Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-07-29
zp@rts Say Cammimg Will illuminate Waste of Food


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bags or Jars SO that flies and moths
cannot attack it.
I'm this country food has been abun-
dant. and not until lately have meas
ures been taken to economize in its
use or to find means for its better con-
servation. The war in Europe, causing
high prices here. has made us more
efficient in other directions than the
manufacture of guns and ammunition.
Europe has been drying food for a long
time. In some countries the vegeta bles
not sold in city markets must be sent
to municipal drying plants. There are
also community drying establishments.
like grain thrashers in the United
States go from farm to farm.
The commercial American mind
turned to drying after Germany brought
during England's war with the Beers,
seems to have been successful in drying
food for the British soldiers. At the
outbreak of the war. in 1914, Graham
came to Canada and began drying
vegetables for the armies of England
and its allies. Last wear he made con-
tracts with drying plants in northern
New York for potatoes and onions
plants previously engaged in drying
apples and other fruits-had shipments
made to Canada. whence he sent them
to Great Britain.
THE activities of Graham in this
country gave the industry much wider
range than it formerly possessed Our
people began drying potatoes and other
food. Here is a glass jar containing
dried beets." Mr.. Gore said. taking up
jar that was on his desk. You notice
that the beets look like beets and smell
like beets. and. having cooked some. 1
know that they taste like beets.
And here is jar of dried spinach.
The spinach Is green. as you see. This
jar of onions has the genuine onion
navOT. Thousands nf hna hala Of
onions go to waste yearly in Texas
Thew can be dried and sold. Indeed,
almost any vegetable can be preserved
in that manner. ! have seen dried cell
cry, pumpkin. carrots. parsnips and
string beans.
Our mothers and grandmothers dried
cherries and raspberries, and we for
get that the tea and coffee we drink is
dried in the sun. Potentially, the sweet
, potato Is the most promising product
with which we are working This sam
pie OF sweet potato -four (and Mr. Gore
poured some of it into the hand Of the
color. you Will notice, is the color OF
jersey cream.
We have baked cake and muf1ins of
sweet potato flour and found them to be
delicious. Less than 100000 acres of
sweet potatoes are yearly grown in the
United States. The yield is about H.
oOo,o0o bushels There is no reason
why the acreage cannot be doubled
White potatoes have long been dried
IN Germany They are boiled without
pairing and mashed and then the pulp is
run between heavy hot cylinders and
rolled into what is known as potato
flake The machinery for this process
costs ABOUT 100000 Our experiments
have been made with a much cheaper
equipment. and the product we have in
mind is intended for stock feed and not
for human consumption. Dried potatoes
for table use. however, are being pre-
pared in this country, as | have said
The pieces. looking like refined glue,
cook easily and taste good.
Drying for the home can be done in
the sun. on the kitchen stove or with an
electric fam Persons living in the
country profitably dry the vege-
tables for which there is no sale or for
which the prices are abnormally low
But drying is not SO important an item
in the country 1t il In VILLAGE o.
city. Farmers have cool cellars and.
besides. often cover their potatoes, tur-
n:ps. cabbage and apples with straw
and earth.
CITY jewellers have no suitable sto--
age places. Drying with them, there
fore, is practicable and economical 4
city woman can dry string beans in
season, any other vegetable. If she
will write to me full instructions will
be sent her by mail
Now that drying IS becoming an in
dustry in the United States, all kinds
of fancy machines at fancy prices are
being offered for sale. I would like to
say that any plain. standard machine
that will dry leather or lumber or any
common thing will dry fruits and vege-
tables.
"oficers of the Department of Agri-
culture cannot in safety enter the
realms of prophecy. but it seems to me
that dried food Is going to cheaper the
cost of living and at the same time put
a large amount of new money into the
pockets of our food growers.
with canning and drying reduced to
II science. there is no reason why any
article of supposedly perishabie food
should be wasted, even when the yield
Of some particular crop breaks all
>. s--ious records"
tc"l. r;-'-, 1917, +: james Il. Morrow)