El Nuevo mexicano., 1917-11-29
OF FOOD
F%0RT|F|CAT|0NS AND
CITIZENS IS NATIONS
GREATEST ENTERPRISE
REMARKABLE RESULTS OF Elk
TENSION WORK AMONG BOYS
AND GIRLS DESCRIBED BY BEN
SON; AGENTS IN NEARLY
EVERY COUNTY IN UNITED
STATES

The building Of adequate food forth
fications and above all the develop
ment Of ~four-square world citizens
this Is the work of a thoughtful and
efficient people, now that the world
is witnessing the greatest war of its
history, declared 0. H. Benson, leader
Of the Boys and Girls club move
ment in the north and west, repre-
senting the Y. s. department. of agri-
culture. Mr.. Benson spoke yester-
day to the 1870 boys and girls at the
encampment held In the Catron
school and he spoke also to the teach
ers now assembled In the 31st annual
convention.
Describing the organization back
Of this movement to bring the youth
to fields of usefulness, Mr.. Benson
said:
'qWhen war was declared the Unit
ed States department of agriculture
in cooperation with the agricultural
colleges had county agricultural
agents, and leaders Of boys and girls
club work on the job in over half of
the counties in the union. Today
there are leaders in one Of three ex-
tension lines in nearly every county
in the United States and in some OF
them there are two, three, or even
more. The State College Of Agricul-
ture, the experiment stations, assist
ed by the department of agriculture
in a cooperative way, have been pre-
pairing for the program of war for
some five or six years, and during
this time boys and girls have been
getting into the game and learning
how to increase the production of
food products to meet our war needs.
There are owe 40 community CO.
operative food centers in the United
States, all started since war was de-
clared. At Southampton, Long
Island; Lake Forest, Illinois, and OF
st. Louis, all are doing wonderful
work. I have reports from these
three now and will hope to hear from
others later.
"The one at Lake Forest, Illinois,
will illustrate what we might have in
every community. They have a com
munity canning kitchen and will also
do work on the drying of vegetables.
They have under the canning kitchen
a storage room for all their canned
goods. 1t is arranged by the best
business brains of Lake Forest; some
Of these high-powered business men
from Chicago live up there and they
have gone in and contributed freely
of their brain, Drawn, and business
experience. They have also a COM
munity root and tuber storage plant,
These three conservation enterprises
will serve throughout the year. Lake
Forest, Illinois, gives us a notable ex-
ample of what should be done in a
cooperative way in other commune
ties.
'FThe Lake Forest, Illinois, canning
kitchen now has in storage 10000
quarts Of %one-period, cold-pack AN
ned goods-and they are going to put
up vegetable jams and ~marmalades.
They will also manufacture potato
starch in such a way as to serve as
a substitute for wheat.
'Tn talking with a potato grower !
learned that from 10 to 20 per cent of
a potato crop is made up of culls,
such as small, scabby, and broken
tubers-all Of them easily made up
into potato starch for home Use
1.-THE interesting thing is that yon
can take that 10 or 20 per cent, run it
through a grinding mill at home or in
a community cooperative center, and
by putting it through three or four
washes you can bring out Of 1t a pure
white starch--a spendid exercise for
the school to teach the children, a
splendid thing for the home to start
and this potato starch will become q
20 per cent substitute for wheat. For
tilOSO WiiO hhOW bOW W udht uTcdu,
20 per cent of the flour now used in
the bread, custards. pies. cakes and
other dishes, may be made from pota-
to starch taken from potatoes that
would otherwise be wasted.
'In conclusion may I urge upon you
all the necessity of increasing the in
in every community in our
food soldiers and in the build
Ing Of adequate food Notifications
and above all the development of
.four-square world citizens, achieve
nents crowned, because of opportu-
mites given them in their youth by
! thoughtful and efficient leader