THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 353 



The one greal central vital issue in this republic today is the building of the 

 nation into a gigantic War machine, and around this centra] issue will cluster the 

 coordinate activities, two of which will probably remain conspicuous in importance, 

 (lie production and conservation of food and the mobilizing of all of the people for 



patriotic service. This war is to make tremendous drafts upon our people and u] 



our male rial resources. 



Great numbers of men must go to the front. All the people must be brought to 

 realize that these men at the front must be supported, fully, completely, in every 

 way, and then huge sums of money and vast quantities of everything else will be 

 required to fight this war to a successful issue. Back of it all is the real question — 

 whether this world is to be safe for free, self-governing people, or whether it is to be 

 ruled by self-constituted autocrats. The State Council of Defense is one of the 

 mediums, perhaps the chief organized force, through which the people of California 

 are to coordinate their forces, stimulate their activities, concentrate their powers in 

 one unified effort for the overthrowing of despotism, and the permanent establishment 

 of free government over the world. 



WHAT CROPS? 



By Thomas Forsyth Hunt, Dean of the College of Agriculture and Director of the 

 Experiment Station, Berkeley, California. 



In October, 1914, the University of California Agricultural Experiment Station 

 published a circular entitled "Some Things a Prospective Settler Should Know," in 

 which, incidentally, were given the low, high, and average California prices of the 

 staple agricultural and horticultural crops. The world was even then at war. 



The high price for wheat was .$1.66 per cental. In the case of barley and potatoes, 

 $1.50 per cental was considered a high price. For rough rice $3.00. and for beans 

 .$5.00 per cental was as much as- any one expected. Onions were recognized to 

 fluctuate greatly, the high price being stated as $2.00 per sack, the average SO cents, 

 while 50 cents was recognized as a low price which might be expected to occur 

 whenever onions were especially abundant. In the case of fruits, a high price 

 per ton during the years preceding 1014 had been: Muscat raisins $100. shipping 

 grapes $60, dried prunes $120, dried peaches $200, dried apricots $300, and green 

 pears $60. Forty cents per pound was a high price for a dairyman to receive for 

 his butter fat and $12 per ton was a high price for him to pay for alfalfa. 



Much is being written these days about relative food values. Naturally, this has 

 caused considerable discussion about the future of certain characteristically Cali- 

 fornian crops. This article is not written with the purpose of forecasting the future 

 or giving any advice concerning the substitution of one crop for another, but rather 

 for the purpose of trying to illustrate the difficulties encountered in attempting to 

 advise, and to call attention to the fact that many wild statements are going 

 the rounds. 



In the circular above mentioned there were published the average, probable and 

 possible yields of the leading crops raised in California. In this table there is one 

 column which gives what is estimated to !»■ a safe yield for business purposes. It is 

 assumed lo be 50 per cent greater than the average state yield, and probably only 

 three-fourths the yield which an experienced farmer might hope to obtain under 



