The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-23
Staple Crops Are Found to
Be Far Below the Earlier
Optimistic Estimates
POTATO HARVEST
DISAPPOINTING
Breadstuffs and Fish Inadequate and
Alarming Drop Shown in Prospects Of
Already Scanty Supplies of Milk, But
ter and Fats.
ter and Fats.


AMSTERDAM, Dec. 10. Correspond
cnce of Associated Press. November
marked probably the blac kest period in
the history Of the German food supply,
not indeed in the actual supply, but in
the outlook for the Winter and Spring.
The public had already become aware
that the breadstuffs harvest was poor
and the fodder harvest bad, but further
revelations came rapidly during the
month which must have had an all but
catastrophe effect on thinking people
in Germany. The supply of vegetables,
it became known, was very inadequate
everywhere, there was hardly any pros
peet Of help from the fish trade, and
an alarming drop was shown in the
prospects of the already scanty sup
plies Of milk, butter, and fats,
Finally, it became clear during No
vember that the potato harvest was
disappointing in the extreme The
quantity shown in the official returns
was so much reduced that the authOri-
ties refused to accept the revised est
mate. declared the farmers liars, and
proposed to call in the military to
reQui- ition stocks. The quality in diff
ercnt parts of the empire is reported
as extremely poor, 50 that an unusual
| percentage of loss can be counted on
with certainty.
It is now regarded as certain that
/ both the meat and bread rations will
/ have To be reduced in the early Spring.
! DESPITE a desperate effort to gather up
/ all the remaining foodstuffS in the oc-
! cupicd territories. This latter move
meat is likely to be extended to extreme
! limits during the Winter, with the re
| suit that the inhabitants CT all occupied
! territories face the prospect of starva-
! ton for Germany 5 benefit
| IN an effort TO stretch further the
! supplies Of breadstufs, orders have
! been given for wider use OF potato
! flour, but this is found difficult owing to
| scarcity of such flour To obtain more
| at this time is not easy, for it is neces-
sary to dry and mill the potatoes, which
takes time, and just now more than the
usual time owing to shortage of labor,
coal and other requisites Hence, until
February bread must be supplemented
by more potatoes, measure of doubt
| full expcdiency.
Tha failure of The fodder harvest
comedies with Il generally unsatisfae-
tory hay crop. This is leading to in
creased slaughter Of pigs, a falling off
in the weight OF cattle slaughtered, and
a steady diminution of milk.
The place of meat cannot be taken to
any great extent by fish, for the supply
If fish il poor aud the authorities hold
cut no hope for an Improvement. The
obvious emergency food is vegetables
but there has been a failure of the mar
ket garden crop in many districts, and
the wholesale eyasions Of regulations
as to Illicit sales have apparently left
the markets almost bare.
The German newspapers have aban-
doned the pretcnsc that "things will
be easier this Winter than last" but
they still cling to the hope that pros
poets may be changed by some miracle
in Russia or Italy. The Berlin CORE
sFondent Of the Cologne Nolkszeitung
discussing the prospects of the fourth
Winter, says:
1T will be the hardest vet. Every
household will feel its hardships more
because all the small stocks in store
rooms and cellars have been used up
The harvest has not turned out well
Nevertheless, the nation can hold out if
three conditions are fulfilled Every
possible surplus should be brought ii
from Rumania, Belgium and France
All grain must be seized for the com
mon store. Potatoes must be used fol
stretching breadstuffs -
The increase of illicit trading is TIL
subject of fiery editorial in the Bruins
wick Nolksfreund, which saws:
AS soon as an order is issued three
fourtha of the population seek how
they may evade it. They have lost
faith in official promises and the feal