Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1917-06-01

RAISE YOUR OWN FOOD

|
| is one way that every one-man
woman and child-can be of service
to his country and at the same time
serve himself The greatest neec
in this country today is an abundant
supply of nutritious cheap food, anc
| it will be one of the most pressing
needs during the coming summer
I fall, and winter
America at peace faced an abnor
NAL increase in prices of all com
mon foods. Today there are nc
cheap foods. The cost of living
has been steadily increasing during
| the last decade or two. The only
solution to the problem, even in
times of peace, is for consumers to
become producers.
Until the preceding winter, vege-
tables were usually considered cheap
foods as compared with meat, fish,
and other animal foods Vegetables
have been SO cheap that people no
longer raised them but purchased
them from stores and could secure a
fresh supply practically aid the year
round. During the past winter the
price of vegetables increased from
Is per cent to lis per cent, and
they are now as expensive as meat
and other animal foods. The chances
are that they will double in value
before the new crop is available,
and, as war conditions develop, it
may be impossible to secure much
food of any kind
Shipping facilities will be crippled.
We shall be sending vast supplies
of food abroad, and those who have
not been forehanded enough to pro-
vide. food may be unable to purchase
it at any price.
There is one way to avoid this
shortage of food, and that is to
plant every available piece of ground
with staple vegetables. Every
square foot of ground which is worth
cultivaitng should be planted. Every
boy and girl, man and woman, not
actively engaged in doing military
service, should work in some gar
den and help add to the country's
supply fo food A large percentage
OF all the food consumed in the
home during the summer, fall, and
winter should be raised near the
place of consumption because freight
and express cars will not be avail
able to ship perishable or even sta
pie foods. We must produce more;
we must conserve what we have
through the knowledge of the nu-
tritive value of foods, and by wise
planning. We must learn how to
economic on all foods; how to use
proper substitutes for foods scarce
and high in price; We must not
waste food.
Plant a Garden
The only way to be assured of a
supply of food for yourself this year
is to raise it. Plant garden. Plant
beans and peas for proteins; plant
potatoes for carbohydrates; plant
corn, carrots, beets, parsnips, onions,
tomatoes, lettuce, radishes, cabbage,
chard to maintain the body in health.
Plant satisfy and celery if you have
room. but do not waste time expert
menting with new and untried foods.
Plant the staple crops.
The most important of the above
mentioned vegetables are beans, car
rots, onions, tomatoes, and, if a
large lot is available, potatoes and
corn. AS the two latter take con-
siderable garden space, it is not well
to try to raise them in the small
back yard.
Advice to Gardeners
If this is your first attempt at
gardening, plant no fancy or unusual
variety of vegetables. Plant only
those which will grow we'll in your
neighborhood. Plant beans navy
and butter, onions, carrots, peas,
tomatoes, cabbage, beets and pota-
toes if a large enough tract Of Land
is available. Prepare the soil thor
oughly. If the lot has never been
cultivated before it is not necessary
to use a fertilizer. If vegetables
have been raised on the lot the pre-
vious season, scatter well rotted
manure over the surface and then
ploW or spade the ground at least
six inches deep. then harrow or
rake until the soil is fine, as near
Like dust as possible, and level. A
fine soil is absolutely essential to
good results. In spading strike the