The Ontario Argus. (Ontario, Or.) 1???-1947, 1914-09-17
Large Population Causes Re-
duCtiOn In Amount Of Meat.
CORN MAY Be USED MORE.

New York.--The diet OF Americans
! will be changed rapidly. as the growing
population presses upon the food sup
ply. but 1t will not be necessary for us
| to become entirely vegetarian. This
Is the conclusion reached by Professor
j. l.. Lyman OF the Ohio State uni
versty after 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 buffalo
were abundant and wild berries, fruit
and nuts could be obtained easily and
In large quantities. With the growth
of population. however. game practical
~ hus disappeared and n very small
part OF the country's food Is supplied
by uncultlvated plants and trees. Dr.
Lyman says:
III the present rate OF increase con.
tinues the population OF the United
States will approximate 500.000,000 at
the end OF the present century. IL IL
possible 10 feed that number of persons
on the product OF our 100000 square
miles? China and India both support
a population us dense. but both Of these
countries are distinctly agricultural.
ThcNmass OF people live on the land
and are engaged In producing food. In
this country the great increase In popu-
lation IN In the cities. while the food
A., luA..aaI,.a,
lively slowly. The reports on agricul.
tural products exported from the
United States illuminate the food prob.
lem In an instructive way. II we COM
pare the exports In 1912 with those for
1900 we find that the amount OF cheese
shipped abroad declined 50 per cent In
that period. beef products declined G5
per cent. pork products declined 80
per cent. corn declined so per cent.
wheat declined 81 per cent.
what do these tigures tell? Simply
that we have needed the food at home
10 supply our increasing millions and
hence had less TO sell In the markets OF
the world. Can we continue 20 feed our
people by reducing the exports In food
stuifs2 Obviously not. aud In many
Instances they have been reduced al
ready near the vanishing point. We
have even actually begun 10 import
meat aud corn. II IL significant also
that free government land suitable. for
agricultural purposes Is no longer avail.
able; hence we cannot look for relief
10y bringing under the plow large tracts
OF virgin soil.
lis there likely. then. 10 be scarcity
of food IN this country In the near
futurei No. there IL and will be plenty
Of food, but some changes In dietaries
undoubtedly will have 10 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 We're six-tenths cattle
for each person. slx-tenths sheep and
seven-tenths swine. Add 10 this the
fruits. vegetables. poultry and dairy
products. oats ana other small grains
and we see that there is plenty OF food
TO go around and 10 spare.
There was grown In the United
States In 1912 corn which. II assembled
In one immense field. might have COW
cred Germany or France entirely with
its rustling phalanx. How many mil
lions might be nourlshed by the prod
uce or this tremendous acreage. Here
is great source OF food at present
utilized In n very slight degree.
"Food has two primary functions In |
the body-tlrSt. "a supply material out |
OF which the badly Is hullt and second, !
to furnish energy to warm the body |
and 10 drive its machinery, Perhaps |
the second function is the more I'M |
portant. Plants alone have the power |
TO collect solar energy and store II up |
I'm latent or dormant form In their |
seeds ana other parts. Animals may, |
by eating and digesting these plant
liberate and utilize this
stored up energy. When corn is fed
TO steers under favorable conditions 3
per cent OF the energy OF the corn may
he recovered as meat In the edible por-
ton OF the carcass. The remaining 07
per cent was used by the animal In
It's various activities and lost as far as
the nutrition of man Is concerned. In
pork the recovered portion amounts TO
10 per cent and with the dairy COW Is
per cent OF the energy OF the food Is
found in the milk produced Obviously
this is a wasteful process, this con-
version OF grain into meat and milk.
L has its justification only in the great
or palatability and digestibility OF the
anal products.
"Dr. Armsby OF the Pennsylvania
experiment. station draws the conclu-
sion; 'All the edible products which
the farmers acres can yield will be
needed for human consumption. and
the function Of the stock feeder in a
permanent system OF agriculture will
be 10 utilize those inedible products
N which 50 large share OF the solar
'nergy Is held ana 10 render AT least a
portion of the latter available for hu-
man use"