Evening star., 1927-05-22

OF the havoc wrought by the
Mississippi fiood-the most disastrous
ever recorded--one Of the most serious
phases is the crop loss for this year,
No estimate has been made as to what
it will amount to in money, but.it is
known that it will be heavy and In
addition there is the handicap to
which the farmers and planters IN
the devastated areas will be subjected
for at least another year.
If they could make full crops this
season, their distress would be meas
urably lessened and they would be
assured of all needed seed and feed
for next year, but when at best they
cannot hope for more than half
crops, their losses in buildings, fences,
farm equipment, livestock, poultry
and stored crops and supplies Will
necessarily be added to greatly. Their
outlook is a discouraging one, and the
relief work already under way may
have to be carried over into another
season, even If there Is not a recur-
renee of the food.
The flooded area, according to
Government figures, runs to about
10000 square miles, or from 6,oOo,Ooo
to $500 900 acres. This equals the
necticut, Delaware and two Of the size
OF Rhode Island. It exceeds the area
OF Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
New Jersey. or Vermont. and it almost
equals that of Maryland. More than
half the flooded acreage, it is estl-
mated, is crop land.
Various factors enter into the pro.
spective crop loss for this season. the
most important, perhaps, being that
many of the farmers have neither
seed to plant nor feed for their farm
animals. Others include the loss of
horses, mules and machinery neces-
sary to plant and cultivate crops, a
shortage of labor and the ravages
of pests certain to follow such flood.
The boil weevil will attack the cotton
that is planted, and cutworms may
be expected to work havoc with the
corn.
Seed and Feed to Be Provided.
The ability of the farmers in the
flooded districts to finance their own
needs Is impaired by the fact that
agricultural conditions in the region
now flooded have been bad for sew
eral years, 1t is pointed out. Cotton
particularly was low in price last
near insolvency before they were Wis
tied by the present disaster.
Seed and feed are being provided
through the American Red Cross and
State and local agencies, and 1t Is esti
mated that these requirements should
not cost more than 81 to $3.50 an acre
Of crop land to be planted, with the
needs for q minimum of 1000, ,00(
acres to be supplied. However. it Is
| practically impossible to provide al
| the relief in this line that Is needed OIL
could be used to advantage, because
| funds are limited and because 1t Is
so difficult to determine just what
| provision should be made for each
| Individual farmer. In dealing with
this latter problem, community com
mittees are working with the relief
agencies and are passing upon tht
| applications received. AS such a sys
| tenn invariably works out, the relie1
| is "rationed," and the average farmer
| does not get all the seed and feed he
could use advantageously, or even as
much as he actually needs.
Inevitably. too, there will be those
| who get more than they are entitled
| to, and there will be tedious delays ant
waste of time and effort.
But on the whole the relief work
| in the flooded districts is proceeding
satisfactorily, as reported by c. w
| Warburton, director of extension
work in the Department of Agricul
| ture, who Is representing the depart
| ment at the headquarters of the Rec
! Cross in Memphis. He says that credit
| grants to counties for seed and feec
are being made as promptly as could
be expected, and that seed supplies
are not difficult to locate and are
| fairly reasonable in price.
| The first of these credits were
those amounting to 5000 to counties
| in southeastern Missouri and similal
grants in Illinois and Arkansas. The
general policy Is to make these credt
grants to counties in which planting
can be started within a few days
thereafter, taking up the countie.
| successfully as the flood waters recedt
from them. All these grants are baset
upon information obtained as to the
number of farmers needing help, the
acreage that can be planted, the cos
Of the seed. and the cost of feed fol
work stock for 30 days.
Many Farm Animals Lost.
Losses of farm animals will increas'
the crop loss for the coming season
as has been stated. In the first place
the loss Of work stock Will compe
many farmers. to plant a smalle
acreage than. they would otherwise
and, in the second place, O. farme
cannot realize the maximum return
on, say, his corn IL he has no hog
or cattle to feed.