The Glenwood post., 1916-05-06
A1EA1rA As FOOD ros HUMANs

There died in Billings, Mont, not
long ago man who had spent many
years Of his life in trying to work out
practical solution of his pet hobby: that
alfalfa >can be made into nutritious and
palatable human food. The man was
DR.. W. x. Suddeth.
Doctor Suddeth obtained a good deal
of newspaper publicity during the last
few years of his life, publicity which
he never coveted, but which was his
nevertheless because Of the novelty of
his wares. He made alfalfa bread, al
falfa tea, alfalfa breakfast food, alfalfa
soup and other alfalfa products which
totalled nearly 100. None Of his pro-
ducts, however, have been successful
either as money makers or as appetite
teasers to the public. The inventor
died disappointed man, though up to
the last he kept trying out new ideas
that seemed promising in his chosen
hobby.
Others Have Sought Same Goal
Doctor Suddeth is not the only person,
however, who has given time and study
in an attempt to so treat alfalfa that 1t
will be as valuable for food for the
human race as it already is for the
lower animals. One or more bulletins
have been published by the o. s. gov
ernment upon the human food value of
alfalfa, I believe, though have neither
the serial number of such bulletins nor
their date of publication. At various
times some newspaper has announced
new breakfast or other food made from
alfalfa, but the announcement was
about the last we heard of it. I'm not
sure but that Ed House, Greeley's vet
eran agricultural experimenter, at one
time took whirl at the alfalfa problem.
The fact remains that human beings,
unless on the verge of starvation, re-
fuse to eat hay of the alfalfa brand. 1t
may be nutritious, but it ism It palatable.
Buffum Explains Difficulty
When Professor Buffum Of Emmer
fame was here last week / asked him
about the alfalfa food proposition. "No
headway," he replied. And then he
told me why. "With the single excep-
tion of spinach and similar greens, -
he said, "did you ever notice that civ
ilized man never eats any sort Of vege-
tation with green colorings Now stop
and think little: Lettuce is blanched,
celery is blanched, even asparagus is
more or less blanched. There is in the
green leaves of most plants substance
called chlorophl, the green coloriug
matter. This element is strong in alfal-
ia and gives the hay its beautiful green
color that buyers prize so highly. But
it is this same chlorophyl that prevents
it from being palatable to the human
family. Get rid Of that and you will
have gone long way to solve Doctor
Suddeth's problem. Alfalfa could be
blanched in the growing as is celery,
perhaps, but that would add greatly 10
the expense of its production"
Notwithstanding Doctor Suddeth IS
failures, there has recently been opened
in Denver an establishment known ss
the Alfalfa Food Products company,
under the management of another in
vestigator, Mark Rich of South Dakota.
/ am anxious to see and test out some
of Mr.. Rich's goods and learn first
hand if he has anything better than
others have produced. fear, however,
that for good many years yet, alfalfa
will appeal more to cows, horses, hogs
and hens than it will to civilized man
as steady diet.-C. H. Wolfe in Gree
ley Republican. I'D. Wf