GERMANY’S NEXT HARVEST.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume 8, Issue 108, 8 May 1916, Page 2

GERMANY’S NEXT HARVEST.

The next harvest wil be of great importance to the belligerent countries, but more particularly to the German Empire, which is practically cut off from communication with the outside world, except its Austrian, Bulgarian and Turkish vassals. The German Socialist newspaper Vorwaerts, in pointing out several defects in German agriculture, says: “Nobody believes now in the fantastic imports from the East. Germany will have to depend chiefly on her own production. Our agriculture is not in such a favourable position as people have us believe. If the results of the last harvest are considered, it will be realised that it is impossible to make the weather accountable for everything. The cultivated area showed a decrease in extent, while numbers of fields were inadequately cultivated. True, many farms lacked the necessary labour, whilst those at the head of affairs in many cases were in the army, so that farms had to be entrusted to inexperienced hands. There was also a lack of draught animals every where; the horses having been withdrawn from labour. Added to this was a shortage of seed and artificial manure, because the railways could not transport these essentials fast enough to where they were needed. Tli ere is, however, sufficient labour in Germany, but it is not adequately utilised. Organisation alone can bring about an improvement.”