_SUPPLEMENTARY READING_
ITALY IN THE WAR. _By Sidney J. M. Low_
ITALY AT WAR. _By H. Vivian_
EUROPE'S FATEFUL HOUR. _By G. Ferrero_
THE BOOK OF ITALY. _Edited by Raffaelo Piccoli_
A book of story, essay, verse and picture, interpreting the spirit
of Italy.
*** Information concerning the above books may be had on application to
the Editor of The Mentor.
_THE OPEN LETTER_
In the coming months of reconstruction and restoration in Europe,
Italy will have special problems of her own to solve. Victory in the
world war means for Italy five million additional mouths to feed in her
redeemed territory. Close rationing will, therefore, be necessary for
a long time, and a liberal food allotment from outside relief sources
must be made.
Italy cannot be accused of having neglected her land. The total area of
the country comprises 70,820,197 acres, only a little over 7 per cent
of which is unproductive land. In her agricultural production, however,
cereals do not play an important part. Her wheat product did not meet
her domestic demands even before the war, and annual importations of
grain were always necessary. The situation, therefore, today, after
the terrible toll that war has taken, is acute and distressing as
far as the main "staff of life" is concerned. Italy produces fruits
in quantity, but a starving nation cannot live by fruit alone. The
traveler in Italy today may feast his eyes on twelve million acres of
vine-covered slopes, but the children of the land are crying for milk
and bread. The wines of Italy are famous for their flavor and quality,
and her olives and lemons are known throughout the world, but the
people cannot survive on wine and olives. They need more substantial
food, and, under the present strict rationing, each person receives
only seventeen pounds of bread a month.
* * * * *
Italy's exports have been chiefly olives, lemons and cheese--Gorgonzola
and Parmesan being among the famous brands. These fine Italian cheeses
are made from goats' milk, and, as there is little enough of that now
to feed wounded soldiers and children, the exportation of cheese has
been stopped. Before the war olives and olive oil were shipped in huge
quantities. There are miles and miles of olive trees to be seen from
train windows when traveling through Italy. Today just as many olives
are grown, and as much olive oil is obtained, but it is needed at home
and is carefully guarded there. The Italian government practically
controls the output and very little is permitted for export. Lemons are
grown in great quantities and are still exported to some extent. The
difficulty in obtaining boats, however, has made it impossible to ship
any considerable quantity of lemons, and so this source of income has
been virtually eliminated.
* * * * *
Italy has found it necessary, therefore, to cultivate her products
exclusively for home consumption, and, in this cultivation, thought
is given only to the supply of things necessary for the maintenance
of the Italian people. Things that are most needed,--that give most
sustenance, are being cultivated to the exclusion of things that
brought income from outside, but did not fill the hungry mouths of
the people. Also, food products that formerly had to be imported, are
now being home grown. Fortunately, this is made easy by the fact that
Italy is a "clime where every season smiles." It is favored by climatic
conditions to a degree comparable to those of Southern California, and,
accordingly, a great range of crops, both of a temperate-zone and of a
tropical kind, can be grown readily. In the southern part of Italy the
climate is semitropical. The soil is fertile and garden-truck grows
in abundance--and many kinds of fruit, including oranges, lemons,
grapes, apples, plums and pears. In the fertile plains of the north
are fields where cereals are grown and these are being extended and
prepared for intensified cultivation. The delta of the Piave, captured
and held for a short time by the Austrians, is again in possession
of Italy. Comprising some of the richest soil in the world, it will
soon be flourishing with growing crops, and its fields will contribute
substantially to the solution of Italy's food problem.
* * * * *
We may be sure then that Italy, plucky and staunch, will "carry on"
through hardship to renewed prosperity. With the sympathetic assistance
that is her due from the United States, there can be no question of
the future. Italy's firmly booted leg will continue to kick its sturdy
way down into the "warm waters" that Germany so desired; her fair
domains will continue to enjoy that "place in the sun" that Prussia so
imperiously demanded. With all her advantages of land and sea, Italy
must "come through" and find plenty in the wake of peace.
[Illustration: W. D. Moffat]