The Benson signal., 1917-08-25


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 90 pounds per
person per annum and is just double
| the French consumption.
Vegetables.
We have this year most abundant
crop Of vegetables for our use as re-
suit of a patriotic endeavor almost
universal throughout the country. Our
| potato harvest alone promises an In
crease from 285,OOO,OOO bushels last
year to over 4OO,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
a 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 alH conserved by eating
| those of the sea.
Our Duty.
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
5OO,000,O0O 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
be left alone to fight the battle of
democracy with Germany.
The problem Of food conservation is
one of many compilations. We cannot,
and we do not wish, with our free in
stikutions 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 inescapable 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
er 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 tNe
drainage of exports from the United
States, that we retain proper supply
for our own country, and we must
adopt such measures as will anchor
| ate so far as may be, the price cOndi-