The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1918-05-17
unpatrIotio to Eat New Grown spuds

Lansing, May 16.-"Eating new
potatoes before July 9TH will be con.
sidered unpatriotic by the Food AID
ministration of Michigan" declared
Food Administration G. A. Prescott
today.
"When our potato belt farmers, in
response to federal, state, municipal
and civic appeal raised nearly thirty
six million bushels of potatoes last
year as war contribution it is the
plain duty of the people of this state
to do everything within our power to
utilize this crop.
81 wish every housewife in Michigan
would take a pledge to serve potatoes
in some form at least twice a day.
The suggestion, if adopted, would con-
serve thousands of bushels of wheat,
consume our surplus potato crop, a
practical patriotism of the easiest
! kind.
IF the very next time the house.
wife telephones her grocery order she
would say to the grocer she wants
nothing but Michigan grown potatoes
until after the Fourth of July, the
problem would be solved.
ts"This campaign in support of our
own farmers has already had it's eff
feet upon the sale of the Florida po-
tato in Detroit" said Mr.. Prescott,
"but if we are to utilize all our i'm
mense surplus crop new potatoes must
be kept out of Michigan altogether
for the next six weeks.
at is up to the loyal, patriotic, wo-
men of Michigan, and if / am any.
judge new potatoes are going to be as
scarce in Michigan as liquor stocks in
Van Buren, county. The slogan is
simply-stand by the men who have
stood by you, the sturdy upstate
Michigan potato farmer.
"That the present propaganda" con-
tinued the Food Administrator, "isI
already having a wholesome effect is
shown by the steady4increases Of cara
lot shipments, both interstate and in
terstate. For example, Detroit Tues
day morning had forty-nine cars of
potatoes on track and the terminal
records show gain of car day all
this week, 81 cars being on track in
the states metropolis Friday morning.
The fly in the ointment, so to speak, is
the fact Detroit has already had forty
cars of Florida stock up to May 8.
eff we are to win this potato cam
paign Florida stocks must be practi-
cally eliminated from all our retail
stores. The householder can reach |
the retailer and so on down the line;
in other words, it is the consumer who |
must save the day.
Between April 80 and May 6, 1859 |
ear loads of potatoes were shipped in
United States, Florida leading with
932 (new CROP, Michigan is next with
1872, net gain of $50 car loads over
the week-ending April 8, which in
crease again emphasizes the progress
of the campaign to encourage the eat
ing of Michigan grown potatoes.
"On May z, sixty-six cars of Michi-
gan pots.soes were loaded, six of the
cars going to Detroit markets. On the
same day Detroit received twelve cars
of potatoes from the outside, includ-
ing one car from Florida and one from
Texas. The Florida shipments are
falling off daily.
"The Department of Agriculture
and u. S. Food Administration col
laborating have an absolute check on
every car lot shipment of food stuffs
in America and the patriotism of
each community can be told by it's car
records just as easily as by it's Liberty
Loan subscriptions" said Prescott.
Michigan potatoes for Michigan
people, is the battle cry. It's up to
Michigan to stand by Michigan and
in doing this bit of painless patriotism
you will be eating absolutely the finest
potatoes grown in the land. The
FoodAdministration is not asking any
one to sacrifice single comfort, or
spend a nickle, just be loyal to good
old Michigan and its war grown pota-
to-" concluded Michigan's food leader.