The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1943-06-08


basic rations; they are produced
along the Mississippi, the Mis-
souri, and the Ohio.
We midwesterners hope TO do
a lot better than 35 per cent.
No grapefruit, however. Not
from the Breadbaskct
Ding, did an amusing car.
toon some weeks ago on the food
situation, III which the pioneer
settler smiled at his descendants
and announced that the Midwest
was settled on soWbelly and
beans. This was erroneous. Of
course, since it was settled on
Jerky (venlSon) and hOmlny, but
even since game was diminished
in the Food Bowl, and since the
farmer has been "deflated' Tin
one instance by Mr.. Hoover, an
IoWan) North Central farming
has seen that all lis production is
essential.
It's skllls and properties and
temperament and productive ca
paclties are Indispensable, and
our country knows it.
BIG SURPLUS SEEN
What is more, the enemy
knows it. Pretty soon, there are
going to be lots of people of all
nations to feed. We will have
some pigs and 100000 bushels
of wheat left over That reserve
has not been built up to this fig
ure yet but II must be very close.
1t has grown in spite of the
small use of wheat and small
grains for artificial rubber and
explosives. AT parity il would
continue to grow at the margins
of the Food Bowl indefinitely.
TO other surplus situations. till
enough alcohol and butadienc
plants are conceived TO catch up
with the farmer.
The talk about wheat and
other grain materials being in
sufficient for any rubber or ex-
plosive production that the
country can now manage is nom
sense. Look at the SURPRISES and
the suggestions that farmers
should work at fats.
The reasons for this are obvi-
Gus. Many years ago one Of our
great essayists and philologists,
H. l.. Mencken. expressed the
opinion that farmers were
bunch of loafcrs who worked at
planting a little while each wear
and at harvesting another little
while and spent the intervals
sleeping and junketng.
SOUNDS LIKE WORK
OF course the mich COWS and
the weeks and the feeding ami
mails must have taken the same
vacation; the fences were re-
built by brownies. the wood was
cut by gnomeS, the postponed
jobs Of the heavy seasons took
care of themselves. No build
inCS needed repair or rebuilding:
there was no smith work on
tools and implements. and when
saw my tenant Sam making a
new set of harness out of an old
outfit and spare leather from
some other old harness one Sun
day afternoon, it was an optical
illusion.
The farmer works the longest
days know Of. if he happens 10
be good farmer. The mere &C
countancy on my own small
farm runs to about Is pages
year for income tax. what that
means In entries and tranSac-
tions is appalling What il means
in plans and performances is al
most incredible.
The idea that the farmer gets
up in the morning. milkS a few
cows, ploWs corn for a while,
Stops few pigs and goes to thcl
movies before retiring al what
the city Teller considers ride
ulouSly early hour is not tcna-
bic in a country which uses
smaller personnel and less horse
power to raise more food. by 40
per cent, than il did generation
ago.
Agriculture has improved
even more rapidly than mechan-
ical methods in this country.
Scientific agriculture. like vet
Urinary medicine, began in Scot
land and Germany and Switzer
land. il has been continued IN