The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1914-10-02
AMERICA MUST
CHANGE HER DIET
Large Population Causes Re-
duCtiOn In Amount Of Meat.
CORN MAY Be USED MORE.
Man, Some Day, Will Have a Limited
Choice IL He Does Not Become
Observation-Disclosures That In a
Hundred Years Population Of coun-
try viii Be 50O,OOo,000.


Hundred Years Population Of coun-
try Will Be 5oo,oOo,oo0.
New York-The diet of Americans
will be changed rapidly, as the growing
population presses upon the food sup
ply, but II will not be necessary for us
to become entirely vegetarian. This
Is the conclusion reached by Professof
J. f. Lyman OF the Ohio State uni
versity after a study Of the available
food supply of this country. published
in Popular Science.
There was no food problem In this
country two generations ago, when fish
were plentiful, pigeons. deer, Wild
turkeys, waterfowl, quail and buliaio
were abundant and wild berries, fruit
and nuts could be obtained easily and
in large quantities. With the growth
Of population. however, game practical
ly has disappeared and Il very small
part Of the country's food Is supplied
by uncultivated plants and trees Dr.
Lyman says:
IF the present rate of increase con
tinues the population of the United
States will approximate 5OOOOOOOO at
the end of the present century Is 1t
possible to feed that number OF persons
on the product of our 100000 square
miles? China and India both support
population as dense, but both Of these
countries are distinctly agricultural.
The mass of people live on the land
and are engaged in producing food. In
this country the great increase in popu-
lation is in the cities, while the food
producing class is increasing compara-
lively slowly. The reports on agricul-
tural products exported from the
United States illuminate the food prob
lem in an instructive way. If we com
pare the exports in 1912 with those for
1900 we find that the amount Of cheese
shipped abroad declined SO per cent in
that period, beef products declined 60
per cent, pork products declined 80
per cent, corn declined so per cent,
wheat declined 81 per cent.
"What do these figures tell? Simply
that we have needed the food at home
to supply our increasing millions and
hence had less to sell in the markets Of
the world. Can we continue to feed our
people by reducing the exports in food
stuffs? Obviously not, and in many
instances they have been reduced al.
ready near the vanishing point. We
IN iUnnnTf
meat and corn. 1t is significant also
that free government land suitable for
agricultural purposes is no longer avail
able; hence we cannot look for relief
by bringing under the plOw large tracts
Of virgin soil.
as there likely. then, to be scarcity |
of food in this country in the near
future? No, there is and will be plenty |
of food, but some changes in dietaries |
undoubtedly will have to be made.
Let us notice. In 1910 for every man,
woman and child in the United States |
there was produced seven bushels of |
wheat, thirty-two bushels of corn, four |
bushels of potatoes and forty pounds
Of sugar. There were siX-tenths cattle |
for each person, siX-tenths sheep and
seven-tenths swine. Add to this the
fruits, vegetables, poultry and dairy
products, oats and other small grains
and we see that there is plenty Of food
to go around and to spare.
There was grown in the United
States in 1912 corn which, if assembled
IN one immense field, might have COW
cred Germany or France entirely with
ts rustling phalanX. How many mil
ions might be nourished by the prod
lce of this tremendous acreage! Here
S a great source of food at present
Utilized in a very slight degree.
"Food has two primary functions in
he body-frst, to supply material out
If which the body is built and, second,
o furnish energy to warm the body
md to drive its machinery. Perhaps
he second function is the more i'm
Jortant. Plants alone have the power
o collect solar energy and store 1t up
II a latent or dormant form in their
eeds and other parts. Animals may,
~ eating and digesting these plant
liberate and utilize this
tored up energy. When corn is fed
o steers under favorable conditions 3
,er cent of the energy Of the corn may
,e recovered as meat in the edible pOr-
ion Of the carcass. The remaining 81
er cent was used by the animal in
Is various activities and lost as far as
be nutrition Of man Is concerned. In
ork the recovered portion amounts to ,
6 per cent, and with the dairy COW Is
er cent of the energy of the food Is |
Dund in the milk produced. Obviously 5
his is wasteful process, this con- s
ersion of grain into meat and milk. ,
, has its justification only in the great {
r palatability and digestibility of the !
nal products
Or Armsby of the Pennsylvania I
Experiment. station draws the conclu- r
on All the. edible products which r
le farmers acres can yield will be =
eeded for human consumption, and I,
le function Of the stock feeder in A
system Of agriculture will Il
g to utilize those inedible products \
which so large share of the solar Il
lergy is held and to render at least h
)rtion Of the latter available for hui
ian use!"