The Cordele dispatch. (Cordele, Ga.) 19??-1971, 1918-03-24
SOUTH MUST RAISE
IT'S OWN FOOD CROP
MILITARY DEMAND ON RAILWAYS
MAKES FARMERS WORK
VITAL NECESSITY

WASHINGTON. D. G., Mar. 21.-''If
the South this year does not produce
its own food and feed" says the Uni
ted States Department of Agriculture,
sit will be poorer rather than richer"
The, department is conducting
campaign in southern states to con-
vince the farmers of the south that
every important consideration makes
it necessary for them not to plant
more than the usual number of acres
to cotton, but to increase the quantity
of southern food crops. The depart
ment declares that the necessity is
SO vital that on It may hang the win
ming of the war in Europe and whether
| or not the conflict shall be transferred
to this side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Must Relieve Railways.
One of the factors that make it alb
| bolutely necessary for the south 10
produce its own food and not to rely
on the north to any degree is the eX-
| tent 70 which the railways are being
Hllled on to transport the men and
supplies of the army The total pre-
| sent army of the United States is
given by the War Department as prac-
| tically 100000 men. OF course, 500,
900 men are estimated by the Depart
ment of Agriculture to be in the SOU
them states On the basis of trans
portation figures given by the war
department, it is estimated that to
carry the men from southern camps
! 800 cars or 1860 tarins, locomotives
In addition to transportation of
troops, there is the problem of sup
plying them with food for themselves
knd feed for their live stock 1t is es-
timated that for the maintenance of
of the army alone, transportation will
be required for 1,704,320 tons this
year. On the basis of 10000 per car
this would require 85,216 carloads.
For the maintenance of animals used
by the army, transportation will be
required for 1883 tons per month.
With hay and grain averaging $4,000
pounds per car this would require
S052 a month or 96,624 cars a year
Many Big Camps in the South
The magnitude of the task of feed
ing the troops in the southern states
is indicated by the number of large
camps in this section of the country
Among the points where there are
large camps are:
Admission and Montgomery, Alaba-
ma; Little Rock, Arkansas; Atlanta,
Macon and Augusta, Georgia; Louis
vile, Kentucky; Hattisburg, Mississ-
ippi; Chariot, North Carolina; Ft.
Sill, Oklahoma; Columbia, Greenville
and Spartansburg, South Carolina;
San Antonio, Houston, FIT Worth and
| Waco, Texas; Petersburg, Virginia.
In addition to these are numerous
aviation fields and special training
camps in the south. Other items to be
figured in the transportation demand
are the haulage of export materials
to southern seaports in order to re-
lieve the congested northern seaports.
( And the haulage made necessary by
the construction OF ships at various
southern sea-ports.
Drectro McAdoo's Warning
The south must feed ITSELF says the
Department of Agriculture. 1t points
to the recent warning by Mr.. McAdoo,
Director General of Railways, that
transportation may be lacking in 1918
to haul food and feed to states and
communities that do not provide for
themselves.
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