The Washington herald., 1920-10-31
POLES TOHELP
FEED WORLD
Huge Export Supplies Of
Sugar and Potatoes
To Follow Peace.
By JOHN LATHRoP.

London, Oct. 3o.-During the past
two years the United States ha.
been the feeder OF Poland. That is
the United States has supplied the
margin Of food supply which sep
arated Poland from starvation and
continued existence. War had raw
aged. Polands fields. robbed her
farms OF agricultural machinery,
requisitioned 100000 horses from
Polish farms, and subtracted enor-
nous man power from agricultural
labor. Thousands would have died
had it not been for the food the
United States sent to Poland.
, But Poland. when peace shall
have come. will soon be able to pro-
duce a surplus of food to help feed
the world
Soil Nearly Worn Out.
When the Germans took Poland
in the great war the world was told
that she had gained possession OF
the granary Of Europe. 1t was one
Of the European granaries-an i'm
portant one. However, it is not
true that the greater part OF the
soil of Poland is naturally fertile,
and what nutrition there was in the
soil had long since been extracted
by the hundreds OF years of crop
ping.
As a matter OF fact. Poland is a
Ilevel plain, which was scraped by
gigantic glaciers in the Glacial
Age, which covered the lands from
| the Carpathisn Mountains on tho
south to the Baltic Sea on the
north. AS the glaciers recedec
northwsrd they left vast areas of
sandy soil, into which there must
be put whatever is taken out each
year in the form of crops.
Want Modern Methods.
The Polish peasant is eager e
resume his normal production, and
to go farther-adopt modern meth,
DDS agriculture to enable the
loutputting OF surpluses OF grain.
and dairy products. They are wait
ling to buy farm machinery. They
are willing students OF crop rota.
tion. And they only need peace Il
give them a mighty impetus for
progress along these lines.
The soil of the greater part oi
4 Poland is the same as that OF PrUs'
isia was, naturally, not productive
1t, too, must be fertilized. a truth
recognized by Frederick the Great
who inaugurated system of en-
Icouraging better farming.
A Big sursr Crop Due
The return of peace will witnes
the production by Poland of NOR
than 100000 tons of beet sugal
annually. with an exportable, sur
plus of approximately 100000
tons. Poland will have a surplus
of potatoes to sell-snd American
lean scarcely realize how impor
tant the potato is in the diet o
Europeans. Poland will export
surplus of eggs and poultry-sh
can produce them in enormou
Quantities. 1t is believed that tn,
return of peace will enable tn
yielding of an annual surplus o
dairy products for export
These grain surpluses will Civ
POLAND means wherewith to rehsbil
litate her industries and to buy wha
she cannot produce. Sugar alon
will be an enormous financial as
set, being instantly marketable Q
supply the world shortage at higl
figures.
: May Find United States Market.
It-is even conceivable that th'
r United States after peace shall hav
come, will be buying sugar fror
tPoland-for we must import an
: nually the greater part Of the ap
proximstely 1000, 900. 900 pounds Q
sugar we consume normally.
England. which always must i'm
, port foods, probably will be ship
ping Polish farm products to tn
tight little island" And slread
Germany and Poland, in spite of tn
,ibitter hatred between them, hsv
negotiated a treaty whereupde
Germany is to supply machinery q
return for sugar and potatoes. an
some of the potatoes have actusll
r been sent and the machinery re
Z lceived.
More than ever, peace will max
. lof Poland one of the granaries c
: Europe, and the millions of Polls
peasants yearn for the peace day
to come