The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-04-09
President X. S. A. C. Urges This
in Speech at st. Louis.
Utilize Grain and Labor PrOduc-
lively During War.
FOOD SITUATION SERIOUS
Kansas Educator Says u. s..
Must Face Problem Seriously.
Conference Was Called by Sec
retary of Agriculture.

st. Louis, Mo, April Shut down
the breweries and distilleries close the
saloons and utilize the grain and labor
productivity was the constructive pre-
paredness note in the address of Henry
Jackson Waters, president of the
Kansas State Agriculture college, be-
fore the conference at St. Louis, called
by Secretary Houston of the United
States department of agriculture to
consider the food situation of the ma
ton.
I'VE face the problem of very soon
supporting two million men in army
camps" said President Waters. I'VE
must also feed our own people at
home while they produce munitions
and equipment for our soldiers and
those of our allies, and we must also
assist in supplying our allies with food.
I'VE are entering upon one of the
greatest wars without any reserve of
food" he declared. Germany spent
years in accommodating a food reserve
to prepare herself for this emergency.
This countrys visible supply of food,
however, will be consumed before an
other harvest. If we should have an
unfavorable season, this country will
ia ce the greatest food shortage it has
had since the Civil war. We must
therefore Immediately proceed to in
crease our food output and to practice
the most rigid economy in the con-
sumption of products, already pro-
duced.
Increase Soldier Rations.
''Since the American soldier lives
on hard tack, pork and beans, we must
increase at once these army neces-
sites. We must increase the bean
acreage this year. In the north and
west we can grow a larger acreage of
the navy bean, and in the south and
west the Mexican and Tepary bean.
I'VE must increase our pork pro-
duction by breeding all the sows for
fall litters and holding a reserve of
corn to winter and fit the new output
for the spring market.
I'VE must increase our bread sup
ply by milling all our wheat to 81 per
cent flour instead of IS per cent, as
at present. In this way we can in
crease our flour output s million bar
rels on our present production, thus
increasing the bread-carrying capacity
of this country by II million people.
This is the only way we can increase
this seasons bread supply.
Such an increase in the bread sup
ply will occasion a corresponding de-
crease in stock feed supplies. On the
other hand, a large saving in grain
suitable for fattening live stock can be
made by shutting down the breweries
and distilleries. BY closing the saloons
and shutting down the breweries and
diStillerieS of the country, we would
save annually 61S,50S, bushels of
grain.
Release Many Laborers
I'VE would release for productive
la bor 101, 1855 laborers now engaged in
manufacturing liquor, 1916 retail
dealers and perhaps twice as many
| bartenders now employed in the liquor
business. We would also release 9TH
ers connected with the traffic, such as
the policemen, constables. and other
officers, the penitentiary guards, and
the attendants of our hospitals and
almshouses. Even large numbers of
our doctors could then be spared to
care for the sick and wounded in the
army.
I'm addition to all this, the equip
ment of our breweries and distilleries
could be put to work to manufacture
munitions, to refine fuel oil for farm
tractors, and even to can fruits and
vegetables. Considerable labor could
be utilized to help make up the farm
labor shortage, thus tightening the
greatest difficulty in the way of a per-
manent increase in the national food
supply
Increased gardening, rapid extension
of community canning clubs to can the
fruit and vegetable surplus, and the
potato acreage, were among other food
| conservation measures advocated by
President Waters.
Potato Crop Short.
| kansas is likely to have less than
| the normal acreage of potatoes be-
cause of the high scost of seed pota-
toes he said, "and hence there should
be devised at once some means of as
sisting the farmers to obtain their
seed product.
| THE possibilities of canning the
surplus fruit and vegetable product
may be shown in the work of the
Glenwood Canning club in Leaven-
worth county, Kansas. There a club
/ of sixty members this last season can
ned a surplus fruit and vegetable
product of 1900 quarts, or over six
teen tons of prepared food products.
The United States can meet the
emergency before her only by direct
] ing her labor into the most productive
channels and by applying her intel
| ligence to the proper production and
conservation Of her food surny."
w. NJ. Jardine Speaker.
w. NJ. Jardine, dean of the division
! of the Kansas State Agricultural coll
lege, also was speaker before the
conference. He said in part:
''f our armies are to succeed we
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