El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-11-16

Encourage Raising of Bet
ter Grade of Tomatoes and
Other Vegetables.
ENABLES GIRLS TO
GET BOOK MONEY
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

ufacturlng and commercial en-
terprise is being developed as rapidly
as improved methods and the increas-
ing demand for consumption viii per
NIT. How great is the service thus
rendered in conserving the food supply
can scarcely be overestimated- BY far
the greater part of the food products
put up in tin cans are perishable in
their nature, are grown in sections OF
the country where the market is al
ready gIutted, and, but for the process
of canning. would go to waste. Girls
tomato clubs are proving an and 10
home canning.
It is apparent. however, to students
of the food supply and the problems OF
conservation that the commercial can
ming factory cannot hope TO do much
more in this line than it is now doing
The chief desire now is to encourage
canning of fruits and vegetables IN the
domestic kitchen-tO save thaU Whlch
now goes to waste on the farm
More Home Canning Needed.
More home canning. done at the
proper eason. would enable the aver
family to have fruits and veSe-
tables throughout the year, would
greatly reduce the cost OF the 1000 sup
ply in the family budget and would
save an astonishing amount of food
that now is utterly wasted. The de-
partment Of agriculture estimates that
more than so percent of all the Vege-
tables, fruits and berries that grow in
this county go to waste. simply be-
cause they are produced in cOmmun1-
ties where marketing facilities are in
adequate and where housewives have
not learned to care for these surplus
products efficiently, so as to make them
available for use in the winter months.
Girls Tomato Clubs Help.
The practical. sensible work being
done in the rural districts especially In
the south by the Girls Tomato clubs,
is having a tremendous effect on living
conditions in rural communities These
clubs. organized in connection with the
public schools, have worked many mir
acles-
In the first place they encourage
good gardening by stimulating the de
sire Of each girl to grow good, sound
tomatoes, and as many Of them as pos
sible.
They inculcate a knowledge Of do
nestle science hitherto quite unknown
in many rural districts by teaching the
physics and chemistry of cooking. The
girls in the club must know how to
pack their tomatoes properly.
They advance the cultural standard
Of living by giving to girls who never
have had any spending money what
ever a supply of money although it may
be small, that an be spent for books.
for periodicals and in many other ways
make for more healthful home life by
adding a supply Of vegeta bles to the
family table during the winter months,
where, in many cases, the diet has con
sisted simply of fat bacon and corn
bread.
The Girls Tomato clubs are primarily
an expression of the perYavding fem
mist movement The Bows Corn clubs
were organized first and were ire
mendously successful. The girls would
not be left out. The Tomato clubs were
the result of the girls demand to be
let in"
AS a matter of fact. the word ITO
mato' is now misnomer. The clubs
began their canning work with pack
ing tomatoes. and tomatoes are still
the chief product put 10. Now how
ever, these clubs pack all sorts of fruits
and berries and, in Mississippi by
taking care Of the fig crop the girls
clubs are actually laying the founda-
ton for a practically new branch of
the canning industry.
One Half Goes to Waste
As has been said. fully one-half of
the vegetables and fruits grown IN
this country go to waste. And yet, the
canning industry, as represented by the
commercial factory, now preserves an
enormous quantity of food. Last year
the commercial tomato packed amount
ed to 336,OO0.0O0 cans. Corn ranked
next with 312,0O0.000 cans. followed by
green peas with 16S 000 600 cans Big
impressive when divided by 10000. 600
representing the population of the
country surely four cans of tomatoes
three cans of corn and two cans Of peas
a year Is not large consumption for
This means. of course, that many
people cannot afford to buy canned
goods at the market price. and that
many others live far out in the country
Where TO buy canned goods from gro
Gerry stores is unthOught Of It is in
these same country homes. and in the
poorer homes in the towns, that the
domestic canning industry had its
beneficent future.
Home canning undoubtedly may be
used TO reduce the cost of living in the
family Even those who are accurn-
toned to use canned goods in the win
ter 90 not realize that they sometimes
pay a good price for transportation on
goods shipped from distant sections of
the country, when in their own neigh
Dorhood IN the summer months a sur
Plus OF the same product goes to waste.
Gives an Illustration.
The department of agriculture in i'm
pressing this point on the farmers. took
Tor example can Of tomatoes bought
IN the winter time in a certain town in
Colorado for IS cents This can of to
matoes was put up in Maryland The
people of the town where it was DUR
chased live in an irrigated district
where there is always q surplus of TO-
matOes in the summer. Yet they Maid
a high price for canned tomatoes.
transported from distant MARYLAND.
when they might have put up similar
can during the summer season in their
own town that they could have sold at
a profit in their own grocery stores for
five cents.
The canning factories realize that
they will not be injured by a great in
crease in home canning. such as the
agricultural and conservation experts
hope to bring about. Many people will
still continue to use the commercial
products, because they have neither the
time, inclination nor opportunity to can
their own food On the other hand. the
increase in home canning will accus-
tom people generally to a greater con-
sumption of canned products. and
therefore, will have a stimulating effect
on the commercial branch of the in
dustry
It is interesting to note that the can
ming industry in this country now finds
its chief inspiration in two laboratories.
One is that maintained by the National
Gamers association. where chemical
engineers and bacteriolOgists are CO.
operating with practical factory men to
do everything possible to attain the
scientific perfection in their business.
Another laboratory which has the in