Denver labor bulletin., 1917-11-10
THE FOOD SITUATION IN FRANCE
By FRED B. PITNEY.
Article No. 2.

Editors Note-This article points
out how and why the French Army re-
ceives better food than the civilian
population, also some of the methods
used to stretch the rapidly disappear
ing supplies of grain and meat. The
agricultural machinery in France is
also in bad condition as a result of a
shortage of mechanics to keep it in re-
pair and to the cessation of imports of
new machinery from the United
States. The deplorable situation is
vividly pointed out in a way to secure
the sympathy and understanding of
American farmers.
How many times / have heard SOL
diers on leave from the front say, 81
would rather have our bread at the
front than your bread here in Paris"
The same thing was true of coffee.
Soldiers would say, What do you call
this stuff? We get real coffee at the
front.
At the rear the civilians drank a
compound from chicory, for the coffee
supply was short, while the real cof-
fee was reserved for the army. In like
manner, the soldiers get purer wheat
flour than do the civilians. The wheat
supply being SO much curtailed, two
measures have been necessary to try
to increase the amount of flour.
The law has been passed requiring
the mixture of 80 per cent of other
grains with wheat in making flour.
while another lazy raised the percent
age Of extraction permitted in the
manufacture of flour Before the war
this percentage was 70, it has been
raised successfully to IA, II, so and
S5. Seventy-seven is the extreme
limit of nntritfua aNfrncttpn " Altar
that the flour becomes permeated with
particles indigestible for human be-
inRs.
The result of mixing grains and
high extraction has been a flour that
is often not only unpalatable but in
digestible and il has caused not lit
tie sickness. particularly gastric
troubles among the children. i.dults
frequently throw away the soft inside
of the bread and eat only the hard
baked crust. Very often / have found
this war bread" an unpleasant dark
brown in color with a soggy, glutinous
inside. II is no ones fault II is the
best that can be done under the cir
cumstapces.
Shortage Of All Cereals in France
Another problem enters with the au-
thorization 10 mix other grains with
wheat in making flour. II is the short
age Of other grains. For il is not only
wheat that is short in France but all
cereals We can have recourse once
more to the official figures
The annual consumption of barley in
France before the war equalled approx
imately .250.0O tons, of which about
Is per cent was imported. The pro-
duction has fallen off to such an ex-
tent that nearly third of the bar
ley had to be imported last year. This
year, owing to special reasons, the pro-
duction will be slightly higher. but
there will still be deficit far above
the normal. Furthermore. the deficit
in barley must be considered not only
3 in relation to the normal consumption.
but with regard TO the fact that it
must be used very largely to supple
ment and replace wheat.
With rye the normal consumption
was about the same as for barley, with
imports of about per cent of the re-
quiremcnts. In 1915 the production
was about 100000 tons under the nor
NAL consumption and in 1916 il was
about 100000 tons under the consump-
ton. while in both of those years there
were practically no imports. Thus
there was less rye than was needed
and rye could only help out wheat by
reducing still further the amount given
TO its normal uses.
The annual consumption of corn
averaged ! 10000 tons, about one-half
being imported. The proportion of inn
ports in 1916 had risen TO thirds.
The annual consumption of oats be-
fore the war was 5.500,000 tons, of
which 5000 tons were imported. In
1916 the imports rose to over ] 100000
tons and the stock was still short
1000 tons.
Agricultural Labor Shortage.
When one travels over France, one
speedily learns the reason for the
shortage in the grain crops. II is be-
cause there is not the labor to do the
farm work. Cultivation has to be left
to the old men, the women and the
children. All others have been taken
for the armies and the defense of the
country.
In crossing and recrossing the
French agricultural regions it has been
continual source of wonder TO me
how the few workers in the fields have
been able to produce the crops they
have achieved. One sees plows with
the handles held by women and the
horses led by small boys, women stoop-