Evening journal., 1900-03-01
.TH WORLDS F)ODSUPPIY
Nut Products VIII Feed Three
Times the Worlds People.
NUT CULTURE IS URGED.
Then There Are Many Weeds and
Wild Fruits That Can Be Used at
a Pinch--Where We Get Our Pres
ent Food supply.


ent Food supply.
The Department OF Agriculture AT
has been carefully and
systematically investigating the food
stock in trade OF nearly every coun-
try on the globe.
Agents who are food students have
been sent to China. Peru. Persia, Mex.
leo everywhere to the remotest ends
of the earth for the purpose of find
ing out what the new or neglected
food products are, their value as q
nutritious diet, and the extent TO
which they can be used to lengthen
the menu of the civilized cook.
Some very interesting and startling
facts are being handed IN through the
reports that cover the food question
from New England 70 the Philippines,
from Mexico TO the heart of the Mon
gollan empire. Il has been discoy-
cred that the nut trees alone could at
q pinch feed "a population three times
as great as the present number of In
habitants.
While a dozen vegetables cover the
limit Of the variety on the average
table. the earth Is growing hundreds
of kinds that are nutritious, delicious
and easy to cultivate
A Single wild tribe of Western In
dians IS using forty-one kinds OF veg
etables which are absolutely unknown,
even to the chef who draws a salary
as large as that Of a United States
Senator.
An endless variety Of downtrodden
weeds can be converted into whole
some. succulent garden truck Even
the much maligned nettle has the lat
est qualities OF o delicious extremet
Especially interesting are the facts
furnished by the nut specialists.
There Is no product that requires SO
little cultivation as the nut and none
is more wholesome as a food staple.
An orchard OF two thousand trees in
California yields every year over "a
600 pounds OF hulled nuts. Already
the commercial mind has seized upon
the enormous profits to accrue from
the sale OF various preparations of
nuts. and at least ten large companies
manufacture nothing but nut food.
The government IS making a special
point of recommending nut culture
In New England the abandoned farms
are being planted with nut trees. and
the wOrked-out ground is found e
/ furnish nourshment enough TO cause
the walnut. butternut and chestnut e
flourish abundantly. Farms Ia nearly
every Northwestern state are plant
ing nut trees along with their peaches
and pears. and are utilizing the hill
sides where nothing else VIII grow fol
fruit orchards.
In the past the objection to nuts al
food has been that they were hard q
.snN NTH fha rnnfhnnu "a
preparing and cooking them. they ar
rendered as healthful as they ar
palatable. even in America. wher
good digestion does notinvariably wal
on appetite.
The Introduction OF new foods
an excellent plan for both the hcalt
and commercial prosperity of a natioT
Nearly an OF what are now regarde
az indigenous fruits and vegetable
have been imported to us from othe
lands. OF the food plants now in rs
only pumpkins and a few grape.
7 piums and berries We're .originall
found on the soil.
Oats. barley and rye originated 4
wild forms along the Mediterranean
r The first noted species of wheat wa
, brought from Persia The commO
garden bean traces its ancestry hac
, of the landing Of the Pilgrims to a
early aboriginal state I'm the Andes
] | The Orient furnished us with melonl
3 cucumbcrs and onions. Egg plan
/ and tomatoes were discovered
Peru Ounces. pears. currants an
] large white grapes in Europe Will
the most common OF onr vegetables
y celery. lettuce, cabbage and spinnacl
a were transplanted from the shores {
L the Mediterranean.
If these important features OF on
daily food supply have all found the
way to us from foreign lands. Il seen
. but a question of sufficient scare
y throughout the world to increase th
d store until all possibility of a foo
famine in future ages is rendered II
y conceivable.
One point that IS being strongl
]. brought out by the government is th.
many things once considered wild an
,e poisonous. and many that are sti
le looked upon as weeds, are health-gi
n ing products and should be ranked ,
az a portion Of the reserve food suppl
u Indeed, the bureau has selected seve
teen OF the most ordinary weeds an
has issued a pamphlet extolling the
virtues as available. healthful food
,k In the list are found dock. the mash'
" marigold. mercury. black charloc
commonly held as poisonous; chi
OF cory, pokewood, also regarded as POI
20 onous; purslane. for which the farm
inherits his dislike. and the despisl
nettle.
eu A wonderful reserve fund for q
p- human appetite is to be found in d
IA vegetable diet of the Klamath
dians. A novel variety of food for
ing a menu unknown 10 clvilizati
is offered IN the pulp Of the great y
ad low water lily. which Is converted
It's TO a farinaceous food; in the we
al known as goosefoot, which bears
black seed, which is ground up I
?" loaves and cake, and IN the AFRO
head, which IN the fall develops
A starchy white tuber at the end OF I
ke roots. not TO mention the tubers th
ks resemble beets. turnips and caro-
the nuts that are ground into 'coffe
and the flower leaves that furni
fatry-iike desserts.
TO The tanning of wild fruits Is anott
ise branch of the food agents busine
It Mr.. Augustus Henry, who is author
on Chinese fora, states that tn,
ono of 1nnef ann hf.ndrad .rar-frftas