Middletown transcript., 1917-08-25

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 80 pounds per
person per annum and is just double
the French consumption.
Vegetables.
We have this year 4 most abundant
crop of vegetables for our use as re-
suit of a patriotic endeavor almost
universal throughout the country. Our
potato harvest alone promises an in
crease from 2S5.000,000 bushels last
year to over 401,G00.0O0 bushels this
year. The other vegetables are like
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 Germ for
canning purposes is estimated to be
from 20 to 80 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
a great quantity of fish. Many varie-
ties are now not used for human food,
but are thrown away or used for fert-
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
marketing facilities, with better under
standing of how to use the most varie-
ties. with proper preservation by
s. rg and sailing and by establish
i'll. ,,!antS for frozen fish, we can in
crease greatly our supply and thus re-
lieye 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 ai< conserved by eating
those of the sea.
Our Duty.
I have endeavOreu to show in previ-
Gus articles that the world is short OK
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 bellgerent lines.
and by the destruction of shipping by
submarines, not only has the home pro-
ductiOn of our allies fallen by over
5O0000,000 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-
quire 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
drcn. 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 its po!iced |
ratiOning, but we must voluntarily and |
assume the responsibility |
before us as one in which everyone |
has direct and inescapable 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,
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
so drain the supplies from the country
to Europe as by the high prices that
would follow to force our people to
shorten their consumption. This oper-
alton of normal economic forces"
would starve that element of the COM
munity to whom we owe the most pro-
lection. We must try to impose the
burden equally upon all.
Action Must Be Voluntary.
There is no royal road to food con-
We can only accomplish
this by the voluntary action of our
whole people, each element in proper
ion to it's means. 1t is matter of