The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1919-11-01
Southern Farmers Lost Much
Money in the Cultivation
of Famous" Crop
WAR DEPARTMENT
NEEDED OIL FOR PLANES
One Losers Success in Securing
Remuneration May Set a
Good Precedent

gedH LIIG CdStOA VII VI CNAAAAiiSA~S 800
bad taste-the stuff the kids ard ev-
erybody else hates to swallows
from the beans, but no
one in this section ever heard OF the
beans being planted as money
crop" anywhere in the South. About |
a year or so ago the government nstl-
tuted a campaign to get thousands OF
farmers throughout the South to
grow the beans as commercial |
stating that the govern !
ment required millions of gallons of
castor oil for lubricating the motors
of the thousands of airplanes being
built for use against Germany during
the war. The government was going
TO let the farmers have the seed for
planting purposes and then buy the
crop of beans at fixed price. This
looked like a good thing for the far
mers for many of them knew that the
bean thrived in the South and often
grew wild. Many of the farmers,
then, "bit" at the propaganda and
went into the castor bean growing
business on a big scale, and many OF
them lost, for the war ended and the
government didn't need the oil, and
then it began to be rumored about
that the whole castor bean PROPOSE
ton was nothing but hoax-propa-
ganda-after all, circulated with the
intention of fooling the enemy and
opening the eyes of the enemy to
what this government was preparing
for them in the matter of tremen-
dous fleet Of air ships.
Whether this talk was all hot air or
not, perhaps, will never be known,
but unquestionably the enemy secret
agents got hold of the news and sent
the information home. But, propa-
ganda or not, many farmers who had
gone into the business for profit and
patriotic purposes, lost money by the
deal and now they think the govern
ment should reimburse them for at
least part of their losses on the new
venture. The following article from
q recent isue of the New Orleans
Times-P icayune has bearing on the
situation and shows where one far
mer who lost considerable has appeal
ed to the government and his case or
claim has been passed upon favorably
and that he will no doubt be reim-
bursed for the loss sustained. His
success may lead other losers to try
and get the government to do the
right thing by them.
The Times-Picayune article follows
in full:
A decision just issued by the war
departments board of contract ad-
justments is of special interest to
some thousands of Southern farm
ers, while it reminds the rest of US
of the castor bean campaign which
was one of the curious by-products
of the war. Following the adoption
of the well-remembered plan for air
plane construction, the question of
lubricants for the thous-
ands of planes that were to be sent to
the fighting front began to trouble
some of our forward-looking officials.
An army officer was detailed to ar
range for adequate supplies of castor
oil, then considered the ideal lubri-
cant for aircraft motors. The visible
supply was unequal to the estimated
demand. Thereupon campaign was
to encourage the growing
Of castor beans in this country.
The appeal went out to farmers in
The Southern states, where it was
hoped to secure the planting of 10O,-
900 acres in castor beans. Seed was
10 be supplied and the crop was to be
purchased at an agreed price. The
odd campaign attracted popular at
sention, but after a little it's novelty
wore eff ff and in the rush of more ex-
sting news most Of US forgot about
t. But the appeal was needed, it APP
pears, by about $4,000 Southern far
ners. Some of them went to consider
able expense in planting and culti-
rating and harvesting their castor
,ean crop. From the Washington ac-
count we gather that the yield was
small on the whole.
is failure is charged to the seeds
by the government, which
we're pronounced unsuitable in quail
ty or in character for the produc-
ion of a prolific crop"
The farmers who suffered finan-
ial loss by reason of their patriotic
to the governments castor
can plea felt that they were entitl-
d to compensation. The war de-
artment's board of contract adjust
tent agrees with them. At least, it
as ruled that one petitioner for COM
ensation is "entitled to settlement,
non a faar and equitable basis, for
remuneration for all ex-
snditures and obligations or liabili-
Is necessarily incurred upon the
"a Of the implied warranty by the