New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1917-04-06

lue materially if they can be utilized
promptly by drying, canning, or 9TH
er preservativc methods. Under ex-
isting conditions, every practicable
step should be taken to protect these
crops throughout the season and to
utilize and preserve them as fully
as possible when they have matured
ITO the extent that competent lab
or is available, either hired or in
the family, fruits and vegetables
which ordinarily it is inadvisable to
attempt to conserve should be sys-
tematica.ly saved for use by canning,
drying, or preserving. These opera
tions should not be delayed until
late summer and autumn; and family
gardens should be planned to sup
ply ample quantities of early matur-
ing small fruits and vegetables for
canning, drying, or preserving, as
well as fresh products for the table.
Because of the scarcity of tinplate
and the high price of tin cans, it
may be necessary in household pre-
servation of food more extensively
to pack fruit and vegetables in other
containers. This situation may call
for new methods of preserving or
the Improvement and extended use
of old processes such as drying.
an the Southern States, approx
mate'y 50000000 bushels of sweet po-
tatoes are produced annually and it
is estimated that at least 100000
bushels of these are lost annually
by decay. Frequently wholesale
waste occurs at harvest time, not
only of sweet potatoes, but of white
potatoes and other underground
food crops, through lack of proper
storage facilities to safeguard the
crop from destructive freezes at dig
ging time. Early this season plans
should be made and executed in the
building of suitable farm storage
houses or cellars. This usually can
be done at relatively low cost if
undertaken in time. In view of the
experience of the past year, it would
appear that surpluses of such vege-
table crops as are capable of pre-
servation by drying for soup stock,
such as carrots, potatoes, celery, etc,
could be preserved profitably for food
use in regions where fruit evaporaters
which could be utilized for this pur-
pose already exist. Surplus sweet
corn, if cut at the proper stage, can
be sun-dried or even-dried, as in car
lier years before systematic canning
of corn was developed, and, in this
way, be preserved for food use.
Certain crops grown annually to
a considerable extent for soil i'm
provement of forage posses large
food value if utilized properly. Am
ong such crops are soy beans, cow
peas, peanuts, kafir and other grain
the food and oil produc-
ing value of which has not been re-
cognized adequately until recently.
Increased utilization of these for hu-
man food and oil production doubt
less will be advisable.
Under the condition in which the
country now finds itself, it is i'm
portant, as has been pointed out,
that everything practicable be done
to increase the efficiency of agricul-
tural activities during the coming
season. l have called attention to
4 few of the steps that may be taken
to this end. It is desirable that
throughout the country farmers con-
fer among themselves on thes and
other matters affecting the produc-
lion of needed crops and that they
consult freely with the county
agents, State agricultural agencies,
Ind the Department of Agriculture"