Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1918-08-29
WAR FOUND AGRICULTURE
READY TO MEET EMERGENCY

Carl Vrooman, assistant secretary
Of agriculture, in an address August
before the Lake Forest county far
mers institute in Lake Forest, ILL.,,
faid:
I'm 1917, by producing one thous-
and million bushels more Of food
crops than usual, the American far
mer kept the allies from famine and
defeat, and thus saved civilization.
This fact is not generally realized,
even by well informed city people,
Cor the simple reason, as stated by
Secretary Houston, that farmers are
not spectacular performers. They
DO not furnish sensations and head
lines. They work in season and out
OF season, from early morning until
dusk, but they do not work in the
llmelight.
81 sometimes wonder what percen-
;age OF our urban population realize
that Americas greatest contribution
TO the allied cause, during our first
year OF war, was not men, nor NUM-
lions, nor even money, but the part
Of our gigantic emergency feed crop
We were able to ship abroad. 1t may
sound strange to those who have not
taken pains to look into the matter
hut the truth is, If this nation had
been able to lay the foundations Of
military preparedness as thoroughly
rs it had those for agriculture, It
would have been able to mobilize its
fighting men and It's industrial re-
gources more rapidly and would have
been able promptly after entering
the war to have furnished millions
rather than hundreds Of thousands Of
thoroughly equipped men for the as
distance OF the allies.
THE federal departments were in
position quicly to mobilize for war
the navy department, the treasury
department, and the department of
agriculture. This was because these
we're the three departments for
which congress had enacted the most
effective preparedness legislation
before the war.
Il would not think of intimating
that the farmers is any more patri-
otic than the city dweller, but 1t is
only fair 10 say that recent events
have demonstrated that the farmer
is as patriotic as the best, and that
when the storm broke he was better
prepared for actual war work than
Nas any other class of citizens.
In truth, the day after war was
declared, when as yet we had only
100000 soldiers, and while the navy
was stlIl on peace basis, 10000
and their families we're modified in
the fields and burrows of America,
where they have been fighting from
dawn until dark every working day
since.
Our billion bushel increase In the
food crops was brought about in spite
of the fact that when war was de-
clared many of the crops already had
been planted and all of them had
oeen decided upon and prepared for.
Moreover. this grandiose harvest was
not due to unusually favorable wea-
ther conditions. The wheat crop, ow-
ing to droughts in the wheat belt,
wheat diseases and the largest per-
centage of loss by winter killing ever
recorded, was almost a failure; while
the corn crop was nearly undone by
a late spring, an excessively moist
and almost sunless summer, and ear
ly frosts nearly everywhere in the
corn belt.
"Our phenominal food crop last
year was due primarily to the patri-
otism, sweat, and pep of the Ameri-
.an farmer, who from April until
November had the undying honor of
constituting Americas first line Of
defense, of occupying the front lire
trenches of Americas slowly form
ing battle line.
"Nor was this brilliant quasimli-
tary achievement gained without
casualty list. 1t is true that no tar
mers risked or lost life or limb in