known in 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"