Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-03-01
Delegate to International In-'
Stitute Of Agriculture al
Rome Points Lesson mi
Reclamation, /
RECOMM FEDERAL
AID IN ARID STATES
War Demand for Hides, Wool
and Meaat Can Be Met Only
if United States Produces
More Stock.

Rome, Feb. l0.-"The reclamation
for cattle raising of the lands of the
eleven arid states of the United States
is the key to the food problem which
our allies in Europe are looking to us
to solve" said David Lubin of Cali
fornia, United States delegate to the
International Institute of Agriculture.
This is the most critical food year
Of the war and | have proposed to
congress in my reports that measures
be taken at once by the government
to carry out the plan right now
said Mr. Lubin in an interview with
The Associated Press.
The cattle of Europe are being
rapidly eaten up, and the cattle sup
ply of the world is diminishing in the
unprecedented demand of the war for
hides with which to make shoes, for
wool, and for meat. | am not pro-
posing this merely Tor the war, but as
lasting benefit to the nation for all
time. If the war were to stop right
now, there would still be not enough
leather, nor enough wool.
Takes Time to Recover.
you can grow wheat from one
season to another but you cannot re-
plenish your cattle supply at once.
In Northern France the Germans cut
down all the fruit trees because fruit
trees are the result of many years
of growth. and as they did with fruit
trees in their devilry we have been
obliged to do with our cattle supply
1.-THE land OF those arid states is
in the same condition now as would
be the famed fertile valley Of the Nile
II the river were taken away. What
l propose is the leading of a lot of
small Nile streams from the noun
tains, or by striking artesian wells,
until these lands are made to flour
sh in the same way the Mormons
have made Utah to flourish Take
away the Nile from Egypt and it
couldn't support a ehurch-mouse.
while this reclamation job would
ordinarily take many years, if the
government gets at it quickly as a
war measure, and provides the money
to buy machinery, the easiest part of
the work could be done in time for
helping now. Then we would be
lending money to ourselves instead
of lending it to our allies and yet
helping them.
Money Is Required.
"By this plan we would reintro-
duce the old-fashioned extensive sys-
tenn of cattle and sheep range in some
measure, instead of the intensive sys-
TENS. On the old system water was
merely needed to make the grass
grow and give drink to the animals.
The intensive system cannot be car
ried out on the farms now otherwise
available in the United States because
land is being used for growing wheat
and corn and oats. and these foods
are expensive to be used in feeding
cattle. When corn is cheap, as a rule
the farmer keeps 1t at home and feeds
1t to his cattle in winter, and in this
way we get cheap meat in the cities,
and cheap shoes.
"Of course the immediate objection
has already been made to it by con-
gressmen that the plan will take mon
ey But we must not stop at money,
no matter whether it be q hundred
million dollars or billion. If we
don't win this war we won't have any
thing left at all of our money. and
we can't win the war without food
| II we don't lookout starvation will
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