me, she has been able to convert
the great lawns of her parks and country estates into grain-fields.
English women of all classes, an army of half a million, are working
on the land. At the same time the consumption of wheat has been
reduced. Even yet, however, the home-grown supply in England is only
one-fourth of the wheat required.

In Belgium the devastation is so complete that the women, children,
and old people left there would die of famine if food were not sent
to them. Two and a half million Belgians daily stand in line waiting
for food to be doled out to them. The United States must supply
three-fourths of the wheat contained in their meagre bread ration.
In Italy, too, the condition is serious, for she produces far less
than she needs, despite every effort of her Government to stimulate
production.

[Illustration: WHEAT FIELDS OF THE WORLD]

Germany and Austria-Hungary have not escaped universal suffering from
lack of wheat. Germany before the war was a wheat-importing country,
and Austria-Hungary was able to supply herself with wheat, but had
none to export. Their war crops have been below normal, and even
the wheat taken from conquered territory has not been sufficient
to prevent severe shortage, resulting in bread riots in industrial
centres.

The imports of wheat into both the Allied and enemy European countries
to supplement the wheat of their own raising came in peace-times
from seven countries--Russia, Roumania, Australia, the United States,
Canada, Argentina, and India. Most of these have now failed as a
source of supply.

Russia and Roumania were the great wheat-bins of Europe. They produced
as much wheat as the United States, and sometimes more, and they were
always able to make up or nearly make up the deficiencies of western
Europe. Russia and Roumania are now themselves on the verge of famine.
Even before their own situation became so desperate, they could get
little wheat to the western Allies, because the enemy territory and
the battle-lines made a great wall of separation.

Australia and India both continue to grow large crops of wheat, and
have a surplus in storage, but it cannot be sent to Europe because of
lack of ships. Australia has wheat stored from her last three crops.
The Argentine had very poor crops in 1916 and 1917, and although
the 1918 crop is good, it is scarcely more available to Europe than
Australia's wheat.

SO THE WHEAT SCARCITY IS NOT A QUESTION ONLY OF THE AMOUN