The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1917-10-31
THE WORLDWIDE FOOD CRISIS
Essay by Miss Irene Henderly of the
Ocala High School, Which Won
First Prize in Contest for the Best
Paper on Food Conservation.

Ocala High School, Which Won
First Prize in Contest for the Best
Paper on Food Conservation.
Never before in history has a ma
ton received so SOLDERING a summons
at the beginning of war. The wolf
is at the door of the world. We meet
it with the food control bill. Nemesis
is knocking at Americas door and
famine is staring her in the face.
The supreme need of our nation
and of nations with which we are
allied is an abundance of supplies and
especially food stuffs. America is
facing crop failure and once retreat
is under way it will be supremely diff
fcult to halt. The conserving of
food is the most important stroke de-
livered in the battle of preparation;
mere fighting is useless. America
must be able to supply herself and
her allies with food if the war
against Germany is to be won.
The Importance of an adequate
food supply, especially for the pres
ent year, is superlative. The worlds
food reserves are low. Without
abundant food, alike for the armies
and people now at war, the whole
great enterprise will break down and
fail. Not only during the present
emergency, but for sometime after
peace has been declared, we, and a
large portion of Europe will be de-
| pendent on the harvests of America.
To make the world safe for dem
ocracy, we must win this war. The
food control act means that man, who
has harnessed the physical forces of
nature te-serve his ends, is now
trying to harness the economic forces
under the stress of war. The three
factors with which we shape and de-
termine it's issue are money, men and
food. Money and men can be OBJ
tanned through organization, but food
must be conserved, and is the decid-
ing factor. There are several ways
in which food may be conserved, and
personal responsibility to conserve
comes to everyone.
In the first place, let there be no
waste land. Every foot should be
placed under cultivation. Young men
and old alike turn in hosts to the
farms. All over the United States
there are recruiting stations for farm
helpers, as well as for men who wish
to join other branches of service, and,
if they are not able to join the ma
tional army, they may join the army
of the pillow. Raise all your home
vegetables and as many more as pos
sible. In doing so you will be doing
a patriotic deed for your country, for
on the wheat fields of America, wan
will will be decided-in our favor
Not only will this keep you from buy
ing such a great quantity of food
stuffs, but it will save transportation
charges. The greater the care taken
in the production of food, the greater
the results Use reliable fertilizers
and destroy all insects that tend to
devastate plant life.
/ A good way to preserve perishable
fruits and vegetables is by canning
or drying them. Canning retains the
original form, color, flavor and tex
ture of fruits and vegetables to a
greater degree than do other means
of preserving. In addition, canned
fruits require less preparation before
serving. Considering the cost, can
ming is more expensive than drying
brining or curing, and it is important
to consider whether food shall be
canned or not. Drying furnishes a