Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-22
Special Dispatch to The Star.

Special Dispatch to The Star.
DETROIT, July 2l.-Amid the scenes
where he spent his youth on farms
around what Is now Dearborn, Mich.
or 10 miles west Of Detroit. Henry
Ford Is renewing his boyhood.
BY keeping men at work In their
own communities, the man whom the
world knows as the motor king Is get
ting what modernists call "a real Kick"
out of life.
Not long ago Henry Ford was reported
to have said:
"The most inefficient man in the
world Is the farmer living on the farm.
There's no reason q farmer couldn't
work eight hours q day in a factory
during the Winter and still work on
the farm in the seasons that require
falln labor"
Many folk, farmers especially. scoffed
at this as another Of Henry Fords no
lions. But this industrial colossus
whose operations are said to put q
million dollars into circulation everv
dav in Detroit and its vicinity. decided
TO 20 on with his experiments. regard
less.
Small Farms Hobby.
His latest hobby Is experiments on
small farms comprising 12,700 acres
that he has bought in and around
Dearborn. And on these he is combin-
ing examples in industry and agricul-
ture in hope OF proving his pet theory
keep men at work throughout the year.
Farms" Mr.. Ford said recently.
Should be made to produce something
besides food. There should be no rea-
son why We should not learn how to
raise commodities for industrial uses.
Suppose we grow an automobile"
AS weird as that sounds, perhaps.
Henry Ford's engineering and research
staff took 1t seriously. They understand
Mr.. Ford too well to imagine he was
Kidding" Probably he is more seri-
ously concerned about unemployment
today than any other problem. Conse-
quently he has ordered his research
men to help solve it. The farms near
Dearborn. on some of which he has
established small factories. seem the
first step in the experiment.
Wheat is Discussed.
To find how some Of these unusual
experiments are working out, reporter
went to see Mr.. Ford at Dearborn. At
the start of the interview the subject OF
wheat arose.
1t was remarked that wheat growers
generally had more wheat this season
than they knew what to do with.
Mr.. Ford smiled pensively.. Farm
ers like to plant wheat" he observed
IT'S an easy crop. They, ought to use
more of it themselves instead of send
ing it all away to those big mills in
Minneapolis, where it is ground into
something that don't think is as good
as the real -four a farmer could make
in a mill Of his own. Much -four we
get now Is starch. Causes trouble
and i'll health. Blamed lot for can
GER"
But do you not have some suggestion
to offer about the Government finding
some place for the wheat it now has in
storage? Overproduction Is prob
lem"
We've got to cease thinking of wheat
and other farm products merely In
terms of food" Mr.. Ford said. wheat
ash makes a wonderful fertilizer. And
the grain contains mighty good OIL"
1t was pointed out that there also Is
an overproduction of oil.
Need Cheap Oil.
1--WE should get better OIL" Mr.. Ford
said. "If cheap oil is no good, we ought
to get more good Oil that is cheap. The
answer is more refinement. All of us
must work more If we are to get rid OF
farm SURPRISES. We find out how to use
agricultural products in industry. For
example, we can make insulators out OF
corn cobs."
Would they be durable?"
"They can be made so. Everything
that grows must have practical use
cit is said you now are making rub
Der out of godenrod or sunf1owers."
ct hadn't heard that We are" he
smiled. mo, we're leaving rubber to
Mr.. Edison. That's his experiment"
els he making synthetic rubber?"
mo, 1t isn't synthetic; it's real rub
Der. But rubber isn't problem any
lnoger."
"Then why does any one try expert
ments in making it?"
Stresses Rubber Use.
Mr.. Ford became more emphatic.
Because we haven't begun to put rub
Der to its many uses. Its possibilities
should be unlimited. I think We may
see the day when we will use rubber
to pave highways. 1t would make ex-
cellent roads. Other products may
come from our experiments. You
spoke of sunflowers. We have learned
that there's good food in the sunfiowel
seed And wonderful oil. Also flax
IS to 40 per cent of its seed is oil"
Floyd Radford, who looks after
Mr.. Fords farms in the Dearborn
vicinity. was the guide on the visit te
them.
The drive led along the upper
stretches of the River Rouge, famous
as the site Of the Ford motor cal
manufacturing plant. But before
Henry Ford decided to put it on the
map in a big way the River Rouge
long had been a half-forgotten stream
Fifty years ago, when Mr.. Ford was
boy, things were different; For ex-
ample, at Worthwhile, on the Rouge
was q small planning mill Below were
Plymouth, Phoenix and Nankin Mills
that made flour. Mr.. Ford sent his
engineers forth.
BUY them" he said, "and TX them
up with hydroelectric engines and ev-