The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1917-05-18
Nashville, Tenn- May II. IL
GARDENING V. sPEcuLATINe.

GARDENING V. SPECULATING.
There is nothing to prevent the
thrifty housewives from going ahead
with their crafty campaign of bid
ding up prices on one another by lay.
ing in stores of flour and sugar and
canned goods for which they have
no immediate need. That is to say,
there is no statute law against this
form of food speculation, which diff
fers only in degree from the sort of
thing you have seen roundly de-
nounced in the newspapers The la.
dies who go into it should understand
that they are taking chances, how
ever, just as the big spectators are.
The forehanded housewife should be
prepared to take a loss, if necessary,
just as gamely as the big operator
on the board of trade.
There are several reasons why per
sons who buy large advance supplies
Of food at present prices may later re-
greet their enterprise Perhaps the
most interesting possibility just now
is government regulation of food sup.
plies. If the government ever gets to
fixing the price of wheat it will be
fixed under the abnormally high level
now prevailing The same is true OF
other necessities. The price of canned
goods is on the knees of the gods The
vegetable situation next fall is an un,
known quantity. If all the new gar.
den plats now being planted the coun-
try over produce good yields there are
going to be heaps and heaps of pOta.
toes and beans and onions and cab
bages and assorted vegetables from
acres which never figured in previous
harvests. Having taken the trouble to
raise all this stuff, the amateur truck
gardeners are going to see that it lis
conserved IL one Iway or another.
Granted good Yields, the county has
never seen such an orgy Of household
canning and preserving as will be wit
messed in this country next fall. With
good growing weather and nearly ev
cry family interested in growing some
thing, the chief autumn difficulty ma!
relate to securing store houses il
which to store the food. Not much o
an oversupply would be needed t.
make a big difference in the genera
level of food prices.
The possibility that the war ma!
end before winter also will cut som,
figure in the equation. Even if the wa
should end there will be use for al
the food the world can harvest mex
fall, but the elment of panic would b
removed from the price making, an
an immediate tendency toward a rt
turn to the normal should be man
tested.
The really good housewife will pla
her economy campaign along the lin
of production rather than speculation
If she can induce Friend Husband {
the boys to put in a garden, or, if 81
is a believer in equal rights, put or
in herself she will have purchased IL
most effective kind of insuran(
against the possible lean year
como. Whatever may happen to price
whether through government interve
ton or over-production or war suspe
sion. potatoes and sweet corn al
beans and tomatoes can be used
advantage in any American hous
hold. And their production on IL
home premises will have proved q
economy, without taking into co
sideration the added freshness al
flavor that always distinguishes Il
home product.
The way Of the food speculate
large or small, is beset with worrit
detrimental to sound slumber. TT
lines of the home gardener are ca
in pleasant places with plenty of zoe
eats and sleeps included in the r
wards of honest toll.