B'/ic RURAL NEW-YORKER 
81 J 
Farmers and the War 
Part VI. 
It seems to be clearer the more we 
study it that German farmers have not 
inci’cased the production of farm crops 
largely. Use of chemical feeds and sav¬ 
ing wastes have enabled them to keep up 
live stock supplies, but farm crops are 
not much larger in war time than in 
peace. Two things seem mainly respon¬ 
sible for this. The labor problem is very 
bard. Much of the farm work is being 
done by women, defectives and war pris¬ 
oners. Most able men are needed for 
the army, or for the factories. Thus 
Germany finds, as every other nation will 
find, that feeding the people is a job for 
skilled and satisfied labor. It cannot be 
' done by amateurs or grumblers. Then 
again the German farmers are well or¬ 
ganized, and the business is really con¬ 
trolled by rich and very influential men. 
Their policy has ever been to hold up 
prices by restricting production or con¬ 
trolling distribution through tariffs or co¬ 
operative control of buying and selling. 
Under such a system any large increase 
of production is impossible. 
Thus the German food situation has 
been saved by a system of saving food 
wastes and by government restriction of 
speculation and useless middlemen. In 
this country the government is evidently 
planning to work along similar lines. 
Congress is playing and dawdling with 
the various food bills, so that no definite 
work can be done until the final result of 
legislation is known. It is evident, how¬ 
ever, that the government understands 
that no great increase in food pi-oduction 
can be expected until the farmers are sure 
that they will be fairly treated. That is 
the lesson from recent history in Eng¬ 
land, France and Germany, and our peo¬ 
ple understand it. 
There will be an increase in the pro¬ 
duction of vegetables and other perish¬ 
able goods, and some loss in conse¬ 
quence. but the production of standard 
food, like bread and meat, will not be sen¬ 
sibly increased until farmers are assured 
a fair profit in the production. It is 
exactly the same as the case of the man¬ 
ufacturers, transportation interests, bank¬ 
ers or merchants. Not one of these in¬ 
terests in assuming army contracts will 
be asked to risk their business as a mat¬ 
ter of patriotism. Each and every one 
from the menf who make shoes and cloth¬ 
ing to those who carry the troops or 
build ships will be protected by a con¬ 
tract which provides for labor, capital, 
overhead charges and profit. Unless this 
was done the government could not arm 
and equip its troops, and it will not be 
able to feed the world, as its share of 
warfare, until food producers are in like 
manner guaranteed a fair profit 
Of course, in securing shoes or cloth¬ 
ing or guns the government can deal 
with men who represent great concen¬ 
trations of labor and capital, and that 
makes the contract easier to carry out. 
Farmers are not organized, and they have 
no organization which represents their or¬ 
ganized effort and business. In Ger¬ 
many the strong Agrarian party rei)re- 
sents agriculture, and the farmers know 
definitely what is coming to them. Here 
there is no definite organization or party 
with which to make anything like an 
agreement or contract. All there is to 
work on is the positive understanding 
that American farmers will demand the 
same business guarantee and protection 
which other lines of industry are receiv¬ 
ing. 
The new food bill when it is finally 
liassed will probably give to the Presi¬ 
dent the power to offer such guarantee. 
Just what it will be no one knows. Some 
are advocating a high bounty on every 
bushel of grain—since bread is the foun¬ 
dation of life. Others call for price fix¬ 
ing so that prices paid to producers will 
not fall below a certain figure. There 
are many other schemes, but the one 
clear idea through it all is that the sup¬ 
ply of bread and meat will not be largely 
increased until the Ameiucan farmer is 
made to see that it is a business proposi¬ 
tion for him to increase it. 
In Germany the efforts to fix arbitrary 
prices do not seem to have been success¬ 
ful on the whole. With the strong mili¬ 
tary organization and inherited feeling in 
Germany efforts to fix prices right ought 
to be easier to work out than would be the 
case in this larger and more independent 
country, but there seems to be little in 
this German experience to warrant the 
trial here. The best success in Germany 
seems to have come through government 
efforts to increase the size of the f>5-cent 
dollar. This has been done by abolish¬ 
ing the speculator and cutting out all 
useless buyers and middlemen. The gov¬ 
ernment seeks to do the work formerly 
done by these agents, bringing producer 
and consumer closer together and divid¬ 
ing the money thus saved between the 
two. The facts known about this will be 
given next. h. w. c. 
