El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1918-09-14

TA-HlNIIDNs u - sept. Aa--b9
w the time this letter is published
Uncle Sans army OF farmers viii have
harvested more than 500, 100000 bush
els Of wheat, LOO, 900, 900 bushels Of
oats and 500.000,000 bushels Of barley
and rye. It viii have dug from the
Ground something like a half billion
bushels Of potatoes. and viii be gath
cring a corn crop OF more than $780,
100000 Of bushels
At the same time we shall be pick
ing cotton TO the amount OF more than
100000 bales, and shall have yet
TO harvest an apple crop Of 2O0.0o0,000
bushels. In addition 10 all this We
shall be curing tobacco weighing
about 100000. 900 pounds and shall
re storing away in barns and stacks
hay worth more than $500. 100000.
cur whole farm crop Of this year,
1918. I'm quantity and value. viii be
greater than any ever gathered by any
nation. and IL VIII have come from
more acres than we have ever culti-
waited before Our old lands have
been intensively titled. and in addition
something like 23.000,000 acres Of new
--ound has been put under the pillow.
Bunch this new territory together and
it viii make a state almost as big
as either Ohio, Kentucky or Virginia.
VaIues in Billions.
As TO the value OF the farm crops
of 1918 the secretary Of agriculture
has estimated that Il will aggregate
more than $4,000, 900, 600, or more than
IS times as much as all the gold that
has been taken out Of this big. round
earth since Columbus discovered
America At 81 a bushel the wheat crop
viii sell for more than S1,60O.0Oo.00O,
and the cotton at "a cents a pound VIII
bring more than the wheat The corn
which, at this writing, is worth rs
cents a bushel viii have a value Of
more than S2.000,00 ,O00s and the lOO.-
100000 tons Of hay viii be worth
something like SIS a ton. or enough TO
give $50 TO every family in the United
states and leave. some TO spare II all
the crops that we shall get from our
farms and gardens this year could be
reduced 70 dollars, and the mighty
sum divided evenly among US, every
man. woman and child in the United
States would have more than $500 and
every family $1,000. And all this would
come from the farms
Scarcity OF Farm Hands.
Let US look at the conditions when
the crops were put IN There was
great shortage OF farm hands For
more than 20 years this class Of Ia
Dor has been growing less and less
Our munitions plants which were at
work for the allies paid the highest
Of wages, and the men who were tlll-
ing the soil found that they could get
three or four times as much by leaV-
ing the farms for the factories At
the same time the farm labor supply
was further cut down by the aliens
living in the United States who were
called to Germany. italy, Greece, the
Balkans and other places to take part
Cznada got many. OF our best men,
and thousands Of American farm boys
crossed the ocean TO fight with the
British and French Then came our
own entrance into the struggle, and
the farm boys rushed TO enlist. Ihey
volunteered more rapidly than those
II almost any other occupation ana
claims for exemption. Some farm dis
tricts had so many enlistments that
the draft there was not needed and OF
the $4,000 men registered from the
farms only i. percent filed claims for
exemption At the same time, our big
Industrial plants making war goods
sent their agents over the country
bidding for labor and the farmers
lost more and more Of their best
hands.
Crops Are Planted.
Nevertheless, in one way or another I
the crops were planted The old men
z nd boys did what they could, and ]
was enlisted 20 make up !
rhe loss In some sections farm trac- I
tors were employed BY the hundreds, /
and one man with 8 tractor was aole
70 ploE as much as four men, each /
using tive horses. had plOWed before. /
Some OF the seeding was done by i
hftchfng three drills 10 one tractor. so /
that one nan was able to put In as I
much grain as three men with y 4
80 - Hn he
In certain districts the girls drove
the tractors and the boys did more /
than their share OF all kinds Of wortz- I
Many OF the farmers doubled their 4
output By combining their machinery. ]
7 heard OF one farmer eaho drove a I
disc harrow pulled by four horses, and /
AZ the same time led four other horses /
harnessed to drag harrow behind /
him This was in preparing the land /
for the corn crop. Similar work was /
done in all branches Of cultivation, |
and in one way or another 20 odd mil |
lion acres OF new lands were brought 4
into use.
Similar methods were used for cultivat- I
lug the crops. and then came the harvest /
ing, which Is still going on This - a ]
different proposition The harvesting OF I
supply q farm labor The chief bread I
basket Of the country lies IN a tier Of
states beginning with Oklahoma and run I
ming northWard through Kansas. Nebraska I
and the Dzkotas, branching Off 70 in ]
clude Minnesota and a part Of Iowa
This harvest is governed by climatic l
conditions. u starts in the south and I
rolls ncrthWard in regular waves so
that the army Of harVesterF can start I
with the ripening wheat a. the far south ]
and keep On cutting toward the north as /
The golden grain IS ready for reapinE- The !
harvest starts about June 10. II moves /
north week by week, until at the first I
Of September they are gathering the grain Z
in Minnesota and the nakotas on the 4
edge OF Canada about 1000 miles away i
from where the crop began 10 rpen. From 4
the latter point the wheat waves roll on .
School Days n'olr e. J