The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1918-06-21
FARM LABOR is BIG
PROBLEM THIS YEAR
War Emergency Calls for Great
est Efforts TO Produce Food.
Both Country and City People Must
Sacrifice Comfort to Furnish Pow.
or to Cultivate and Harvest
Necessary Crops.

prepared by the United States Depart
ment OF Agriculture.)
In a statement issued by Clarence
0usley, assistant secretary of agricul.
ture, attention Is called to the fact
that both country and city people must
sacrifice something of their comfort to
furnish the necessary man power to
cultivate and harvest crops necessary
this year to carry on the war That
part Of the statement which deals d.
rectly with farm labor and what the
department Of agriculture is doing to
solve the problem, follows:
The principal difficulty in farming
operations for 1918 is the problem of
labor. That is serious, but It is not
insuperable. The department Of agri-
culture has farm-labor Offices in nearly
all Of the states working In co-opem-
ton with the agricultural colleges,
the county agents and other state ac-
tivities and the department Of labor
has employment Offices In nearly all
the centers Of population. These two
departments together are enabled to
contribute much to the solution Of the
problem by furnishing information and
by shifting labor from neighborhood
to neighborhood as the seasonal de-
mand passes, and generally by bring
ing together the lsborer and the en-
ployer. But when ell has been done
that may be done by these depart
ments or by any other governmental
agency, much win remain to be done by
the states and communities, especial
" by the cities, for there Is not enough
labor seeking employment to supply
the farms for cultivation and harvest
Ing. For years the cities with their
great fortunes and bright lights have
been drawing young men from the
farms. The war has merely precipi-
lated drift that sooner or later would
have caused more or less of a food
:risis. In peace times that is a mat
.er that might well be left to readjust
tself through such reduced produc-
ion and Consequent high prices as
would make farming more profitable
md attract men to the industry. But
n the war emergency we must have
God at all costs, and since there Is no
way of getting II without labor, and
tnce labor is lacking, the cities must
acrifice something and harvest the
rops. In many towns and cities last |
ear the business men closed their es-
Adjustments or spared numbers of |
heir employees to help the farmers. |
few places already business men |
re taking surveys and are making !
hedges to furnish labor which has |
arm experience, to the adjoining COM
lunities as may be needed. The same
lethods must be put into practice In
very town and city adjacent to a
arming region. The men Of the cities
lust be brought to understand the
ital importance Of agriculture. Many
( them have sneered at II or have re-
arded II with indifference. Now they
lust lend II much Of their thought and
leir effort. They should understand
hat the United States Is going TO
1rnish food to the armies and the
lvil population behind them, and they
Jay depend upoL It that the farmers
I'll feed themselves. II behooves the
tiles therefore TO take some thought
{ their own sustenance by readjusting
leir activities There is hardly a bus
less or an industry in the United
tates that cannot spare Temporarily
N the cultivation and harvesting sea-
ms a considerable part Of its man
over, or even close. say, for three to
tteen days during the period as the