Durant weekly news. (Durant, Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 190?-1944, 1918-02-22
Southern Farmers
Must Feed Selves
Specializing in "Munry crop" ir Re.
ga,mh az Tn. .\Mcrican, Says
the Assistant Secretary OF
Agriculture.

If the South rCgl"ctS this wear
| t. ,roridc her owr food and feed.
! she iS likely to suffer serious priva-
| ton. aIi she will put Il tu.hcn upon
; IT," Natiul which may pro!onH ~ .
war and cy"n iinp"ril our victory.
says the Assistant Secretary of hr-
I rcul:urr.
! continuing. - said II am nor
expressing an alarmiSt personal
opinion | am seeing through tn >
/ ewes of i agricultural colleges ANA
/ of county apcntS in nearly every ag-
y hicuijugal county. | have recently
crossed the continent from III" At
lantic to the Pacific have stud
led he reports gathered by thr De
partmcnt's 5000 representatives
and as many more employees of tn"
agricultural colleges.
THE plain, hard truth Il that
with 40 million people withdrawn
from productive industr rics and en-
gagged in the business of destruction.
II is not humanity possible for pro
duction on the whole to exceed nor
NAL demand. The question is
whether the production can equal
necessitOus demand.
| England. France. and Italy must
be sustained or their populations
cannot stand the strain. They have
been on scanty rations for more
than three years. The chief cause
OF Russia's collapse was hunger.
Soldiers cannot fight when their
wives and children are starving.
Secretary McAdoo has given
warning that transportation may be
lacking in 1918, to haul food and
feed to States and communities that
do not provide for themselves. Many
cattle have been sacrificed In the
drouth regions of the Northwest and
the Southeast during the last few
months. because railroad ears could
not be obtained as needed. Military
movements must hav. first cInsid-
GRAFTON, and military movements
will be greater in 1918 than in !o17.
The prime question tor the farmer
is not which prOddct will bring the
highest price. but what lrndii;t@
! will insure food for his fa".i'N and
feed for his livestock. and ih" an
swcr is \ vegetable gart"n.
milk COW. Il brood SOW. poultry
flock. ample crOr. oats. peanuts
etc. and then as much cotton as Il,
can cultivate well.
In 1918 every State. every "o'n'
~, every nnighburhOol. every far
mer, must h" as nearly s"li-suSt in
ing - possible.
For the South to niungc or "h'
ton or tobacco or ANY other .rfr r'
latiye crop ana 10 d'n"nd upon tn,
corn belt for bread or meat "ill t'
for tn" South to onga"e in Il .Earh!
which may cause priration 20 i,'
people and disaster to the Nation
For any man nOw 10 dct"rmin" ils
business ra,iors from III" Stan
point OF profit alor". without r"tar'
To the Nations needs. is for him vii
fully to profitccr in tle blood Of hi
fellows who are fighting in t'rar
for tn" preservation oi tn" r"!hrtc
No man can b. cyrutel for "ot ttE
jig his share ui the responsibility
MY whn'" life has been ,'r':h il
tn" South. know 'hc Soy hen
farmer. He will do Iii ''':;T ~ h
sees il. am apr"@,in.. - ever!
man in the South Z" r,H'..' now
th.s facts TO cUnsia'r l. M hrN
mess to make them '.nr"n M
shall have no doubt Oi tht r''sulis
If thcy are not mad ;nU"a IL
way TO in prrS4 the crisis tha' 'Nn
. 'front.'. us. 1h"r. may y" hrog"" il
this huuntrous land Dr "in ~ "NN
thtr,. in Europe. whc"" il .fiii su"l
} .uil for a,l that il y '.rI "hii II
America.