APPEAL TO AMERICAN FARMERS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3125, 2 July 1917, Page 4

APPEAL TO AMERICAN FARMERS

BY PRESIDENT WILSON. President Wilson has isßued the fol* lowing appeal to American fanners r— The supreme need of our own nation! and of the nations with, which we are coJ operating is an abundance of supplies, and especially of foodstuffs. ; The importance! of an adequate food supply, especially;, for the present year, is superlative. Without abundant food, alike for tha ; armies and the peoples now at war, the; whole great enterprise upon whioh wer have embarked will break down and faiw The world's food reserves are low. Nott only durrn" the present emergency but, for somo time after peace shall have? come both our own people and a larga. proportion of the people of Europe musti rely on, the harvests m America. Upon the farmers of this country, there* fore, in large measure rests the fate of the war and the fate of the nations. May: the nation not count upon them to omit no step that will increase the production,; of their land or that will Wing about; the most effectual co-operation' in thee 6alo and distribution of their products?. The time is short. It is of the mostX imperative importance that everything: possible be done and done immediately to\ Make sure of large harvests. I call upon) young men and old alike and upon the able-bodied boys of the land to accept and act upon this duty—to turn in hosts to the farms and make certain; that not pains and no labour is lacking in this great matter. ' . ■; ■ I particularly appeal to the farmers of tho South to plant abundant foodstuf as well as cotton. . They can show the: patriotism in no better or more 'convincing way than by resisting tho great temptation of the present price of cotton and / helping, helping upon a 1 great scale, tofeed the nation and the peoples every-: where who are fighting for their liberties and for our owu. The variety of their, crops wjll be the visible measure of their! comprehension of their national duty. The Government of the United States a'nd the Governments of the several States! stand ready to co-operate. They will do? everything possible to assist farmers in? securiag an adequate supply of seed, are adequate force of labourers when thejj are most needed at harvest time, and the means of expediting shipments of, fertilizers and farm machinery, as well 0.3 . of the crops themselves when harvested; Tho course of,trade shall be as unhamj peied as it is possible to,mako it,, ancttliere shall be no unwarranted manipula-; tion of the nation's food supply by those* who liandlo it on its way to tho consume er. This is our opportunity to demon-" sh-nte tho efficiency of a great democracy, . and we shall not fall short of it The supremo test of the nation has come.' Wo must all speak, act, and serve together.