The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-12-19
PEANUTS ONE OF THE SOUTHS MOSTV VALUABLE CROPS
Wade's Letter

Food production with which to win the war has been the slogan for two years. American farmers rallied to the call for greater food crops and held the bread line as periodically and strong 1y as did the soldiers rally to the colors and hold the battle line. It was Amer icas supply of food and money that kept the allies fighting until the Amer ican army got there. The central powers were outdistanced in supplies at home and overwhelmed by superior numbers on the battlefront until they were forced to acknowledge defeat. The American soldiers fought heroically and covered themselves with glory, but the war was really won on the home front and the man behind the blow is as justly entitled to his share oE the glory as the man be- hind the gun.
 The slogan still is food production in time of reconstruction. The closing of the war has not made available any more food nor reduced the worlds consump- tion. Food is probably scarcer today than it was this date year ago. Half the world is on short or starvation ra- tions and looking to America for relief. There can be no increase in the worlds food supply until another harvest, which will still be insufficient, due to the slow progress of reconstruction in Flu rope. The crops most needed and which paid the producer best for the past two years were food crops. Conditions have not changed in this respect and the food production slogan should be continued.
 Europe will turn first attention to producing her bread supply, which with the increased American wheat crop will probably be sufficient to meet all de- mands within one year. The American farmer in the south through unwise en- thusiasm and misguided judgment will probably launch out to produce a bumper cotton crop, which will give the world an easy supply and put himself in the hole on expenses and get disappointed In the price. A normal supply of wheat ana cotton can be grown in one favorable year, bu. a normal supply of livestock products cannot be produced in less than four years
 It is the southern farmers opportunity to produce food and feed crops and mar ket them through livestock to a greater extent than has been done during the past two or three years.
 The acreage planted to cotton should not be increased and the national crop should be held around Il, ,000, 100000 bales If the south were to produce 15,Ooo 0Oo,ooo Or 16,00O, 900, GOO bales of cotton next year, it would be at tremendously advanced cost and the price will fall to 15 cents per pound or less and produce state or bankruptcy I fear that farmers are go- ing to do this very thing, if the seasons and boil weevils will allow them to do it. Indications already point that way to some extent
 So far as Alabama and the south ca astern states are concerned, the poll weevils will in all probability be worse next year than they have been during the wo years just past. In the first place, frost occurred a month late thls fall. The cotton stalks remained green and fruiting right up to December. heavy crop of boil weevils have been produced and fed right up to the pres ent date Ordinarily the crop of weeVlls to go into winter quarters is much small CT than the present crop and the "eeV- ills are generally forced on starvation oy frost a month earlier. If next spring or summer should be a little wetter than usual, the result will be disastrous. be careful, MT. Cotton Farmer
 J. A. WADE, Commissioner of Agriculture and Indus