781. Kids Must Eat (16:06)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture, Office of Information, Motion Picture Service
Summary:
An episode of the popular "Quiz Kids" radio program introduces the U.S. Department of Agriculture's school lunch program. The four precocious children, ages 7 to 12, demonstrate knowledge of Shakespeare, chemistry, math and geography as they answer a series of quiz questions given by host Joe Kelly. Concludes with a message from the host about importance of adequate and healthy food for schoolchildren. Showing women in wartime factory jobs, the narrator states "in busy America many mothers perform many necessary jobs outside the home, but we must never become too busy to feed our children." Community groups are called upon to sponsor school lunch programs with the support of the Department of Agriculture.

782. Crops For Combat (09:35)

Date:
1943
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture, United States. Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Adjustment Agency
Summary:

783. Blessings of Grass (20:33)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture, United States. Department of Agriculture. Forest Service
Summary:
Introduced as "the story of cattle grazing in the national forest," the film depicts cooperation between the Forest Service and local ranchers to manage the grazing of herds on public land. Original USDA catalog entry states: "Range management in the western national forests. Shows how to perpetuate grazing lands by protecting them from overuse by livestock and thus insure the income of ranchers and communities dependent on the livestock and grazing industry for a living" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 41). Depicts rounding up, branding and inoculating cattle in preparation for driving from private range land to National Forest. Shows duties of Forest Rangers, including monitoring fences and health of grasses. Cutting, raking and stacking of hay using mostly horse-drawn implements is shown. Concludes by showing that U.S. Forest Service range management has helped western "cow towns" to prosper and grow.

784. Victory Harvest (22:16)

Date:
1945
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture, United States. Office of Information. Motion Picture Service
Summary:
Reports on the coordination of community volunteers for wartime farm harvesting labor through the efforts of the Victory Farm Volunteers of the U.S. Crop Corps and local agricultural agents. "The story of the farm labor shortage caused by the war, and how it was met during the crop season of 1944 through the vigorous and patriotic efforts of several million volunteers from our towns and cities. It shows the county agent in a typical agricultural county, marshalling its forces to recruit help needed to harvest the local potato crop. Similarly, workers were recruited all over the country to help with fruit, grain, cotton, sugar beets, hay, truck, and other crops. With the patriotic help of these volunteers, farmers, in spite of war handicaps were able to produce the largest crops in history" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 19). In an epilogue, Judge Marvin Jones, War Food Administrator, emphasizes that manpower shortage on farms is still a problem.

785. Saving the Garden Crop (12:18)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture, United States. Office of Information. Motion Picture Service, Wilding Picture Productions : produced by
Summary:
Shows methods of winter storage for produce grown in wartime Victory gardens. Provides demonstrations of how to achieve necessary temperature and moisture conditions for storing various vegetables by using attic space, construction of a storage room in the cellar, sunken barrels and insulated earthen mounds. "In the opening scene we find Mother and Father, Judy and Jimmy deep in the study of seed catalogs, preparatory to planting their victory garden. The picture passes quickly to the happy harvest time when Mother wonders what they will do with all the surplus vegetables. Father decides to store them. The film then demonstrates the best method of storing onions, beans, peas, apples, beets, carrots, salsify, squash, pumpkins, potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, and cabbage" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 47). As this family exemplifies the industrious spirit of Victory gardening, narration states "in pantry and store room, in pit and mound, they have tangible proof of their husbandry."

786. Hidden Weapons (10:31)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture, Wilding Picture Productions, Inc.
Summary:

787. The Farmer's Wife (09:51)

Date:
1942
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture, Wilding Picture Productions, Inc. : produced by
Summary:
"A documentary tribute to the farm women of America and an explanation of their part in winning the war. Exemplified by 'Mom,' the farm woman is shown to be a potent force in lining up the farm family behind the agricultural war production program. It is "Mom" who helps the child out of difficulty. She looks after the chickens, the pigs, the young calf. If she's not in the garden or in the orchard, she is in the kitchen canning vegetables, picking a chicken, cooking, so that all will have enough and the right kind of food to eat. Everything and everybody on the farm depends on 'Mom.' She lends cheer and encouragement when morale is low. She is the moving spirit in community affairs. The things she does every day on the farm are war work. The attitude of farm women in general is summed up in 'Mom's' closing speech, 'If our farm can help—I guess it's little enough. It's kind of up to you and me to see it through' " (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 22).

