The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1918-02-20
SOUTHERN FARMS
MUST PRODUCE TO
HELP WIN WAR
II South Neglects TO Provide
Food, She May Suffer Ser
i0us Privation.
VAST NUMBER PRODU GERS
HAVE QUIT-FOOD NEEDED
0usley Believes Farmers Win DO
Their Duty.

Washington, Feb, lg,-"lf the
South neglecs this year TO provide her
own food and feed, she is likely to
suffer serious prtvation, and she viii
put burden upon the Nation which
may prolong the war and even i'm
peril our victory, Says Clarence Gus.
Hey, Assistant Secretary of Agricul-
turc
81 am aware that these are strong
words" continues Secretary 0usley,
"but they are none too strong ! am
not expressing an alarmist personal
opinion. am seeing through the
eyes of ds agricultural colleges and Of
county agents in nearly every agri-
cultural county, ] have recently
crossed the continent from the Allan
tic to the Pacific have studied the
reports gathered by the departments
$4,000 representatives and as many
more employees Of the agricultural
colleges. have considered the con
clusions of the International Institute
Of Agriculture at Rome which has
reports from all over the world.
40 MILLION PRODUCERS QUIT.
"The plain. hard truth is that with
40 million people withdrawn fron
productive industries and engaged in
the business Of destruction, it is not
humanity possible for production on
the whole to exceed normal demand
The question is whether production
can equal necessitous demand.
England, France, and Italy must
be sustained or their populations can
not stand the strain. They have
been on scanty rations for more than
three years. The chief cause Of
Russia's collapse was hunger. Sold
iers cannot fight when their wives and
children are starving.
FOOD CROPS ABOVE COTTON.
Secretary McAdoo has given warn
ing that transportation may be lack
| ing in 1918, to haul food and feed to
States and communities that do not
provide for themselves Many cat
tie have been sacrificed in the drouth
regions of the Northwest and the
Southwest during the last few months.
because railroad cars could not be OBJ
tanned as needed. Military move
ments must have first consideration,
and military movements will be great.
er in 1918 than in 1917 The prime
question for the farmer is not what
product will bring the highest price,
but what products will insure food for
his family and feed for his live stock,
and the answer is; a vegetable garden,
milk COW, brood SOW, poultry
flock, ample corn, oats, peanuts, ETC.,
and then az much cotton or tobacco
as he can cultivate well
at is the highest demand Of patrot-
ism-it is the first requirement Of liv.
ing-that in 1918 every State, every
county, every neighborhood, every
farmer, be as nearly self-sustaining
as possible.
GAMBLE MAY CRIPPLE NATION
"For the South to plunge on cotton
or tobacco or any other speculative
crop and to depend upon the corn belt
for bread and meat will be for the
South to engage in a gamble which
may cause privation to its people and
disaster TO the Nation For any man
now to determine his business opera
tions from the standpoint Of profit
alone, without regard TO the Nations
needs, is for him wilfully to profiteer
in the blood Of his fellows who are
/ fighting in France for the preserva-
ton Of the republic. No man can
be excused for not taking his share
Of the responsibility.
my whole life has been spent in
the South. know the Southern
farmer. He will do his duty as he
sees it, am appealing to every man
in the South to make known these
! facts to consider it his business to
make them known-and | shall have
no doubt Of the results. II they are
not made known in way to impress
the crisis that confronts US, there
may be hunger in this bounteous land
or hunger over yonder in Europe,
where it will spell ruin for all that is
worth while in America