The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-30

many to provide herself with bread =
stuifs. meats, fresh vegetables and
! FRUIT. ihe first two as necessities for
life. the last rs Indispensable for the
| health OF the people? Now. taking the
average year, VIC can say. counting
| wheat and rye together land as infor-
nation for the Americans 1 must add
that rye-bread is the bread for Ger.
| many, there is Il deficiency of Il mil
lion to n million and a quarter of tons
that Germany does not raise herself,
which is about per cent Of the total
consumption. This will probably have
to be replaced by some other foodstun
ana the one that is presenting itself is
| the potato, the average crop of which,
is about 6O.o00,00o tons. but this year
we have as much as s0.00o,0 900 tons
In the last years the art OF preserv-
ing the potato has been n great prob
ZEN In Germany. For Il long time the
military authorities had offered pre-
Inium FOR good method Of preserving
potatoes This premium has now been
withdrawn, as the question can be CON
Sidered aS having been solved. There
are various methods of preserving them.
IL the first place they arc being cut
UT in very small slices and dried the
*i,mc way as the California dried vcge-
''''''o CIV III tucSc markets.
! Then they lave been converted into Z,
most nutritious flour. which has hereto
iore been used ts make cake and pas
try, and this VIII now ne added to the
bread UP to 90 per cent
Now, IL must be understood hat sc, :
100000 tons OF potatoes means just
about ton and n quarter per head OF
Tic German population. equivalent to
about four pounds day all the year
round Tor each German. women and
children Included. This potato crop has
heretofore been niUstly|worked into al
cohol, partly for consumption In in
'rstries. partly for beverages Rut
there is Il very determined war being
conducted in Germany against alcoholic
beverages. and no soldier has been per-
United even a drink OF beer since the
first day of mobilization.
Then. or course. the food needs Of the
population will always have the proceed
cncc over any use OF alcohol in the arts.
Thus there Will he large surplus
which viii more than make M any de-
;iciency in wheat or rye. But that Is
not at all the end OF IL. Germany has
been raising All average Of 100000
tons OF sugar. whereof about half is
hcinS exported.
Now, sugar has been harvested in
Germany FOR this year. and cannot be
exported: consequently there is a two
cars supply on hand, which would
mean that the big acreage employed In
rho raising of sugar heets is available
for such crops AS might be short on
felds which grew suEar-b ccts. any.
thing else can he planted and will give
Dig harvests. There may be some shor,
age of fodder for animals, because a
great deal of that has ordinarily been
imported. Accordingly. this sugar
ground Will probably be sawed to al
ialfa and other good haymaking crops,
nd so there Will he no difficulty on this
account either. One can say. there
(, re. 10 shortage OF brcadstuffs ought
tn be expected under these conditions
Cnn NntIops lie ..stnrved QUITE"
Since the world awoilc to find that
war was not only Il possibility. but
actually going on, we have not heard
much OF the naive assertion that the
great bankers could prevent war by re-
fusing 10 finance il. Tint was very
much like saying that the owners Of
any other kind of property. say horses
or hay. could prevent war by refusing
TO let the government have it. Now
that ii has been demonstrated that 4.
government ut war can get anything
which exists within its reach, the dis
cussion has turned to the question as
TO whether the necessary supplies exist
or not. obviously that is another mat Z
ter. Even 4 military autocracy cannot
get supplies which do not physically
this problem. even that of financing:
the war. that is, of Keeping the war
chest full OF means Of buying supplies
and paying other expenses, Is of minor
Importance
The question of food, not only for the
armies, but for the nonnghting popu-
lation as well, we will admit to he OF
equal Importance With that OF men or
ammunition. But ii must be borne in
mind that the question of food is not
question of living az well in time
Il question OF finding the basic neces-
saries, Of life. ~ people who would
prefer to he whipped rather than under
go n change of diet or give up Injuries
viii probably get what II prefers. IT
is, therefore, important that wc study
the available supplies of these basic
necessaries before jumping to the con-
clusion that any OF the warning coun-
tries can be starved into submission.
Food Production In War Time.
Can each of the countries involved
maintain i'm time of war the normal
rate of production? There IS, at pres
Ont, no sufficient reason for doubling
ii. Much depends, of course, upon
where and how the lighting occurs. If
any of the countries should be over
run by invading armies which sweep
across wide areas, destroying crops as
they go. after the manner of Shcrman's
march to the sea, 1t would upset all
Barring such contingent
Giles, there is no very good reason for
supposing that any country at war will
permit les supplies of the necessaries
OF life to run short if 1t is possible to