Young Men and Massachusetts Banks 
An automobile is often looked upon as a 
sign of luxurious habits, but to a young 
friend of mine, a carpenter without capi¬ 
tal, recently married and just beginulug 
business for him.self, it appeared to be a 
busine.ss proposition, largely increasing 
his radius of action. ,But how could he 
get one? 
I advised him to go and talk the matter 
over with the cashier of the bank where 
he had opened a checking account. He 
did so, and that man, having regard for 
the character, industry and skill of the 
young man, .saw the matter in the same 
light and offered to loan him the money 
needed, his wife and parents endorsing 
his notes. The automobile, a second¬ 
hand runabout which he converted into a 
truck, rapidly paid for itself. 
A year ago the same young man cast 
his eye upon an abandoned cellar hole, 
well and desirable building lot, and 
thought that if he could get possession of 
it he could utilize spare time in building 
fi home for himself and family and save 
rent. With a deed to so much property 
it would be easy enough to raise money 
on a mortgage for building. Again I ad¬ 
vised him to talk it over with the cashier, 
and again the cashier .saw the proposi¬ 
tion in a business light, and the young 
man got his deed with money borrowed 
on the same security. That was a year 
ago. Since that time his holidays, 
stormy days, days of slack work, morn¬ 
ing and evening hours, have been made 
the most of, and at this writing he is 
about to move into as commodious and 
fine a cottage as the village can boast, 
with a mortgage on it written for about 
half the value of the property. 
His note held by the bank has been 
renewed twice, somewhat reduced each 
time. What could he have done without 
the initial help given by the bank with¬ 
out involving personal friendships? Be¬ 
sides, bank dealings teach young men 
strict business methods. M. T. 
“ Poisoned Bait” 
Every year we are asked to describe 
the poisoned bait which is advised for in¬ 
sects like the cutworm, army worm or 
for gras.shoppei’s. This has been repeated 
over and over, but there are still calls 
for it. This so-called bait is made in va¬ 
rious ways, but the following mixture is 
very effective against such insects as cut¬ 
worms, array worms and grasshoppers. 
“An effective bait of this kind may be 
prepared and used as follows: To 50 
pounds of wheat bran and one pound of 
Baris green or two pounds of arsenate of 
lead add the juice of one-half dozen oranges 
or lemons. Then bring the mass to a 
stiff dough by adding low-grade molasses 
or syrup, preferably molasses, and scatter 
the mixture broadcast in small pieces 
throughout the infested field. This pois¬ 
oned bait mav be used safely in Alfalfa 
and cornfields, where it is desired, if pos¬ 
sible. to save the crop for forage pur¬ 
poses.” 
The addition of the orange or lemon 
juice really seems to add greatly to its 
effectiveness. Of course, this is serious 
dope to put out where poultry run at 
large, as it will surely kill them if they 
get at it. 
“Are you going to take Summer board¬ 
ers?” “Not this year,” answered Farmer 
Corntossel. “I don’t propose to let city 
folks off that easy. I’m going to take 
’em as pupils in agriculture an’ make 
’em pay for the opportunity to do some 
farmin’.”—Washington Star. 
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] 
Canadian Farmers 
Profit From Wheat 
The war’s devastation of European 
crops has caused an unusual demand 
for grain from the American Conti¬ 
nent. The people of the world must be 
fed and wheat at over S2 per bu. offers 
great profits to the farmer. Canada’s in¬ 
vitation is therefore especially attractive. 
She wants settlers to make money and 
happy, prosperous homes for themselves 
by helpingher raise immense wheat crops. 
Can get a Homestead of 160 acres FREE 
and other lands at remarkably low prices. During many 
years Canadian wheat fields have averaged 20 bushels to 
the acre—many yields as high as 45 bushels to acre. 
Wonderful crops also of Oats, Barley and Flax. 
Mixed Farming as profitable an industry as grain rais¬ 
ing. The excellent grasses full of nutrition are the only 
food required for beef or dairy purposes. Good schools, 
churches, markets convenient, climate excellent. 
There is now an extra demand for farm laborers to 
replace the many young men who have volunteered for service 
in war. The government is urging farmers to put extra acreage 
into grain. Write for literature and particulars as to reduced 
railway rates to Supt. of Immigration, Ottawa, Canada, or 
O. G. RUTLEDGE 
•s V 
Cs j. iir 
\M 
fi Si* 
301 E. Geaesee St., Syracuc, N. T. 
Canadian Gov’t Agt. 
