Evening star., 1943-04-12

Editors NOte-Fronl coast TO
coast Associated Press reporters
haze been gathering the pie1DS of
tarmers-do1Un on the tarm-on
the food prospects tor this year.
These pieWs are being presented,
section BY section, in sir daily
articles, of 1Chich t1iS-coUering
the Northeastern StateS-iS the
frst.)
Py the Associated Press.
BOSTON, April 12-Bill Richards
is the biggest vegetable grower in
Massachusetts,. He's a big man
built like a football fullback, with
leathery face and touches of gray
at his temples.
After talking for half an hour
while walking from one trouble spot
to another on his broad farm, where
manpower is his prime worry, he
rested a pair of cantaloupe- sized
fists on his dining-room table, piled
high with letters, Government forms
and ration books, and summed up:
These cumulative headaches SIM
ply mean that many farmers will
produce less food than we did last
year"
10 States Share Same View.
That prediction smaller total
food crops than in 1942-Was echoed
in varying degrees in most of the 10
Northeastern States covered by a
survey that gathered the opinions OF
State commissioners of agriculture
farm experts and dozens of farmers
The word from seven States, New
York, Delaware, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, Massachusetts,, New Hamp-
shire and Vermont, was that near
miracles-not generally expected
would be needed if farmers are to
equal last years production. The
best available consensus from the
other three States, Pennsylvania
New Jersey and Maine, was mixed
Pennsylvania farmers, for in
stance, have aimed their planting
at the production of 4.496,000 more
bushels of potatoes than in 1912
slightly more wheat. less oats and
100000 fewer bushels of corn. But
said Miles Horst, State secretary of
agriculture, labor and equipment
shortages may make it impossible to
harvest the maximum
The top money crop in New jersey
poultry and eggs, may be up as much
as 10 per cent, official spokesmen
predicted, but the second crop
dairying, may drop by an equal
amount after July l. Names State
commissioner of agriculture, Carl R
Smith, hit out at Federal farm poll
cies, and added: IF a more con-
structive farm program is developed
acreage may be expected to be in
creased"
Many Factors Involved.
Entirely aside from the ifs that
are studding the farm picture in the
Northeast-such problems as lack of
manpower, shortages of machinery
and fertilizer, price ceilings or the
lack of them, various Federal rulings
affecting farmers, and the ever
present question mark OF the
weather-one fact stands out above
others:
1t is that last year produced a
bumper food crop. and that even a
solution of the big ifs may well
leave the East with the necessity
of importing much more, rather
than less food.
Two men seemed to sound the
keynote Of most of the others. Sale
H. E. Babcock, New York State fooo
production director:
Given the same weather, New
York will produce nearly as much az
last year. But remember that we
have had five years of exceptionally
good weather. If you flip coin five
times in row and it comes ur
heads every time, you wouldn't ex.
pect it to show heads the sixth"
Massachusetts Skeptical.
Added Louis Webster, Massachu.
setts commissioner of agriculture
and himself a working farmer:
"a man would be a rash optimist
| If he thought we could equal last
years bumper crop of commercial
food, even if we had the same
acreage. and as much labor ane
machinery"
Despite the difficulties, however
there was evidence aplenty through.
out the 10-State area that farmer.
and farm leaders do not intend tt
take their troubles lying down, anc
that an all-out effort will be made
to produce as much food as possible
Here are some Of the facets OF
the Northeastern situation:
Little Conversion Seen.
Experts agree there will be little
conversion from non-food to fooc
crops, primarily because there i
relatively little non-food farming ir
the area. In Connecticut and West.
ern Massachusetts there will be
some conversion from tobacco-par.
ticularly in the shade type that is
grown under cloth-generally to DO.
tatoes. Some small-scale shifting
by flower and nursery growers te
vegetables also was reported.
In every State programs now are
under way to recruit high schoo
children for farm work, along with
city dwelling men and women or
a part-time basis Pennsylvania
hopes to have 100000 school chill
dren register for farm work during
April. Gov. Thomas E. Dewey OF
New York has organized drive tc
enlist 10000 full and part time farm
workers. Connecticut is considering
100000 appropriation for re-
cruiting farm workers and provid.
ing some temporary housing ia.
cilities.
New Hampshire has helped its
problem somewhat by a move tc
allow men on relief rolls, particu-
larly those over IS, to work on farms
without losing their relief status
Vermont has imported some farm
workers from Tennessee. Massa.
chusetts now is engaged in a de-
tailed survey to determine man.