788. Harvests For Tomorrow (26:29)

Date:
1941
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Agricultural Adjustment Administration
Summary:
Documents farming practices in the New England states, showing the prosperity that fertile soils brought to hardworking farmers who cleared the hilly land. That fertile soil, rich in minerals, accumulated over the course of centuries covered in forests. Shows that generations of farmers have enriched themselves from these fertile soils without adequately caring for them. Failing farms, dilapidation and abandonment are shown to follow farming these depleted soils. "But it doesn't have to be this way," states a narrator in the character of an old Yankee. Application of lime and phosphorous fertilizers recommended by soil scientists are shown to restore and maintain soil fertility. Abundant harvests of hay are shown resulting from well-fertilized fields. Depicts pre-mechanized farming and logging practices, hand harvesting, and use of working animals.

789. Livestock and Mankind (10:58)

Date:
1938
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Bureau of Animal Industry
Summary:
An address given by Dr. John R. Mohler, Chief of the USDA Bureau of Animal Industry, provides narration for this film reporting on the work of the Bureau. "Animal husbandry and veterinary science increase the usefulness of domestic animals to mankind. Research, regulatory, and informational work of the United States Department of Agriculture; Cooperation with the States in the eradication of diseases; inspection of herds; laws regulating dairy conditions; livestock improvement; scientific poultry raising" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 35).

790. Block That Termite (19:43)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine
Summary:
A presentation of the Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine's code for the prevention of termite infestation. Using animated diagrams and detailed photography of actual termite infestations, the film educates builders and homeowners in inspection, remediation and prevention methods. Poor construction practices invite the ravages of these devastating insects. The film shows how buildings can be protected from further damage and points to be observed undertaking new construction. "It costs us 50 million dollars a year to feed the termites, it costs far less to block them," concludes the narrator.

791. The Home Place (31:16)

Date:
1941
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Extension Service
Summary:
A history of home construction and architectural styles in the U.S. Emphasizes the homestead as symbolic of American values and national character. "The American farmstead, stronghold of human liberty —its history and social significance. This film presents views of many historic rural homes, from New England to California; points out that they have all been created and maintained by a lavish expenditure of sweat and elbow grease, and that the farm home is of prime importance in our civilization. Of general interest, with a special appeal to students of rural domestic architecture" (Motion Picture of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 22). Includes scenes of New England colonial homes, the Georgian houses of the Chesapeake region, Monticello, Dutch colonial styles of Pennsylvania and the Hudson Valley, the Linnear House of Madison, IN, Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, the Uncle Sam Plantation in Louisiana, and the Spanish Haciendas of the southwest.

792. Forests Forever (24:19)

Date:
1945
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Forest Service
Summary:
Shows the necessity for U.S. Federal regulation of the nation's timber to insure protection and perpetuation of this vital resource. Shows that poor management practices for quick exploitation of privately owned forest lands have negative consequences for all citizens. "Private forest lands supply nearly 95 percent of all our forest products and the way they are managed is of daily importance to millions of individual Americans. Assured protection and proper management of our forests is a federal as well as a State responsibility because dependence on forests is interstate and national. This picture shows what can be done to stop destructive cutting practices, to restore and maintain a thrifty growing stock of valuable trees, and to safeguard forest production for the years ahead" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 24). Proposes a system of local regulation administered by local experts in forestry and the lumber industries. States that government regulation will not only protect and improve forest productivity, but will conserve and protect all natural resources and benefit the economic health of the nation.

