Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-02-24
ASK UNITED STATES
FARMERS FOR GRAIN
French Tillers of Soil Have Gone
to War, and Land
Is Idle.
TRACTORS TO PLOW GROUND
Timely Relief Afforded Prevents
Famine in Land of
Allies.
nN I. $. Ioon ADMINISTRATIONS

BN u -. I'ooD hDnINtStt sHbtpN
"N!vc rAncriauc' That is the cry
with which France is hating; her new
associated in this war for liberty and
democracy.
Long live Eranc. - is our reply. We
ar" Joined in common cause.-the
fight for freedom. for ourselves "uG
for others. our part is to seud men
and money. food md ammunition. For
their soil. TO make our help most cG-
fcctivc We must help those people to
help themselves: "" must try 20 MAKE
that soil help TO maintain those poo
pie
Frances farmers have Gonc 10 war.
There are no longer enough mon in
ciyil life to pIant and til! the land. The
farm: have been torn by shot and shell.
Fields that were once marvelg "f pro-
Gr"tiIity now JIG neglected. The wo-
mon. old men and even little children
haN" been trying to wrest part or their
liNinE from the iirlds--but with 50 lit
tie and such unskilied labor it * Diff
icrlt for them to make "a crop.
En-; now America is coming to the
rescue. The United States has placed
orders for l.5no farm tractors 10 bc in
France Within ;hH next few months.
The frs: loo are already ON their way.
I; is in this way. with labor saving
machinery. that the United States ex-
poets TO supplement the work OF men
who have been drawn from production.
AMERICAN TRACTORS WILL
REDEEM THENCH FIELDS
The American tractors Will lie dis
,rihuted by the French Minister OF
Agriculture. and schools viii be or
Ganzcd 10 instruct French opera tors in
their use. Hundreds of thousands OF
acres can be plowcd by them this
spring and hundreds of thousands more
III tho fall.
or course, other things than lack of
labor have helped to decrease French
production. Eut inability TO secure
men 10 operate the farms is tho great
est factor with which we can possibly
hope 10 contend That part OF Franco
not invaded had ;o.G57 80: acres under
cultivation in 1918. Last year only
So. 1i3l51 of those acres were, sown-
q shortage OF s,oi5.lG3 .crcs. That
alone would have accounted FOR condi-
lions approaching aotua! famine had
not the United States added millions
Of tons To her normal exports Of food.
especially when You remember that
people from territory now occupied by
Germany have been added 20 the popu-
iati"n o: The uninvaIcd sections.
The fall IN tho crop production OF
France IS due not only to shortage OF
men labor on the farms but TO lack or
the propcr refccdins OF the soil itself.
unfortunately, The same thing that
feeds tie land feeds munitions and
'1u"h Of the niiratcs used for fertilizer
in time of peace arc now being used
in making wartime explosives.
SUBMARINES HAVE SUNK
BOAT LOADS OF TtnTiLIIEl:
The submarines. too. have sunk boa t
after boat loaded with nitratcs and
fertilizer bound for France The
weather has also played a part: un-
usual droughts. late springs. sudden
ir"StS and intense heat have all visit
cd France since the war began.
The lack o! proper fertilization land
feeding of tho soil has reduced tho
crop production in those same wears
"S.i per cent. The total crop pro-
duction OF Franco for 1913 was 3a.l6a. :
$40 tons. compared TO only 2i5Si..o
tons FOR 1917, or decrease of I4,SSl,-
$50 tons.
ilalf million acre; proved and
Planted n poiatoe, should produce
approH imately l,5po.o0o tons. one mil
non acres in fan wheat Should pro-
ducc approximately 10000 tons.
increased prodnction would not only
h.ir To relieve the immediate shortage
in Franco. but would release hundreds
or thousands Of tons Of shipping snac.
needed 8" badly inst now for men and
arms II is Amtri"ls Responsibilities
mo- oniE !" save and send Of her own
SUPPLIES bat also t. ncip France in.
'f"aSc her own food production. In
'nr latter w"rA. the farm tractor viii
p!aN no small part.
HIS OWN RUl hSY