The Oklahoma City times. [volume] (Oklahoma City, Okla.) 1908-1984, 1918-03-05
|ERs URGED
~ RAISE MORE
FOOD THIS YEAR
Less Cotton Should Be Plant
ed, Says Governor

The man who insists on the maxi
mum Of cotton yield from every acre
he owns and rents out, TO the exclusion
Of food and forage crops, should be
branded as a traitor and should be dealt
with in every community where he
exists. accordingly" said Gov Robert
L. William, this morning In welcoming
visions to the fifth aud constituting
meeting OF rural workers, which opened
today and will continue tomorrow Al
the Chambe Of Commerce under the
auspices Of the u S. department Of az
rieuliure and the A and NJ college at
Saltwater
Food Crops Boosted.
The principal business Of this con
ference as indicated from its pre-.
Iiminary announcements IA 10 use all
possible influence 10 have food crops
grown instead OF the prcpondcrance Of
cotton as has been the custom IN the last
two OF three years
The man out working the land IN
\ Oklahoma should no, plant his acreage,
whether he is tenant OF ownet more
than q third Of II, to cotton. More
over there are probably instances where
he should not plant even a third Of It
10 cotton" the governor said
Il make this assertion from three
points OF view and baied on three az
guments accredited as being logical
First, there was never a time when our
country, our state and our soldiers and
not only these three divisions, but the
entire world, needed food and will need
food, as at the present time was there
Here In Oklahoma we've got 10 do our
share. We've got TO raise, harvest and
preserve more food in thl, year OF 1918
than heretofore we ever supposed II was
possible for a human being 10 grow
from an acre OF ground
Fewer Men Available.
Second reason When harvest time
comes this fall YOU farmers in Okla-
homs and in fact in every agricultural
state in this country will have thr cy-
perienee Of seeing fewer men available
for the work OF harvesting than you
ever saw before in your lives Thou
sands OF your young men viii be m the
army. Thousands OF your men not
eligible FOR the army will he working
in shipyards and other industries having
to do with helping thN government win
the war II certainly is the wise farmer
who can estimate his farming opera
tons so that this fall he will not he
Inundated by seeing his crops rot IN
the fields for lack Of men to help him
harvest.
Third reason; Last year was an
extraordinary year for the man raising
cotton, for you will remember. We had
three months in This country and no
rain. A man with but little help had
llenty OF time to get IN his cotton crop
There is no assurance nature will re-
peat her lreakishness this fall. No man
should plant more cotton than can be
harvested by members of his own tam
lily and himself and what labor he has
actually in sight he can depend upon
TO help him.
Raps Non-Patriot.
"By law we cannot reach the land
lord in this state who insists ON his
tenant growing more cotton than food
We can only reach him by moral sua-
sion and the sentiment OF the commun-
ity reacting on his sensibiliticS The
fact remains that the man owning land
who insists on this cotton planting idea
Is to he regarded as against Uncle
Sam against his government, his state
and his neighbors, aud il he is no, to