Imperial Valley press., 1943-07-30
! Rise to Remark

I efforts which have produced the
product.
The rubber may have been taken
from the trees in the Belgian
Congo or some other part Of the
world now under the control OF the
enemy: then brought to America
in ships which must now be used
to haul supplies for fighting men;
from there in railroad cars which
are now needed for war purposes,
to a factory where 1t is mixed with
chemicals which in turn have felt
the demands of total warfare. The
nation turns frantically and some
what confusedly to the planting of
substitutes, and to the sudden de-
cision on methods to be used.
Guayule? MilkWeed? Petroleum?
Alcohol? To the scientist, it's
problem; to the nation it may be
success or failure: to you, it's your
tire or hot water bag.
REQUIRES DRUGS
The prescription requires drugs
made from plants grown in and
imported from Europe or the
Orient. Quinine? The bases for
compounds? The drug that will
ease pain and save dying SOL
dier? We have allowed ourselves
to be dependent on nations with
which we are now at war. The
State of California, under the
auspices of the California Poly
technic School, of which Julian Nc
Phee is president has instituted
complete program for encouraging
in this state the growing of drug
plants previously imported. The
director is Monroe c. Kidder, the
best informed man on this subject
in the United States. We struggle
slowly towards recognition, in an
area ideally suited for the solution
of this problem. The Federal gov
ernment leans towards the loanlng
of money to South American coun-
tries to grow these same drug
plants, so that we may buy back
from them the plants which often
grow wild in California.
Sometimes the government does
not follow this chain through all
its links. Yet each link may be
important. A few days ago 1t was
announced in Washington from a
source very close to the admins
tration and notably accurate in
previous announcements, that sugar
acreage of the western states would
be taken for the planting OF more
needed crops, particularly potatoes,
beans and alfalfa. Your first re-
action may be that you'll willingly
90 without sugar, to get more
necessary foods for the soldiers or
for the people. Then too, there's
the sugar stored in Cuba. We can
bring that in
FOLLOW CHAIN
Let's follow the chain. These
crops require rotation If they are
to produce in quantity, and if the
ground is to be protected. What
is the rotation for the sugar beet
areas 2 years beets; 3 years al
falfa; | year beans; ! year potatoes.
Did the school boy planners In
Washington know that?
What becomes of the beet tops?
they are fed to the cattle. One acre
of beet tops is the equivalent OF
two tons of alfalfa. The alfalfa
Weld in the central farming states
is two to four tons an acre. Here
in the west it is higher Where
will we save to take the beet
acreage?
If we ship feed for the cattle,
grown in other areas, or if we ship
sugar from Cuba; how will we
carry it? In ships that are needed
for war materials? In freight cars
that can not today carry the loads
imposed on the railroads? When
the war brunt shifts from Europe
to the Orient, think of the in
creased problems of California.
Will we destroy our methods OF
farming, and our standards OF liv-
ing, to bring in commodities raised
under very different economies and
lower standards of living? The
priceless ingredient in government,
even of government in wartime, is
not necessarily classroom knoWl-
edge; the priceless ingredients are
common sense and experience.