Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-06-01
Shall We Drink or Eat?

S'a' We OTfnk or Eat.
From the grain made into wniskey
and beer last year
i'ooo.ooo people could have been sup
piled with rye bread for 100 days.
5s.ooo.ooo people could have been
supplied with corn meal for 100 days.
100000 people could have been
supplied with rice for 100 DAYS.
lo0'Ooo.0o0 people could have been
supplied with Is pounds Of rice each.
100 100000 people could have been
supplied with one gallon of molasses
each.
2os.200,o00 loaves Of bread could have
been made from the rye.
But instead of gulping down all
these products with an unquencllable
thirst, suppose we turn the 100, 600, 900
bushels OF grain and the millions of
gallons Of molasses and the millions of
pounds of hops into palatable and nu-
tritious foodstufis. Think of the corn
griddle cakes and the johnnycakes and
the corn mullins with the golden drip
syrup Think Of the barley cakes.
Think of the rye bread with coffee
and the rye bread sandwiches with
cheese between the slices. Think of
the other things to eat in these days
OF munger. Three hundred
1i-ouncc loaves OF bread can be made
from barrel of rye flour Now it
takes four and half bushels of rye
to mako barrel Of -four of 1876 pounds
Therefore out of the rye used in max
ing whishc% in 1916. 69i,000 barrels of
rye flour ""uld have been produced and
out of these barrels of rye -four POS
100000 li-ounce leaves Of rye bread
could have hen made-enoush to
Keep the entire population of the city
Of Now York supplied with bread, al
lowing one half loaf to each person a
day, for 100 days, But that is only
The rye used III whiskey. How about
the other grains which are used in far
greater quantities in the manufacture
Of whiskey and beer?
Now there is corn. Thirty-two mil
lion bushels of corn were used last
year in the manufacture of whialiey
and lo,G0o.00o bushels of corn were
used in making beer. that is a total of
1000. 900 bushels Of corn that went
iAto drink for "A thirsty people for ~
months. II isn't a case of "A temper
9nce lecture or whether il is right to
crtnk or not. The facts are here
Somebody is drinking 42,0oOOOO BUSH
els OF corn year This corn is raised
Ia the United States IT could he util-
i;od In drink productions or food pro-
auctions. II could be drunk or eaten.
In which form would it do the more
sood-as drink or food?
Suppose we ate it. How far would it
go? On the same basis of furnishing
rye flour bread to 1000. 900 people for
100 days from the rye used in the
manufa cture Of whiskey in one year
5s.oO0.00O people could be supplied for
100 days with food products made
whiskey and beer. And these food
products would to a great extent take
the place of wheat bread and potatoes.
Then there is the rice There are
l2.oOO,000 bushels of rice used annually
in making beer. We all know the
many tempting dishes that can be
made from il and how it can be sub
stituted for potatoes and other veget-
ables. Some may prefer their rice in
beer. but suppose we use these 12OOO,-
900 bushels of rice for food instead of
for drink. If used for food 16, 900
people could be partially noprished for
100 days and that might help out quite
a little when food is scarce.
Then there is the barley. Thirty
seven million. five hundred thousand
bushels of it annually go into the beer
kegs. Barley as a food? There is no
limit to the broths and the soups and
the supplemental service as food
product that barley can give in helping
TO solve the food problem. Or suppose
you look at barley as serving only one
purpose. that is, as food for cattle,
chickens and hogs. 1t would take a
pretty good mathematician to figure
out even an estimate result in pounds
OF poultry. beef. bacon and pork to be
derived from the feeding of 100000
and odd bushels of barley to the deni-
gems of the farm and to reduce those
pounds into units Of food for the
people who are in need Of food quite
as much as they are in need of beer.