RUSSIA SOMETHING FOR THE SOIL IN THE KREMLIN THIS WEEK, THE SOVIET 
COMMUNIST PARTY'S CENTRAL COMMITTEE IS PONDERING THE GRAVE CRISIS IN AGRICULTURE 
THAT HAS MADE IT VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR RUSSIA TO FEED ITSELF 
. UP FOR DEBATE IS NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV'S SWEEPING PLAN FOR EXPANSION 
OF THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY TO RAISE FERTILIZER PRODUCTION FROM 20 MILLION 
TONS THIS YEAR TO 108 MILLION TONS BY 1970 . FERTILIZER 
HAS BECOME A KIND OF RITUAL INCANTATION ; NIKITA IS OBVIOUSLY 
CONVINCED THAT ONLY ITS VASTLY INCREASED USE CAN RAISE PRODUCTION ENOUGH 
TO AVOID DRASTIC FOOD CUTS OR PERMANENT DEPENDENCE ON EXPENSIVE FOREIGN 
FARM PRODUCTS, SUCH AS THE 11 MILLION TONS OF WHEAT THE 
SOVIETS ARE BUYING FROM THE WEST . ASKS A CURRENT MOSCOW 
JOKE : " WHAT WAS STALIN'S LAST MISTAKE ? " ANSWER 
: " HE STOCKPILED ENOUGH GRAIN FOR ONLY TEN YEARS . 
" MAJOR NEW INVESTMENTS IN THE CHEMICAL INDUSTRY ARE SURE TO 
FORCE A CUTBACK IN CONSUMER PRODUCTION, HOUSING, POSSIBLY DEFENSE ; BUT 
THE SITUATION ON RUSSIAN FARMS WARRANTS IT . YIELDS THIS YEAR 
HAVE BEEN POOR IN THE UKRAINE AND SIBERIA . LAST WEEK 
THE ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE VIRGIN LANDS, KHRUSHCHEV'S PET FARM PROJECT, OPENLY 
ADMITTED DISASTER IN HIS REGIONS AS WELL, CITING STAGGERING EXAMPLES OF 
MISMANAGEMENT AND INEFFICIENCY . ANOTHER OBVIOUS TOPIC FOR THE MOSCOW PARTY 
MEETING IS THE SPLIT WITH RED CHINA . EVEN AS THE 
RUSSIAN PRESS WAS PLEADING FOR CALM, PEKING'S DELEGATES TO THE COMMUNIST 
WORLD PEACE COUNCIL IN WARSAW NOISILY CONDEMNED RUSSIA'S " PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE 
" POLICY, INCLUDING THE NUCLEAR TEST BAN . RUSSIAN DELEGATES RETORTED, 
AS NEW CHINA NEWS AGENCY PUT IT INDIGNANTLY, BY " BANGING 
THE DESKS AND UTTERING CATCALLS. 