793. The Forest Ranger (30:45)

Date:
1941
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Forest Service
Summary:
Shows the work of the U.S.D.A Forest Service forest rangers across the nation's 161 national forests. Narration lists the forest ranger's duty to "manage the vast American woodland to produce more timber for home builders, more forage for stockmen, more fish and game for sportsmen, protected watershed for towns and municipalities, abundant power for hydroelectric plants, and reliable supplies of water for famers who rely on irrigation." Forest fire prevention and fighting, replanting burned and logged areas, search and rescue of missing persons, educating children and enforcing poaching laws are among the jobs of the forest ranger depicted.

794. Worst of Farm Disasters (06:23)

Date:
1941
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Rural Electrification Administration, Kendall Foss
Summary:
Worst of Farm Disasters was produced alongside the USDA's Rural Electrification Administration (REA) films Power and the Land and Bip Goes To Town. All three films document the life of an Ohio farm family, the Parkinson's, as they promote REA loans for modernization of small farms with electric service. Portrays the ever-present danger of fires on the farm resulting from reliance on kitchen cook stoves, kerosene lanterns and other traditional ways of farm life that would be improved through electrification. Narration conveys the message that "farms with electricity are more protected against fire loss than ever before, they are safer places to live for men and women."

795. Grassland (09:07)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Soil Conservation Service
Summary:
Presents problems of soil conservation and overgrazing in the western U.S. Narration states "the problem of saving the grasslands is before us," showing that careless management has resulted in the depletion of this vital natural resource. "This range, once capable of supporting 22,000,000 animal units, can now carry only half that number. Overstocking results in over-grazing. When the land is stripped of vegetation, erosion begins. How to prevent over-grazing, and restore areas of desolation to productivity is the problem presented in this film. Interesting photography of sheep and cattle on the range" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 42).

796. Wetlands (10:39)

Date:
1944
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Agriculture. Soil Conservation Service
Summary:
A USDA production conveying the department's policy recommendations for the development of unusable wetlands into productive agricultural land. Narration explains that, for much of the year, land with "too much water with nowhere to go" is rendered unsuitable for farming. Engineering the draining of 31 million acres for the creation of productive agricultural land represents "one of the last great frontiers of America." Various drainage techniques are explained in detail: ditches, tile systems, and the creation of mole channels. "Shows where our 120 million acres of wet land are located. Points out that 78 million of these acres will serve us best if left in their natural state for the production of timber and the preservation of wildlife. Thirty-one million acres are shown to be suited to farming if properly drained. A section of the film illustrates briefly the principal types of water control and methods of land drainage. Through the use of these methods, farmers, working together, can improve drainage on land now being farmed, and bring into production land that is now too wet for any production at all. Recommended audiences: Farmers in Atlantic Seaboard and Gulf States; Ohio, Mississippi, and Missouri Valleys" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 46).

797. The Land - To Have and To Hold (14:34)

Date:
1940
Main contributors:
United States. Department of Interior. Division of Motion Pictures
Summary:
Recounts the history of land ownership by small farmers in the U.S. Free land for farmers gradually disappeared as the west was settled through the 19th century, resulting in the necessity for farmers to buy land with mortgages. Describes the creation of the 1916 Federal Farm Loan Act and regional land bank systems to enable tenant farmers to become landowners. "Shows how the cooperative mortgage credit system works in the everyday lives of John and Mary Farmer, who are typical of the 600,000 members of national farm loan associations now using their own credit system to achieve the goal of owning debt-free farms" (Motion Pictures of the United States Department of Agriculture, 1945, 21).

799. Voyage to recovery (05:09)

Date:
1945
Main contributors:
United States. Navy
Summary:
Wounded Americans, back from battlefields and task forces all over the world gave rise to the Navy's most important postwar mission--get them well and send them home.

800. Secrets (07:11)

Date:
1945
Main contributors:
United States. Navy Department
Summary:
Discusses the importance of various secret weapons used throughout World War II, such as radar and the atomic bomb. The film emphasizes the development and use of these weapons as being critical to winning the war, thereby justifying their costs. Ends with a plea to purchase victory bonds to support research that will prevent future wars.