WAR NOTES.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 October 1917, Page 8

WAR NOTES.

THE GERMAN HARVEST. An Amsterdam newspaper gives parti- [ culars respecting the harvesting operations in Germany. The schools were closed, and students of universities and j rolleges were to be seen everywhere in the country binding the grain into sheaves. Mowing being difficult work for many of them, this was left to the older men and to some of the stronger women. Great expectations were entertained sotne time ago with regard to the co-operation iof prisoners of war, but these showed little taste for the enforced work, and made for the Dutch frontier as soon as they' saw their opportunity. The great lack of manual labor was aggravated by a shortage of beasts o:' burden. Cows, which in many districts have been replacing horses and bullocks, were of littls use in consequence of lack of fodder. The crop of "vegetables was very disappointing. In the open country people are farina pretty well in this respect, but in .the cities there is .groat, scarcity. New potatoes, generally speaking, are somewhat late owing to the gieat drought,, but the quality is excellent. The quantity allowed, however. 31b per week per person, is insufficient. Great damage was caused bv the hurricane arid thunderstorm which occurred all over Western Germany on Sunday, July 29. Not only were buildings damaged or destroyed ani thousands of trees uprooted, but all field and market garden produce suffered considerably. Oats, barley, and buckwheat were struck down, and no apples or pears were left, on the trees. Weeds, on the other, hand, were thriving, owing to the heavy rains in recent weeks. From East Frisia, according to a report in the Anzeiger, of Munster, many kinds of vegetables, especially beans, will be a failure this year. The favorable crop reports in some German papers were considered exaggerated.