Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-05-17
FOOD SHORTAGE DUE
TO IDLE FARMLAND
Serious Situation, Especially in
Delaware and Eastern Shore of
Maryland.


phia North American, written by Robert
b. Vale, member of the news staff OF that
paper, who has made tour OF Delaware
and the Eastern Shore OF Maryland,
there is a possibility of a food shortage
next winter, due to the fact that many
acres Of farm land are idle on account of
lack of help to till the ground. The follow
ing is quoted from Mr.. Valss article:
We're going to be hungry next winter
In measured, emotionless way spoke
Z. Lawrence Boyce. on Saturday last,
as he sat in his feed and implement
Office al Stanton, Del.
Most of the people don't know
what is coming" declared Captain
T. 4. Howard. owner of thousand
acres down the on Eastern Shore.
"Foodstuffs will be scarce and high.
announced Dean McCue of the Delaware
Agriculture college.
The farm labor shortage is one
OF the most serious things confronting
the nation. warned Secretary OF Agricui-
ture Rasmussen at Harrisburg.
Industrial America does not know
what is happening in agricultural America
And what is happening is near-calamity
Industrial America is destroying agrl-
cultural America.
This season only three blades OF corn
arc growing where four grew last year
only three hills of potatoes are planted
where four stood in the summer OF 1919;
/ only three men are working on the farms
/ of the atlantic scaboard from Name
10 Alahama where four are required
4 and FIVE should've employed; only three
/ acres arc being cultivated where four were
| growing crops a twelvemonth ago.
INDUSTRIAL AMERICA RESPONSIBLE.
-, rasropsti1lr
I Industrial America must pay the price
| | have said thnt farm production has
! been reduced one-folrth
/ The state Of Delaware shows n one
/ third shortage Of farm labor. one
third reduction in crops The Eastern
! shore of MARYLAND shows the same thing
/ Lower Pennsylvania. Lancaster. hester
and Delaware counties show trifte more
than % per cen, reduction, Lower New
Jersey will average more than - per
cent and in Cape MAY county It Is one
third
The vast belt Of alluvial soil lying
between the SusQuehanna rver and
I! Chesapeake bay on tho west and the
White sands &c the Atlantic ocean on
tile east il the garden SPOT Of America
Il huge truck patch Of millions oi acres
close IL great markets and capable OF
supporting the whole aeaboard popula-
tion In Kent county we have five
gram farms saId 4 u Cobb, county
agent 'Nou ask me what Delaware =
going to do III the way OF its wheat
can give vou a mighty concrete illustra-
/ tlou Last YEAR the district of East Dover
IN Kent county. ordered 1900 pounds oi
binder twine This wear the order was
sent in for 5000 pounds That means
onc-third reduction IN the cereal crop
Tie corn acreage in Kent is reduced hy
onc-third There has hccn a 10 IN Is per
cent cut III the land plowcd for tomatoes
All IL this land viii not tie planted Worse
than that, the tomato crop cannot be
fuly harvested because Of lack of help.
The berry crop will show about twenty
per cent drop.
How much i being psid for farm
labor WHY. YOU simply can quote
i commodity that is not available.
Some farmers are paying 800 9 month
and board Some Ynnrc. some less. | know
If one farmer who heard 0f negro who
was IN the market He got him bur he
had "a bid $40 q month more than the
hlred hand Was receiving snd he had %
agree - buv the man new Ford autoFn9-
hila ino,hcr Negro farm hand wanted
i ear before he would go % work tn.
farmer GOT Il second hand machine |,
va~n ii yer, good shape lie holds The
chap On his place solely because 81 the
repairs thar The car needs II keeps thn
cnlored man from thinking ri the wagr=
III fhc towns
ABASp o>En rAVAis II SUSSEX.
There arc twenty-five abandoned
farms within q radius - zen miles .!
Georgetown. told County Agent NJ 6.
Vaughn IN a rnatter-oi-faet pAy. Mr.
Vaughn ie,r the gloom of the ~itua-
tIou hut doesn't show %. lie SAID that
~tl-~tx county will raise less than two
thirds of It's usual tomato crop And
hon Won speak of cut like thus u dare
not bc forgotten that the Eastern shore
belt raises hah ~ the tomatoes that
are nut IN IN cans and sold from the
grocers shelves. Il runs up into the mil
lions 81 dollar the tomato pack 81 Del
ware M4rvlaud and New jersey Packers
are doing their level best to make con
tracts 81 So and $50 and cant gst the
contracts i takes men 20 raise tomatoes
One-thlrd less tomatoes on the shelves
next winter L may be unpleasant to
think about. but lt.s coming
AS for peas. there viii he mere
handful raised Tor the canners
Nc~. ! am safe IN predicting a one
{ third drop ia the corn production added
Mr. Vaughn Perhaps II will be more with
potatoes. Il costs too much money for
seed OIrs is hg berry section TIE 1920
crop will be reduced twenty per cent
That means worse situation III 1921
I because il is from the present year straw
berry plants that We get our 1921 plants.
Labor is scarce Worse than that
il i hard % handle 80 many farmers
are telling me thst they can I get full