Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-06-14

MYTH object lessons OF war-made thrift
w pouring in on us from the sizzling vortex
of Europe there never was a better incentive
in this country to study waste, particularly
the waste of our bountiful products of the
soil. Government forecasts indicate S12,000,-
100000 crop yield for 1915. To apply the word
bumper to such yield would sound almost
as silly as prefXing the adjective tiny to a
mammoth. When we pyramid our totals to
billions even superlatives are without force or
significance. Indeed, we have come to period
of top-totals that defy the arts and crafts Of
word Jugglers and madden the painstaking
and conservative statistician. 1t is only when
we strive to reduce vastness to simple every
day terms that we get anywhere.
So 1t must be with our study of food waste.
OF course, we must use some figures, and we
must add and subtract, multiply and divide.
Only by so doing may we pry into the little
hooks and corners and out-of- the-way crew
Ices that need cleaning out and reforming. It
is due to the sweeping out and conserving of
the last crumbs in millions of cupboards
that Germany is enabled to defy a world of
enemies and obtain security from starva-
tion and want
Burning Up Money
Never before in the history Of our national
tunity to study ways and means of stop
Gaping our enormous wastes of food prod
ucts than in this unprecedented year of
plenty. We are told that our expected $780,
100000 bushels Of wheat will market them
selves without waste because of the needs of
the warning nations. Unless the Dardanelles
has been opened meantime this wheat will
bring war prices The farmer should obtain
slightly better than 81 bushel; the railroads
and steamship companies will earn millions
hauling 1t. But there will be waste, many
millions in waste. Thousands of tons of straw
will be burned in the field, straw that would
be husbanded down to the last stalk in Ger
many or France for cattle food, for bedding.
Innumerable uses would be made OF this by
product under the impulse OF war-made
thrift It's intrinsic value would run we'll
into the millions.
There is an even greater waste of corn
products, annual waste of 5000, 900 900. ac-
cording to one student Of the value of by
products, and this includes only the estimate
of field waste, the abandonment of the corn
stalk to the processes OF decay and evapora-
tion. The more progressive farmers are re-
ducing the waste year by year. The inven-
ton and perfection OF the silo has accom-
plished vast savings. The silo is a cylindrI-
cal tank for the storing Of chopped cornstalks
and other fodder crops. The fermentation OF
juices in the silo acts as a preservatiye and
the silage is fed to stock during the winter
months. Thousands of these instruments of
conservation have been built throughout the
corn belt during the past few years, and the
progress made in this direction alone will ao-
eompllsh a huge saving. Nevertheless, there
are hundreds of thousands of farmers who
m pr
other saving devices that are forced upon
the peasantry of Europe by economic eondi-
tions, or else have become ingrained habits
due to war-made thrift
Given the continuance Of favorable eonSI-
tions this summer we should make our f,rst
S2'oO0,OOO,Ooo corn crop. This Is our premier
crop, The value Of Just one years yield rem,
resents 90 per cent. Of the total value OF an
our farm property in 1850 and the waste of
the byproduet OF this crop within the last %
years will, 1t is estimated. total beyond the /
two billion mark. There are some statisti-
clans who reckon that scientific conserva-
ton OF corn byproducts would ada AT Least
sbOooOOOOO a year to the value OF this orop
or suHcient to support our Federal Depart- |
ment Of Agriculture for 20 years
Teaching the Boys and Girls
The bulk OF our corn crop is converted into |
meat and milk ana eggs but there Is great
additional waste In the various processes of /
conversion. The application OF business
efficiency or so-eailed scientific first aids A.
these processes are as yet IN their infancy
but have struck out with great forward
strides within the iast 10 years.
Mentioning eggs, winch Esally scoms 10 N.
BY the corn bypr0duot route, the psnart-
nent Of Agriculture estimates an annual Ioss
or t4o.ooo,oOo year from spoiled eggs. wera
t not Tor the advances made with cola
storage facilities this loss would be triplsd.
lhat IS fact that should be hammered
mo the inleleets o. certain sppsrheatsd
reformers who so on half-cocizsd ii tb.,.
lIlacEs upon cold -aiora.a- nnannD..ll..- ! -