River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1917-08-23

since Jne war increased its production
| by 100000 tons per annum. How far
this demand will interfere with the
American supply of 100000 tons is
difficult to forecast, first, because some
| increased supplies may be obtained by
| the allies from the East Indies, and,
second, because the allies have re-
| duced their consumption to some ex-
| tent
In any event, if all the enemies of
Germany are to be supplied. there
must be economy in consumption
everywhere The normal American
consumption is about 90 pounds per
person per annum and is just double
the French consumption.
| Vegetables.
| We have this year a most abundant
crop of vegetables for our use as a re-
suit of a patriotic endeavor almost
/: universal throughout the country. Our
! potato harvest alone promises an in
crease from 285,0OO,OOO bushels last
year to over 4OO,OOO,O00 bushels this
year. The other vegetables are like
wise enormously increased through
| the planting and extension of millions
! of gardens. The sweet potato crop
| promises to be from 10 to 20 per cent
| above what it was last year, and the
| commercial crop of sweet corn for
| canning purposes is estimated to be
from 20 to so per cent above that of
| last year. The commercial crop of
| tomatoes for canning purposes will
! probably be somewhere between 10
and 20 per cent above what it was last
| year. There is an increase in the acre
age of late onions of about "a per cent
over the area harvested in 1916.
Fish and Sea Foods.
The waters of our coasts and lakes
are enormously rich in food fish and
shell fish. Our streams, too contribute
great quantity of fish. Many varie-
| ties are now not used for human food,
but are thrown away or used for ferti-
| lizer. Habit has confined our use of
| fish to a few varieties, and inadequate
methods of commercial handling have
| limited our use of these largely to only
| certain days in the week. With better
standing of how to use the most varie-
ties. with proper preservation by
ST ing and sailing and by establish
| ing plants for frozen fish, we can in
crease greatly our supply and thus re-
lieve largely the pressure due to the
inadequate supply of meat. We only
have to harvest our own fish supply.
1t feeds itself. Every fish eaten is
| that much gained in solving the pres
ent problem of living. The products
of the land alA conserved by eating
! those of the sea.
Our Duty.
I have endeavOred to show in previ-
| Gus articles that the world is short OF
| food; that Europe is confronted with
the grim specter of starvation unless
| from our abundance and our waste we
keep the wolf from the door. Not only
must we have proper use of our food
supply in order that we may furnish
our allies with the sinews with which
| they may fight our battles, but it is
an act Of humanity towards fellow
men, women and children.
| By the diversion of millions of men
from production to war, by the occu-
| patton of land by armies, by the iso-
lation of markets, by belligerent lines,
and by the destruction Of shipping by
| submarines, not only has the home pro-
| ductiOn of our allies fallen by over
5OOOOO,OO0 bushels of grain, but they
are thrown upon us for much larger
| proportion of their normal imports for
| merly obtained from other markets.
They have reduced consumption at
every point, but men in the trenches,
men in the shops, and the millions OF
| women placed at physical labor re-
| uuire more food than during peace
| times, and the incidence of their saving
| and any shortage which they may suf-
| fer, falls first upon women and chill
dren. If this privatiOn becomes too
great, their peoples cannot be main
tanned constant in the war, and we will
be left alone to fight the battle of
democracy with Germany.
The problem of food conservation is
one of many compilations. We cannot,
| and we do not wish, with our free in
| situations and our large resources Of
food, to initiate Europe in it's pOliced
rationing, but we must voluntarily and
| intelligently assume the responsibility
| before us as one in which everyone
has a direct and unacceptable interest.
We must increase our export of foods
to the allies, and in the circumstances
of our shipping situation, these exports
| must be Of the most concentrated
| foods. These are wheat, flour, beef,
pork and dairy products. We have 9th
er foods in great abundance which we
can use instead Of these commodities,
and we can prevent wastes in thou
| sand directions. We must guard the
drainage Of exports from the United
| States, that we retain a proper supply
| for our own country, and we must
| adopt such measures as will anchor
ate, so far as may be, the price cOndi-
tons of our less fortunate. We might