Evening star., 1946-05-20
BY Paul BelIomy
North American Newspaper Alliance


North American Newspaper AlIionee
CLEVELAND. May 2O.-The Ger,
man agricultural problem is compli
Gated by the lack of fertilizer.
During the war years all thu
chemical plants in operation were
making munitions of war and NJ
fertilizers were manufactured
When you remember that most o.
the fields in our zone in Germany
have been titled for 1000 years ane
nearly all of them for 1000 and tina
the soil is thin at best, it become.
evident that no crop yield worthy
of the name will be enjoyed unles!
there is ample use of fertilizer.
Every scrap of manure is used
but this has had to be supplemented
for many years by the generous ust
of artificial fertilizer. Nitrates car
be manufactured in Germany ane
were before the war in a large
amount. But phosphate had to bt
imported
French Contro1 Phosphates
1t has been impossible to import
phosphates, which come to Ger.
many mostly from North Africa
There is no money to pay for then
in the first place and the French
who control most of them, are moi
inclined to be very generous wher
it comes to nourishing German
fields.
Agriculture in Germany is primi-
tive compared to our standards
In many miles of automobile traveI
past the smiling Bavarian, Wurtem-
berg, Baden and Hesse Landscapes
one fails to see a single tractor
The work is done mostly by oxen
or an occasional bony horse. Time
seems to be what the German
peasant has the most of and the
oxen are fast enough for him.
In the breakup of Germany into
four parts the bread basket of
Germany went to Russia and it is
believed that the Russians have
more food for their German wards
than do the other three powers.
The ration in Britain's part of
Germany is very low. The French
ration is probably worse
Americans Do Best Job.
The Americans, who not only have
food but have kind hearts, are
doing the best by their German
population of any of the four oc-
cupying powers, unless it be Russia,
concerning which, as I have said,
nobody knows. But the Russians,
although having food, are not in
clined to be over generous with
their beaten enemies. So I think 1t
is safe to say that the Americans
have done the best job on food,
but it is none too good.
At one of the many American
headquarters we visited in Germany
we were served for lunch a German
ration for one entire day. 1t was
pretty terrible-soybeans, black
bread, smattering of some kind of
fat which looked like dirty lard and
some ersatz coffee or tea. This was,
mind you, for whole day, 1855
calories. 1t is about as much as
the average American eats for lunch,
only Tar less palatable.
It must be remembered that the
German farmer does better for him.
self than the German city dweller
because he is able to mooch some
occasional green stuff and occa-
sionally other food, despite the
stringent regulations which control
the amount of food he may keep
back for himself and his family, and
the amount he must sell to the state
at a price set by the authorities.
4 Talk With Hoover.
Whilee lin Berlin it was our good
fortune to run into former Presiden.
Hoover, who was then engaged on
his food investigation tour. We
spent two hours talking the situation
over with him, and agreed that
whether we loved the Germans Or
not-and most said they did not
We had to feed them at least sub
sistence rations, or run the chance
of a tremendous upgrowth in Com
munism. In other words, it was not
because we loved them but for our
own good and the peace of the
world that we should have to do it.
We all agreed with Mr.. Hoover'S S
diagnosis of the situation, made
public in his speech from Cairo.
A discussion of the German food
question would not be complete
without mentioning beer, which has
been staple food as we'll as stim-
ulant for the Germans during the
centuries Now there is no beer for
the German civil population, except
q bootleg brand they make them
selves. The grains going into beer
can be better used directly as food.
This lack has made tremendous
difference in the Germans ease in
life and belief in the future, be-
cause Germany's social life, her song
and her bon camaderie was all built
around the institution of beer. In
Munich the world-renoWned Lowen-
brau breweries are in ruins.
In Nuremberg the famous Tucher-
hrau was manufactured, but, ac-
cording to my information, its entire
product was taken by the Americans
for the use of American soldiers and
officers. l had some of it and it was
not up to the old preWar Nuremberg
Tucher by any means.