The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-05-10
Meat and Bread.


riculture for MAY { forecasts winter
wheat crop for TINS country aggregatiu1
less than half a siillon bushels. or leg
than twothlrds Of last years harvest
There is nothing mysterious about the
cause Of this alarming decrease In
previous reports the department had
shown that there was ~ per cent flll-
ing Off in the number Of acres planted
When the hand is not put t. the
pillow the earth is not going 10 bring
forth abundant harvests OF fine fruit OF
its own accord. Nuts and berries and
such squirrel fruit may come that way.
but as for wheat and the fine white
flour-"By the sweat OF thy face shalt
thou eat bread
The time will come to read the fig .
ures on the corn crop OF the present
year, and nobody in possession Of his
senses doubts that similar state OF
affairs will he revealed
AZ for the meat to go with the bread,
there is an increasing shortage in the
number OF cattle and hogs to he count
ed on the farms and some think the
market will find Itself short for the
year by one-fourth Of its normal pro-
ductlon.
The amount Of available farm labor
says the department Of agriculture. is
only u per cent normal In other words.
the shortage is about the same AZ In
the spring OF 1918, our most unfavor-
able war year
Yet we hear nothing now of farmer
cites taking to the land by the thou
sands as they did then. OF Boy Scout
organizations volunteering for the great
est OF the arts Of peace: OF civic So
cieties and patriots clubs rising up over
night to work that the people may be
fed.
We hear a good deal OF overall clubs.
hut the members thereof would scorn
TO be seen abroad with the common
spadng fork and the lowly hoe
TIE farm laborers of the country have
not suddenly been translated to the
skies, as they undoubtedly deserved
they have merely gone off TO the nearby
cities whore better pay and easier hours
awaited them.
In a report prepared at Cornell uni
versity 1t is declared that IN the state
~ Ne York alone there are 2A0OO va
cant tarmhouses. while in the mean
time the cities Of that state are in
panic as 10 what 10 do with their un-
housed population.
The wages and the good times held
out to them by the public constitutes
the plainost Of invitations to the far
mers both owners and hired help, to
move TO the city. They are offered
there something very different from the
unlovely lot OF the average farmer re.
munerative and gentlemanly positions
AS bootblacks. porters, floorwalkers. in
surance agents, soda water jerkers, pub
hcity men, reformers, chautauaua lee.
turers, to name but few. positions
In the manufacture and sale OF non
essentials Of every character priced by
the comfort loving public
When the public stops paying high
prices for services and commodities that
are not needed. the purveyors thereof
will Of necessity gravitate back to the
AaA VI VII oIutT 10 raise the bread and
meat that always have certain market
value
When all the present harvest is gath
cred and tabulated, say about the first
week Of November this country will
be in the pinch Of such dearth in the
necessities Of life as has had no parable
since the civil war
The presidential elections Will he held
under that cloud The people. usually
given to more or less s,lf-communion
on that quadrennial occasion viii per
laps know at last that It IL not politics
of either stripe that Will save them,
but return to the oId-tashioncd vr.
tues Of industry, economy and plain
living
We have feeling that the lesson
of the season will be sufficient TO con
vince even the obstinate that the curb
must be put upon lhxurirS. and that
the necessities ~ NE viii take care ot
themselyrs