The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-08-08
By JAMES r. YOUNG

BY JAMES X. YOUNG
All this week In northern Japan
farm folks are gathering for festi'
walls to invoke divine help from the
Emperor and his ancestors for a
good fall crop.
On the basis OF intercepted re.
ports from japan ! believe that is45
will bring q record low for crops
due TO heavy rains, lack OF trans
portation and the shortage OF Ia
Dor. The food outlook IL admitted
by the Japanese to mot permit OF
optimism.
Poverty stricken peasants, hard
pressed on their two and three-acre
hillside plots. are on the receiving
end OF a daily psychological radio
blast TO increase farm production.
Their last resort is to come out
OF the hills and stage picturesque
balancing and juggling acts, pray at
Shinto shrines In Akita. q town the
size OF Chattanooga, Tenn. and
await the Emperors blessing. The
men take long bamboo poles on
which are suspended as many as
40 to so giant lanterns. These
are juggled on foreheads, hips,
wrists. and ankles amidst shouts
and cheers in the atmosphere Of a
country fair midway.
At the end Of the week the farm.
ers return to filling their moisture
soaked soh. Farmers In Japan
haven't had sufficient fertilizer in
years. This year is worse. Sui
phate OF ammonia. lime. calcium
and potash formerly were supplied
under government subsidies.
Unless crops are harvested by
October. 10000, 900 people living on
an area the size of Montana must
survive on starvation rations. !
think our air raids will prevent
harvest work.
The cumulative insufficiency Of
farm produce for city war workers
will materially contribute to the
loss of the war by the Japanese. To
my reckoning Of 5000, 900 homeless
from air raids and 5000 900 casual
ties, would add 10000 900 victims
of malnutrition. Tuberculosis will
claim many Of them. When we &C.
cupy japanese cities, q major prob
lem will be nutritionai diseases.
Our medical corps will be amazed
at the need for yeast. calcium and
proteins for there have been no
dairy products, eggs or meat in
three years.
Here are current Japanese agri-
cultural conditions, at the height Of
the farm festival season:
Wheat, OF 20 per cent. Only two
districts report normal crops. Bar
ley, of ~ per cent. Rice seed.
lings have rotted from heavy rains.
Food rations are down another 10
per cent until October.
The rice issue Is out Of control.
Local governing bodies now ration
allowances from whatever they
have in warehouses, but many gran
aries have been burned by thous-
ands OF FIRE bombs we've dropped.
Tokyo has lost huge grain ware
houses, located along the city's
many canals, through recent air
attacks. To equal the drop Of
1000 900 bushels OF rice burned IN
the warehouses. farmers are order
ed to grow the equivalent in buck.
wheat, carrots and turnips.
Meat Is so scarce that wild boars
caught in the Nagoya region are
being served to aircraft factory
workers. Boar soup is made from
the bones.
Hokkaido farms were scheduled
to receive 100000 burned-out city
jewellers. Less than 10000 arrived.
The remainder were stranded In
northern Japan when Halsey's
fleet sank the railroad ferries
which were to carry the workers.
Factories employing 1000 work
ers and over make employees bolster
the production Of brussels sprouts,