IOO THE FOOD CRISIS AND AMERICANISM 



tremendous increase in our production of food stuffs. 



But waiving these, many are of the opinion that 

 but for the war, a farm mortgage foreclosure era 

 would ere this have been in full swing, with its inevi- 

 table accompaniments of depression and panic. Since 

 the sub-sea warfare began, vast amounts of wheat and 

 other cereals have been, and are, accumulating in In- 

 dia, Australia, Argentina and elsewhere. In Austra- 

 lia, Argentina and other South American countries, 

 flocks and herds have been multiplying at a constantly 

 increasing ratio. Many think that when peace comes, 

 these vast accumulations of human foods will be 

 thrown upon the European market. That the im- 

 poverishment of the masses of Europe must continue 

 to keep consumption at the minimum, resulting in 

 such a radical depression of prices, that because of 

 their tremendous burden of indebtedness, the Amer- 

 ican farmers will be crushed under this competition, 

 and disastrous consequences follow. Such a crisis can 

 only be averted by prices that will, during the war, 

 enable the American farmers to reduce their indebted- 

 ness, so that they may be able to meet the emergency 

 and stem the tide. Hence, from every point of view, 

 one can see the imperative demand for " The Better- 

 ment of Agriculture." 



Inaccurate and inflated estimates, sophomorical 

 treatises on husbandry and oratorical dissertations on 

 the farmers' patriotism, rather hinder than help in 

 this direction. War profits to the farmer, or the lack 

 of them, are reflected by a statement just received 

 from the State Auditor, whose official duty it is to 

 secure and publish these statistics, which shows that 



