The Athena press. [volume] (Athena, Umatilla County, Or.) 18??-1942, 1917-03-30
DECLARES WAR ON
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
Uncle Sam Strives to Secure
Adequate Use Of Resources
of Nation.
MANY PROBLEMS ARE SOLVED
Experts Of Department Of Agriculture
Have Taken Lead In Campaign
That Is Being Waged by
Government.

-
aTo admit the existence of waste in
agricultural products" said Secretary
of Agriculture Houston In a recent ad.
dress, .is to admit either an economic
decadence or a lack of inventive ge-
MUS"
In this sentence the secretary of ag-
rfculture summed up the reasons lying
behind the great campaign now being
waged by Uncle Sam--the war on
waste.
In this great struggle for a proper
and adequate use of all the resources
of the nation. the department of ag-
riculture ia In the front rank, for 1t
Is here that n considerable number Of
valuable discoveries and inventions
have been made within the past two
wears which will do much to increase
the commercial output of the United
States and TO enable every industry to
make the most of nroducts which, In
the mast were considered worthless.
The great majority of persons are fa-
miliar with the statement of the Chi
caeo meat nocker who boasted that his
factories utilized "every part Of the
Dig but the soueal." Possibly the time
will come when government scientists,
puttinr their minds seriously to the
problem. will be able to suggest some
economic use Of this waste material.
Cider Makes Profit.
Consider for -exnmple. the results of
experiments in connection with concen-
treted cider one of the most important
of the department's investigations
within the mast wear.
Ar one stroke. the government scien-
fists gained n sweeping victory over
tbe waste IN apples the high cost of
cider nroducinr the charges for ship.
ming the product the waste in the de.
tariorat;on of the older and the cost
of the nroduct itself AS n result OF
TJncle SANS work several cider mills
in Washington and Oregon have com.
menced TO manufacture concentrat.
ed cider
The elimination of seeds from the
ma iority Of oranges has deprived Uncle
sam of the opportunIty of doing an,
research work along this line, but there
recently arose considerable difficulty
in connection with the handling of thil
fruit which the department of agricul
ture was able TO solve and thus preven
another considerable source of waste
II was found that n proportion of tn
Florida oranges, upon arrival in New
York or other comparatively distan
noints were practically worthless OF
account of numerous "bad spots" an,
rotten places ON the skins. The con
SINNER naturally declined to purchas
fru,t so marked and the loss TO tn,
SINNERS and retailers threatened {,
mount info millions Of dollars. TIL,
government took the matter in hand
however md found that the blemishe.
were due 70 lack of care in picking thu
oranges and that wherever the ski
was damaged by the shears or even tn,
fingernails of the careless picker thu
rotten spots would appear in a shorI
time
Make s5.ooo.ooo liyino.
ASS result an order went forth thai
all orange nIckers were TO wehr gloves
and use only blunt.pointed shears, thus
reducing the chances Of blemishes tt
n minimum At once the condition Of
tbo fruit improved and there has beer
Rut the education of the farmer II