New-York tribune., 1918-02-19
a 2erzcQnS
Eat More Than
Before the War
Continued from page I

the potato crop there should have been
$1,000 cars a month for eight months
from November l. Instead there were
only l2,9OO carloads of potatoes in No
vembcr, 6,70C in December and $500
in January.
Cars Needed to Save Potatoes
To save the potatoes there must be
a thousand cars day from now on.
10 eliminate the cross hauling that
exists IN potatoes as in everything
else the TODD administration is now
handling the crop on a sort of regional
system. Cars are supplied to ship
pers only TO- consignment to points
within the consuming region tribu-
tary to the producing district Cars
tor corn are granted or withheld ac
cordlng to destination. A farmer can
get cars. say for Chicago, when he
can't get them for Boston.
Because of the failure of transporta-
ton corn is worth 81 on the farms and
50 at the seaboard and presently,
through rotting, the farslers' corn will
be worthless. Mr.. Hoover's testimony
concerning the railways is full Of
asterisks, which means that what he
said was considered unwise rather
than unfit for publication. There are
also notable clisions in those parts of
the testimony that deal with the
status of the Allies, the hemp and sisal
twlne problem and the voracious appe
tito of the American consumer
Enough is spared, however, to indicate
that there is a still frightful waste.
For example. the restaurants save
twice as much food as the customer
eats.
America will not need to come to
ratloning, Mr.. Hoover thinks. and if
the 1918 crop turns out according to
Secretary Houston's programme. there
Will be no need of any stinting in this
country except for the purpose of in
creaslng the now deplorably slim ration
of the Allies. If the Allies were to
stay on their present rations America
might conceivably be in position to
eat itself sick-after the next crop.
May Have Bumper Wheat Crop
Secretary Houston thinks it is quite
possible that the spring wheat acreage
Will exceed the bumper acreage wear
Of 1911, which was 20,381 900 acres.
# it does. there will be probably about
300,000,O00 bushels of spring wheat
harvested. The present forecast for
winter wheat is 540,00O,0OO bushels.
There is chance that the spring wheat
acreage may go as high as 23,00O,OO0.
based largely on the hope that North
Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Minnesota
VIII get back to their oldtime form.
Farmers everywhere who live in regions
capable of producing spring wheat are
urged to plant five or ten acres as 8
side crop to their ordinary lines. As
sumlng that winter wheat prospects
VIII not improve, the only hope of a
Dig wheat surplus is nn extraordinary
acreage OF spring wheat. Oats and
corn can be sacrificed to wheat. Farm
ers VINO cannot plant whea. are urged
to put IN some barley
The South is urged to feed itself and
then plant all the cotton it can.
slight reduction in the corn acre-
age to make way for wheat is pcrmis-
slple- flfteen per cent more hogs must
be produced. An increased acleage of
sugar beets and sugar cane IS desirable.
DAIRY and poultry products should be
increased. Oats can stand some rcduc-
ton, but barley, rice, buckwheat and
haXseed should be maintained or in
creased.
Home Gardens Advisable
larger acreage of grain sorghums
IS ADVISED. Beef animals should be in
creased. The normal potato acreage
VIII be sufficient. Wherever possible
Inere should be larger acreage in
Deans, peas and peanuts. Market gar
oens near large consuming centres
should be extended so as to reduce
transportation requirements. Home
gardens are advisable for home con-
SUMPTION
AS to the labor problem, the pro-
gramme says that while the labor sit
ua'lon stlll presents difficulties and is