The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1917-08-24

nearest markets, the Omitted States
and the West Indies. This field has
since the war increased it's production
| 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 a most abundant
crop of vegetables for our use as a re-
suit of a patriotic endeavor almost
universal throughout the country. Our
potato harvest alone promises an in
crease from 2S5,OOO,OOO bushels last
year to over 4O0,OOO,OOO bushels this
year. The other vegetables are like
wise enormously increased through
| 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 corn 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
| great quantity of fish. Many varie-
ties are now not used for human food,
but are thrown away or used for ferti-
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
ST. ing and sailing and by establish
| ing plants for frozen fish, we can in
crease greatly our supply and thus re-
lieve 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 are conserved by eating
| those of the sea.
Our Duty.
I have endeavored to show In previ-
Gus articles that the world is short OF
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 belligerent lines,
and by the destruction Of shipping by
submarines, not only has the home pro-
duction of our allies fallen by over
500OOO,OO0 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
dren. If this privation becomes too
great, their peoples cannot be main
tanned constant in the war, and we will
Dc l6lI dlOuG W uSuI llC UdIIiC VI
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 it's pOliced
rationing, but we must voluntarily and
intelligently assume the responsibility
| before us as one in which everyone
| has a direct and unacceptable 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,
pork and dairy products. We have 9TH
| err foods in great abundance which we
| can use instead Of these commodities,
| and we can prevent wastes in a 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
hurdap onual1v 1,non oil