Evening star., 1942-01-07
Russia Is launching
Vast Agricultural
Offensive Over Nation
Loss Of Many Farming
Areas to Be Met by Use
OF Untouched Soil
BY EDDY GILMORE,
Wide World News.

Oy ADDA OASAsAO1S~t
Wide World News.
KUIBYSHEV, Jan. while the
Red Army is pushing on against the
Germans, the Soviets are launching
q vast agricultural offensive in ev-
cry corner of the country to feed
the huge army and civil population.
The loss OF many important farm
ing areas is to be met by extending
cultivation to fertile but heretofore
untouched soil, and by boosting |
yields in established agrarian sec
tions untouched by the Nazi in
vasion.
Big tracts of land are awaiting
the plow, particularly in Siberia,
Central Asia, the Urals and the
southeastern part Of the nation.
Previously a labor shortage in dis
tant areas offered some problem, but
intelligently planned evacuation OF
the war zones is said to have solved
this.
Increased autumn planting is
evidenced in many areas. In West
Siberia, the Kazakhstan area Is un-
der winter crops which have been
increased so per cent compared to
the season before.
Georgian collective farms alone
are increasing their grain area by
$4,000 acres, sugar beets by 900
acres, green vegetables 1900 and
potatoes 5000. In Uzbekistan, farm
ers are planning to produce l 500 900
tons of grain in becoming inde-
pendent Of other regions.
Goal Is 3 Crops In Year.
The movement is spreading to
other Central Asia Soviet republics.
Kazakhstan is setting itself for the
task of growing two or three crops
this year. Farmers in the Chu val
ley sowed potatoes, onions and car
rots before the SHOWS, and are ex-
pecting new onions in March and
potatoes in May.
In Kirghizia. where the increased
cultivation plan calls for 4l,000 ad-
ditional acres, farmers in the noun
tains already are clearing rocky
plateaus for sugar beets.
Farm youths in several districts of
Uzbekistan have begun a defense
acre" movement based on sowing
greater areas than assigned. The
idea is spreading, with thousands OF
extra plots being blocked out.
1t has spread to the Far East
where farmers in the middle reaches
have decided to clear Taiga land as
their contribution. Sugar beets will
be cultivated for the first time in
the Kirov region in the northern
part of Eurouean Russia; in the
Khabarovsk region. the Jewish au-
tonomous region of the Far East, and
the Atlas Mountains Of Western
| Siberia.
Farm Equipment No Problem.
Flax, hemp and millet are being
grown in the Transbaikal area con-
trary to the opinion once held that
the climate is too rigorous for these
crops. Their production Is being
/ increased twofold for 1912.
| Farm equipment, the Soviets say,
is Offering no problem. Production
of tractors has been started up
again in Siberia by plant evacuat-
ed from Kharkov. The Rostov agri-
cultural machinery plant which was
moved to Uzbek before the Germans
reached Rostov is beginning to
manufacture many kinds of equip
ment.
Several hundred thousand women
are said to be learning tractor driv-
ing this winter. Instruction in the
operation Of farm machinery is given
in the higher grades of all second
airy schools, and the urban popula-
ton, particularly high school and
college students, are expected to help
with the harvesting and sowing this
year.
1t always is difficult to generalize
about food supplies. but in the areas
which I have visited personally along
5000 miles of railway-stopping
hundreds Of times-there is ample
evidence of food in plenty.
Here's the kind Of meal you can
sit down to:
Caviar, black or red; thick soup or
meat or fish broth: main dish of
pork. beef of various kinds, fish. lamb.
mutton or veal; onions, carrots or
rice, and apples, fresh or canned,
with tasty cake available for des-
sert. You have to pay for this,
though.
Bread is brought to you in heaps.
You can have white, whole wheat or
rye The butter is in big slabs, as
much as you want, apparently.
Green vegetables, as in other years,
are lacking Milk is available, but
not so easy to get.
In the larger and smaller cities
there are lines before the food stores
as there are in Britain and prob
ably in other countries. People
good-naturedly await their turn
Often have stood by with an in
terpreter and heard no complaints
The biggest visual evidence that
Russia is eating we'll is the fact that
you see lots of fat folks despite the
fact Russians walk a great deal and