New Britain herald., 1918-02-06
FOOD AND CROPS,
inspiring Rays of Light Shoot through the Gloom and Promised
 t0-oncration Of Farmers Pres
ages Banner Year.
(Springfield Republican,

hope inspiring rays of light, one may i call attention to the fact that on
 January 1, according to an official
 census, there were 1000, 000, 900 hOcs
 in the United States. That figure cov-
 CTS 1O,00O,0O0 more hogs than had
 been previously estimated in the best informed circles. We are then 10 | OOO. 900 hogs better off than we l thought we were. The hog has nlavod an important part in American his i tory first and last. The pioneers in the
 wilderness raised Indian corn and fed { it to the hogs. The West, in the early days, before railroads were built. sent it's corn crop largely to the east ern seaboard in the shape of hogs driven alive over the trails and
 through the passes of the AIeshany
 mountains to eastern markets Tn
 return, the West got clothing. farm
 tools, hardware, vehicles and general
 merchandise Today the American
 hog has it's part to play. and if the hog
 ralsers are doing more than was ex-
 pectod of them one may note che fact
 With genuine satisfaction
 In most Of the current writing on
 the country's agricultural situati or a
 note Of apprehension predominatcs.
 Ih1nss, however. may not be so bad
 as they seem. The farm labor sup
 ply is undeniably extremely low. A
 year ago the situation looked desper- ate, but since then there has been
 the army draft to deplete the -anks
 of farm workers. Immigration fur
 nishes no relief, and, meanwhile. the
 high wages in munition plants and
 other war industries are drawing
 away from the soil many of the work CTS still left there. Is there the least counterpoise in sight to these teuden- cieS? Tn the West one may iote something encouraging, whatever may be the case in the East. A correspon- dent in Topeka, Kan, writes to the New York Evening Post that "the use of the farm tractor has been greatly extended by the shortage of help, and thousands are being sold in the middle West for spring de i livery. These are counted upon to minimize the need of men. Besides 1 the much extended use of farm ma- 1 chinery, one notes also strong tenden- l cies toward organized effort among 1 farm CTS as q, class Thus the same l correspondent tells of a "repair 1 week. set for some time this nlonrh l in which every farmer in a great pro- , ducing section is to see to his re- pairs and ct his old farm machinery in order for the season now near at hand.
 There never was a time when fed cral, state and local agencies were doing so much to help increase farm production as now Itis true that the federal department of agriculture can stimulate production, under the law, but cannot furnish labor or funds to 4 Fo, Vo+ | banks are established for tho purpose of giving farmers financial assistance, the federal department of labor has l. undertaken to organize a. great iLbor | exchange and distribution system. While the new food administration ! under MT. Hoover cannot influence crop production save in some measure 1 through the fixing of prices, tho fact is that in dealing with the problems ! of crop distribution tho food adminis tration has always borne in mind the necessity of making prices high enough to stimulate future produc~ tion.
 The country does face, however, a serious situation, in view of the de- mands made upon it's agricultural sur plus by it's European allies. Many farmers East and West, North and South, appear to contemplate cur tailnent rather than expansion in till age the coming year, owing to labor shortage and high costs ot prodnc- ton. Tn some cases, their efforts last year in intensified farming were un- profitable The country's d1stributiVe system is faulty The biggest pOta- to crop in our history signalized 1917, yet the crop has been marketed so slowly and badly that a large vast age from the rotting of the reserve supplies may result We now rave q system of government regulation or in these processes that 1 is haIf-and-half in character; it can do nothing thoroughly. For while the country has evolved a Hoover, there is a Reed pulling stoutly at lis coat-tails.
 The present situation regarding wheat indicates the handicaps to be overcome in the coming season. The l winter wheat growers were asked to SOW 44,5OO,000 acres; they fell short while surpassing the best previous record bv a million acres. If the to- tai of 6O,O00.o00 acres for all wheat is to be planted, over 2O,000, 900 acres must now be planted to spring wheat l TheS long dry spell in the autumn gave winter wheat a poor start: cold weather before the snow blanket came killed considerable of the acreage how much must be determined when spring arrives. The later heavy snows have improved the situation some what. in that they will furnish mois- ture to the young plant when the thaw comes
 One thing, however, that affords ground for special encouragement. , while one contemplates the poSHble in the program for the year. is +bat the agriCulturai department, 1 ,