The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-01-31

lsixty-nine state and federal expert
ment stations. These colleges and ex
pertinent stations have total endow'
ment Of plant and equipment of $172,
900, and an income OF more than
s35, 900 900 with 1921 teachers. resi-.
dent student body of $4,000. and a
vast additional number receiving in.
struction at their homes. County
agents, joint officers of the department
of agriculture and of the colleges are
everywhere cooperating with the
farmers and assisting them.
The number of extension workers
under the Smith.Leyer act and under
the recent emergency legislation has
grown to $500 men and women work.
ing regularly in the various commun-
tiles and taking to the farmer the lat
est scientific and practical information
Alongside these great public agencies
stands the very effective voluntary or
Examinations among the farmers them
selves, which are more and more
learning &e best methods of cooper
alton and the best methods of putting
to practical use the assistance derived
from governmental sources.
The banking legislation Of the last
| two or three years has given the farm
ers access to the great capital OF the
country and it has become the duty
OF the men in charge of the federal re-
serve banking system and of the farm
loan banking system 10 see to 1t that
the farmers obtair Sse caiiit both
short term and long terui 70 ".ils!-
| they are entitled not only, but which
it is imperatively necessary should be
extended to them if the present tasks
of the country are to be adequately
Performed
Both by direct purchase OF nj
trates and by the establishment Of
Eplants TO produce nitrates, the gov
eminent is doing its utmost TO assist
in the problem of fertilization. The
le~partment Of agriculture and other
lagencies are actively assisting the
farmers to locate, safeguard and Sc
cure at cost an adequate supply OF
sound seed The department has 81
500, 900 availabl for this purpose now
and has asked the congress for So
0o0, 900 more.
THE labor problem is one Of great
difficulty and some of the best agen-
cies of the nation are addressing
themselves to the task of solving 1t,
so far as it is possible to solve it
Farmers have not been exempted
from the draft. 1 know that they
would not wish to be. l take it for
granted they would not wish to be put
in q class by themselves in this re-
spect. But the attention OF the war
department has been very seriously
Icentered upon the task OF interfering
with the labor of the farms as little
as possible and under the new draft
4 h1fs Co nf
the country will find that their supply
OF labor is very much less seriously
drawn upon than it was under the
first and initial draft, made before we
had our present full experience IN
these perplexing matters. The supply
of labor in all industries is a matter
1--we must look to and are looking to
with diligent care.
/ "And let me say that the stimula-
ton of the agencies I have enumer-
ated has been responded to by the
farmers in splendid fashion. / dare
say that you are aware that the farm
ers Of this country are as efficient as
any other farmers in the world. They
do not produce more per acre than
the farmers in Europe. It is not neces-
sary that they should do so. 1t would
iperhaps be bad economy for them to
Iattempt it. But they do produce by
two or three or four times per man
per unit of labor and capital, than
the farmers of any European country.
They are more alert and use more
labor saving devices than any other
farmers in the world And their re-
Spouse to the demands of the present
emergency has been in every way re-
markable.
Last spring their planting e1-
ceeded by twelve million acres the
largest planting of any previous year
and the yields from the crops were
record breakers. In the fall OF 1917
wheat acreage of 42,170,OO0 was
planted, which was one million acres
more than for any preceding year,
three millions greater than the previ-
Gus year, seven million greater than
the preceding five year average.
But I ought to say to you that it
Is not only necessary that these
achievements should be repeated but
that they should be exceeded. I know
what this advice involves. 1t involves
not only labor but sacrifice, tie pains
taking application of every bit of
scientific knowledge and every tested
practice that is available. II means
| the utmost economy, even to the
point where the pinch comes. 1t
means the kind of concentration and
self sacrifice which is involved In the
field Of battle itself where the object
always looms greater than the indi-
vfdual And yet the government will
help and help in every way that is
possible.
THE impression which prevails in
some quarters that while the govern
ment has sought to fix the prices of
foodstuffs it has not sought 10 fix 9TH
er prices which determine the eX-
penses of the farmer is a mistaken
one. AS a matter of fact the govern
lment has actively and successfully
regulated the prices OF many funda-
mental materials underlying ali the
industries Of the country and has
regulated them not only for the pur-
| CHI ses OF the znYernmeQt. but also for