The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1920-05-19
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Daylight Saving

Daylight Saving
Nj, Editor:---
hank you for your Open Forum on
Daylight Saving. And | venture to
lcok at the question from another
argyle.
The Boston papers last week called
attention to the seriousness of the
crop situation and the New York pa
pera a~e doing the same. Farmers
everywhere are having the greatest
difficulties in getting any kind Of
help because of the lure Of big wages
in the cities. Says Mondays New
York Times: Farmers are so handi-
capped by lack Of help and the back
ward season that acreage devoted to
staple crops, such as wheat, corn
oats, rye and potatoes has been heavi-
" reduced in every section of the
country" Peter Henderson reports
that sales Of seeds are far below no.
mai. Down South, negroes fed by
war contracts will no longer work on
The farms. Farm production in New
\ DIRK state will be II per cent below
last yclr's. In New England 35 to as
per cent below normal, and Chicago,
St Lonis and Cleveland report TIE
same story. Mississippi valley needs
100000 men to work in the fields.
Now in view of all these facts there
l. bound to be coming food short
age. The situation is really serious.
One Of the grand things about the
old wal was the Home co-operatio..,
helping, pulling together, an army . =
Einc oar heroes in France. We then
lad "War gardens and student,
Smith college girls too, worked our
farms. Putting the clock ahead orc
hour ahead helped tremendously And
the enchuslasm was great, the push,
the pep, the determination to do ones
bit. Ine patriotism was overwhelm-
ing. And now that the victory is ours
we can recall the past with Joy.
Today what are we going to do
about this food shortage?It is invite
ole: Tie papers are STATING the facts.
And the situation is really serious.
l.; mot The answer obvious. That we
njuSt a rain cultivate our "war ga
dpns,' every square foot of ground
must b. made to product something.
But contributing cause to the sue
cess Of he war gardens two years AGO
was what is called Daylight Saving.
BY this simple arrangement men had
another hour to till the soil and to
laise vegetables. But, someone say,
one can get up an hour earlier in the
mornin% and do this very thing with
oft "monkeying with tho clock. y
Very t. le. But human nature does
not WORK thai way Most Incl O. no,
roll out Of bed until the last moment,
just in sine TO breakfast an1 gct i
work! We therefore advocate Day-
light Saving fol- s.. john bury. No
because orc has more time astcr sup
per to % automobiling o. play bad,
not because sunshine means heaith
and lower bills for gas and elec.ri
city, no. because sunshine means
health and civic happiness. But We
advocate it because of the seriOue-
ness Of the food situation. Therefor
we must again, everv one Of US, en-
thusiast cally cultivate war Cat-
dens,' and putting the clock ahead
one hour win be tremendous hep
IN the solution Of this economic p,)p-
lem. New York, Massachusetts,
Montial and Quebec, Europe also,
End Daylight Saving an Economic
Blessing. Because Of the food situG
lion st. Johnsbury must wake up,
We must do something. We ought to
fall into line.
Alfred Pocln Grint