The daily banner. (Cambridge, Md.) 1897-2008, 1918-03-27
. WINTER WHEAT ACREAGE
INC d'REASED 4 PER CENT
Crop p ktings And Labor Needed
For waiting An" Harvesting
The of 1913.

Wash tton, d. c.. Mar. 26.-I am
receivirl nany letters concerning
newspa reports of my testinon!
before 10 Senate Committee on Ag-
riculturSNbn March 13. These let
ters shGSSS that what | said has been
reporteal in such manner as to CON
vey false impression in many re-
spects. 1t is impossible for me to
answers every letter and to discuss
every angle of the subject, but for
the inf4rmation of all inquirers,
furnish, the following summary OF
what | Isaid OH the subject of crop
acreageI and the labor necessary to
cultivate and harvest the crops in
1918:
If the law OF averages holds good,
there viii be approximately as much
land under the plow this year as last
year, and | am inclined to believe
that in the aggregate the acreage will
be Increased. Since the latter part
of January | have visited the North
west from Minnesota to Puget Sound
and the South from Texas TO Geor-
gia. LII the Northwest, of course.
there We're no paintings, but l found
a general purpose, notwithstanding
acreage In the South | found the
same Purpose already partly in eff
feet. 1t may be assumed that what
the farmers of the Southwest and of
the Northwest intend TO do, the far
mers OF other regions also intend to
do.
The winter wheat acreage last
fall was Increased per cent. and
y,
per cent. but for dry weather in
considerable part of the winter wheat
belt. The prospect at this time is
for an increase of spring wheat acre
age of 5 to Is per cent In the
South. the early paintings carry
generous proportion of food and
feed crops, and if the spring is ia
vorable there is no reason TO doubt
a main enance of this proportion.
In many of the trucking and mar
ket-garden regions, especially those
surrounding busy industrial centers,
there IS likely to be considerable
decrease in truck-crop acreage be-
cause eff labor difficulties. but in
many Of these regions much of the
land VII go into staple crops. This
readjustment of farming operations
in the trucking regions is likely to
cause q smaller yield of perishable
products, but on the other hand the
home-garden movement is in full
swing and if every man who can do
so will make a reasonable effort to
raise q garden, there need be no
lack OF Vegetables.
OF course no man can say what
the harvest will be, for the yield
will depend upon the weather and
upon nc labor available for cultiva
eor T q harvesting.
me Hsipal difficulty in farming
Spsl5i br 1915 is the problem
ZOOS. g'lssess is serieiszzr but
it is npt ipsuperable. The Depart
ment df Agriculture has farm labor
Offices tn nearly all of the States,
working g in cooperation with the ag-
ricultufal colleges, the county ag-
ents and other State activities. and
the Department of Labor has en-
ployment Offices in nearly all the
centers of population. These two
departments together are enabled to
contribute much to the solution of
the problem by furnishing informa-
ton and by shifting labor from nei-
ghborhood to neighborhood as the
seasonal demand passes, and gener-
ally by bringing together the labor
er and the employer. But when all
has been done that may be done by
these departments or by any other
governmental agency, much Will re-
main to be done by the States and
communities, especially by the cities,
for there is not enough labor seeking
employment to supply the farms for
cultivation and harvesting. For
years the cities with their great for
tunes and bright lights have been
drawing young men from the farms.
The war has merely precipitated a
drift that sooner or later would
have caused more or less of a food
crisis. In peace times that is mat
ter that might we'll be left to read
just itself through such reduced pro
duction and consequent high prices
as would make farming more profit
able and attract men to the industry.
But in the war emergency we must
have food at all costs, and since
there is no way of getting it with
out labor. and since labor is lacking,
the cities must sacrifice something
of their comfort and furnish the
necessary man power to cultivate
and harvest the crops. In many
towns and cities last year the busl-
ness men closed their establish
ments or spared numbers of their
employees to help the farmers. in
few places already business men are
taking surveys and are making pied
ges to furnish labor which has farm
eynariance tn the adjoining COM