The Washington times., 1920-06-06

! he inherent FARMING communities
Backed ~ susi.es..~s.
The Department OF Agriculture
and the business men or the city
are giving the plan their support,
the Department OF Agriculture. be-
cause II will help the farmers. and
the business men OF the city be-
cause IL will put their employees In
/ better physical shape and also add
TO their savings.
Reports received in Washington
| Tor tho past few weeks Indicate that
unless the farm labor situation in
the nearby agricultural sections is
| improved. there will be a scarcity OF
produce this fall and winter. with
the prices higher than ever before.
| In fact many Of the farmers. real
izing that they win be unable 10
obtain help. have not sown as much
| produce as in years past In some
| cases il is reported that less than
| 30 per cent OF the available ground
| has been put under cultivation.
| In a short time a central bureau
probably viii be opened in Washing
ton where the farmers can make sp-
plicstion for hands for few weeks
| work.
I Pictures Rosy Tine.
| The Department OF Agriculture has
pictured rosy time for those who
take up the proposition. Women can
do the light work around the farm.
such as picking berres. beans and
| packing the products OF the truck
| gardens. they say. They advocate the
| colony plan for the farm workers.
] This plan calls for about ten or
twenty workers TO go 10 some certain
| locality. under the eye OF chaperon.
y Ia
nearby will be larger tent. which
| viii be used for the cooking and serv-
ins OF meals. This is necessary. they
say. because the average farmer in
this locality IL not able TO house as
many farm hsnds as he can use TO
advantage on his place.
| In. some of the localities" said
| William Z. Hall. in charge of the DIE
trict OF Columbia gardens, today, The
farmers will have sufficient room in
their tenant houses TO take care OF
from ten TO twenty men and women.
but these will be very few. The plan
that appeals to me most Is to have
about twenty young people 60 to the
same locality and have tho party in
lcharse OF married couple. who. in
addition 10 their work on the farm.
will look out for the young men and
women.
l eayety 70 rArW Shf.
The work on the farm is not so
laborious when about twenty congo
nial young people are together. They
would only be required to work about
eight hours u day. They would like
the country, am sure. and they would
lend a gayety to the summer evenings
on the farm that j am sure would be
appreciated by the people OF the rural
communities
AZ far as the persons employed in
the business houses in the city are
concerned. II is probable that the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Associa-
tion will look after their interests.
Philip King, president OF the Mer-
chants and Manufacturers Association.
is very much interested in the plan
and has given it his endorsement.
1T seems to me TO be a very prac-
teal way OF spending vacation.
he said, "and I am sure that a great
many employees of the business houses
will take ADVANTAGE OF II. They can
get plenty OF healthy outdoor exercise
snd pure wholesome food in the few
weeks they are on the farm and come
back TO their positions in a better
frame OF mind and surely in a bet
ter physical condition
Gives Practical Help.
f. w. Bolgisno, president OF the
iDistrict Council Of Agriculture, and
one of the leading seed and farm
implement dealers OF the South, does
not look at 1t so much from the
lhealty novelty manner OF spending
a vacation. as he does from the prac-
tical price reducing viewpoint.
| According to Bolgiano, 1t is more
important today and just as patriotic
as IL was during the war TO help
harvest the crops. The farm labor
today is dwindlins TO almost moth
ins. he says, while the city labor
problem has ceased TO be a problem
az far a. the employer is concerned,
but is now q problem for the laborer.
There is an over supply OF city labor,
he says.
"If the people OF this country
could be aroused to the situation in
the food supply industry in this coun-
try today, l am sure they would 20
out into the farming districts in
crowds. In all my years or exper-
fence in the agriculture supply busi-
ness. have never seen a situation
as the one that exists today.
Farmers all over the country ore
not sowing half their ground, he
cause they know they will not be
able to harvest It. With the produc-
tion at about 30 per cent OF rfs"WaF
times and consumption more than in
those same times Il does not require
a expert in economics to see what will
be the result.
Farm produce is selling today at
a higher price than the men in the
business ever expected 1t to. Po-
tatoes. which last winter were selling
at what we thought would be the
highest price in history, have ad-
yanccd more than 30 per cent
! IL has only been q short time ago
q few weeks. I think--that potatoes
arrived in New York from northern
Europe. Think OF IL! Such staple
commodity as potatoes coming to this
country from the starvation-riddon
countries OF Europe.
The reason for their coming here
was that there 10 scarcity OF them
here and the price was no high that
IL attracted the dealers on the other
side OF the ocean. When we sec