25 April, 1917.] Increase the Wheat Area. 227 



Lord Kitchener saiil tliis war would be a war nf altritioii, and that 

 it would probably last for years, and his .forecast has provcnl correct. 

 It has been proved undeniably that the powers that can hold out the 

 longest in respect to men, food, ammunition, supidies, aud moue.y will 

 win. It is not a question of the best fighter, but of the longest jiurse 

 and best supplies. Failure in any one of these factors would end the 

 . war for eitlier side in double quick time, and we can, at least, do our 

 share in seeing that at any rate our troops will have a sufficiency of 

 bread to keep them up to a fit standard as fighters. 



How an Additional Area can be Obtained. 



Let every man according to his circumstances say, " 1 will \n\\ in 

 an e.xtra 10, 50, 100 or more acres; 1 will then be assisting the Empire 

 and those gallant men who are fighting my battle, and doing what is 

 in my power towards helping the great cause." 



If each man who can will do this an additional 500,000 acres can 

 be put under crop. Taken at an average return of 10 bushels per acre, 

 5,000,000 extra bushels of wheat will be produced, sufficient to feed 

 800,000 men for one year. Possibly, as in the case of the additional 

 20,000 men who were hurried up at the right moment when Manoury 

 was turning Von Kluck's flank on the outskirts of Paris, this extra 

 supply of wheat might turn victory to our side. 



There are methods by which the yields of crops can be increased 

 apart from additional acreages. Larger amounts of phosphatic 

 fertilizer per acre is one of the simplest. The average farmer has not 

 yet realized that bigger yields aud more profitable returns are reaped 

 from applications of heavier dressitigs of superphosphate per acre as 

 compared with lighter dressings. 



The drought of 1914-15 has left the country short of stock of all 

 descriptions. The natural consequence is that much land ordinarily 

 used for stock is not being turned to a useful account. A fair pro- 

 portion of this idle land could be cultivated for wheat, maize, &e., and 

 so be made to return a profit, and at the same time provide its quota 

 towards winning the war. Uniform individual effort is the key to the 

 situation, and when every individual in Victoria recognises that his or 

 her help is needed, and that his or her help must be given, then will 

 the weight that we can bring to bear be felt, and our influence on the 

 war be of value to the Empire. Germany's strong position to-dav is 

 due to her wonderful organization and Tinity of purpose. She realized 

 that food supplies produced within the confines of her own territory 

 were as necessary for military purposes as men, guns, and money, and 

 for many years before hostilities commenced developed her priuiary 

 industries with this object in view. 



Are we who are left in Australia to he found wanting? Au.stralians 

 have proved that they can rise to occasion, and what greater occasion 

 can arise to demand our strongest effort than tlie crisis which now 

 befronts us? 



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