Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Civic Prepared South Carolina's Agricultur Resources Must Be War C( "SERVICE To the Chairman of Each County Committee for Civic Preparedness: Dear Sir: The Commission and the Campaign Committee for Civic Preparedness held a joint meeting in Colunbia on April 10th, at which a day of inaugurating in your county a campaigi movement for civic preparedness for war was designated and speakers representing the State organization were selected. The Farm Demonstration Department of the National Government will furnish an agricultural speaker in addition, and it would be well for you to see the services of one or more local speakers for short talks. You 1 be expected to advertise this meeting and secure the largest possible attendance and contribute in every way to its enthusi astic success. After the county meeting the speakers representing the State organization will meet with you for a conference as to your plans for a vigorous countywide campaign. You will be expected to hold, in the shortest possible time, meetings in every church and school house in the county, secure the best possible speakers for arousing effective enthusiasm and co-operation at these meetings; you will be expected to secure the hearty co-operation of every available agency-churches. schools, boards of trade, farmers' associations, benevolent associations, labor unions, women's clubs, etc. -for your campaign. Your campaign must bring to the whole people a realization of the fact that the world is facing a famine-that the suc cessful prosecution of this war depends fully as much upon the produc tion and conservation of food in the United States as it does upon any military action which can be taken by this country. The people must be made to realize that the duty of responding to the call of our Nation and State for the production and conservation -of foodstuffs is just as patri otic, and under present circumstances will prove just as effective from a military standpoint, as actual service with arms. The State Commission for Civic Preparedness suggests the follow ing programme, which may-be modified by the judgment of your com mittee to suit varying conditions in the different sections of the State. First, urge the immediate planting of such crops as will in the shortest possible time furnish food for man and beast, and thus stop the drain upon the depleted National food reserves which our State is now making. The duty of every family to plant and cultivate a garden must be stressed. The following vegetables are suggested: Sweet potatoes (plants can be secured at once at about $2 per 1,000). Two hundred plants, planted 18 inches apart in four-foot rows on good soil, should produce six to ten bushels by July 15 or August 1. A single garden row each of okra, tomatoes, snap beans, pole beans should be planted now and duplicated a month later. Garden corn, squashes and the various greens are all easy to grow and should be planted in succession in quantity according to the size of the garden, properly worked and fertilized. One-eighth of an acre will supply the average family with an abundance and great variety of veg etables during the entire summer and fall. Land owners should urge their croppers and merchants their cus tomers to plant gardens and the seeds should be furnished to those who are unable to buy. Every farmer should be urged to plant at least one-quarter of an acre each. of sorghum and early yellow dent corn (Leaming variety suggested) per horse or cow owned, and this will furnish ample feed in July and August. Every farmer should put in at least one acre of sweet potatoes per horse, and land owners should construct potato houses, built according to government specifications, for curing and storing this crop for their tenants. Cow peas and soy beans should be liberally planted for human and animal food. Early varieties of cow peas planted at once will furnish delicious green peas in eight or ten weeks. Every farmer shouid. be induced to increase his acreage of field cor a ma evban ho u nl he plnted not later than May 1 in ness Campaign al, Industrial and Economic Mobilized to Meet )nditions FOR ALL" every acre of corn. They will not reduce the corn yield and may be expected to produce 15 to 30 bushels per acre of a splendid nitrogenous food. Bulletins on velvet beans, potato houses, etc., will be furnished by the Farm Demonstration agents in each county. The merchants of your county must be made to realize that their co-operation is absolutely necessary for the success of this campaign. Unless supplies of the necessary seeds and of cans and jars for canning are available, much of the effect of our work will be neutralized. Whole hearted co-operation from all the people, in fact, is vital if the State is to do the necessary and patriotic work which the National and State. authorities have called on us for. There is a great shortage of some kinds of seeds, and the merchants may be unable to secure a full assortment of those recommended. Sub stitutions, however, can usually be made without seriously affecting the programme. The two most effective agencies which may be used for our cam paign are the churches and the schools. Governor Manning has asked all the ministers in South Carolina to take up and advocate in their sermons, food production and conservation. It would be well to hold a meeting of the County Teachers' Associations (both white and colored) and urge the teachers to enter wholeheartedly into.the work. Patriotic songs should be frequently sung by the schools, short talks on the war aad the national situation should be given and the patriotism of the children should be stimulated in every possible way. It must be made plain to each child that he has a part in the programme for national pre paredness for war. We suggest that a society be formed in each school called "Volunteer Service League," into which shall be enrolled all chil dren who will volunteer for the production and conservation of food stuffs. Each member of this society should pledge himself or herself to cultivate a small garden or corn patch or to help (so many hours per week) in the cultivation of the home vegetable garden or in attention to the live stock on the farm or to raise a pig or some chickens. In addition to this, they should pledge themselves not to waste a crumb of food and to use their influence to stop all food waste in their homes. They should be made to understand that now, when the Nation needs every ounce of surplus food for war purposes, it is nothing less than criminal to throw away provisions of any kind. It is a common sight around most of the school houses of the State to see children eat half their lunches and dump th e rest on the ground. No more food should be prepared for the family or brought to school than, can be entirely consumed. If this were done, probably 25 per cent. of the food consumption of the State would stop. Your committee should co-operate with the negro preachers and teachers to secure the adoption of this programme. Without their help our campaign can be but partially successful. Meetings should be arranged at negro churches and school houses and white speakers should be furnished wherever desirable. In some counties it will be necessary for you to appoint subcommittees in different townships in order to make your campaign most effective. This should be done wherever it is necessary. The effectiveness of this campaign for civic preparedness for war will denend almost entirely on the work of the county committees. The Commi~ssion can do little except start the campaign and furnish you with a few speakers, some literature and some advice. We are going to count on the patriotism and unselfish service of your committee to make a conspicuous success of your county campaign to the end that your people will do their full duty to the State and Nation at this crisis. Very truly yours, DAVID R. COKER, Chairman South Carolina Commiission JOE SoPARS Secretary. for Civic Preparedness for War.