The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1917-08-23
Secretary Houston Makes Stronu
Appeal to the Housewives
of the Country.
LARGE SUPPLIES IN DANGER
Women Urged to Expend Energy In
Canning, Preserving, Picking, Dry.
Ing and Storing Products for
Local Consumption.

WaSnnSCOn.-1n order to avoid
waste of surplus fruits and vegetables
and conserve the food supply, Secre-
tory Of Agriculture Houston asks
mothers" and daughters" Of every
state to organize and expend all avail
able energy in canning, preserving,
picking, drying and storing these prod
ucts for local consumption.
Secretary Houston is of the firm be-
lief that this problem may best be
solved locally. No federal or state
government, he believes, can do any
thing unless women in every city and
town do what they can to help.
The woman who has no garden is
asked to purchase full supplies for
her own immediate and future use.
Telegraphic reports from "a states
which are in distress We're made public
by Secretary Houston, showing, that
large SURPRISES Of food will go to
waste unless women act Immediately.
The states particularly affected are
Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho,
Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland,
Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York, North Caro-
lima, Pennsylvania. Rhode Island, South
Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont,
Virginia, Washington, West Virginia
and Wisconsin.
Direct Appeal to Women.
This is the direct appeal to each
individual woman, "mothers and
daughters" by President Wilson him
self, and here are the localities af-
fected:
New England-Cnusually large sur.
pluses of vegetables are reported. Ex-
ceptional yields of fruits and vege-
tables are promised in Rhode Island,
and the state demonstration leader
there reports hundreds of requests for
demonstrations in canning and drying
which it cannot meet with its present
corps Of workers. Vermont, Massa-
chusetts and Connecticut all declare
that help is needed to carry out their
programs of instruction.
New York has a large surplus of
vegetables, and, according to the state
leader, extraordinary efforts to pro-
mote home and community food preser-
walton in the next few weeks will be
necessary to handle the situation. The
situation in New Jersey is reported as
serious by reason of an unusually high
acreage and consequent large surplus.
Community outfits for canning and
drying are needed to handle the sltua-
ton properly. Pennsylvania hopes to
be able to handle the situation If en-
Urgency funds are soon available. West
Virginia asks for help to take care of
the surplus of fruits in the eastern
part Of the state and small surplus
of vegetables on the farms.
Canning and drying in the homes
show large increase in Ohio, where
vigorous campaign has been carried
on. Illinois reports extraordinary &C.
tivities in canning and preserving, but
there the fruit is we'll taken care of.
Indiana has a large surplus in both
vegetables and fruit, and more demon
stration help is needed. The garden
SURPRISES in Michigan are large and
much greater effort must be made to
take care of them, report says. Wis
consin and Minnesota declare that help
is needed in demonstration work. One
or more food conservation meetings in
every township in Iowa will be held
to urge housewives to care for a large
surplus of vegetables and fruit.
Big Increase Reported.
A 100 per cent increase in garden
crops is reported from Nebraska and
large surplus is expected. Large
crops of vegetables also are reported
from South Dakota, while in Kansas
the amount of fruits and vegetables
has been reduced somewhat by dry
weather.
In most of the Southern states the
height of the vegetable season has
passed, but North Carolina, Tennessee
and Kentucky vegetables and fruits
are plentiful and unusual efforts are
being made by workers in each state
to save the SURPRISES.
Large crops of fruits and vegetables
are coming on in the Western states,
but with the exception of California,
inadequate facilities and equipment
are hindering canning and drying oper-
atoms. In Utah big food-conserva-