Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1918-01-21
EAT POTATOES AND
SPARE WHEAT NEW
APPEAL TO PEOPLE

'"loSs dlc put W lHelT proper use,
that is. eaten. But there is occasion
for some anxiety over the slowness
of the cook. The full bin will not be of
| benefit if the potatoes remain in the
bin. They must go to the kitchen and
to the table and to be eaten. Other
| wise, the bin might as we'll be empty.
The big potato crop has not been
moving into consumption this winter.
The bulk of the supply is in storage
and is being marketed very slowly.
This is an abnormal condition, and
very serious one-because it has
direct bearing upon the most serious
| question in the world-the question
of winning the war
II the potato bin is emptied during
this winter and next spring it will
mean that by eating more potatoes we
eat less bread and therefore have
more wheat to send to the soldiers
who are fighting for our freedom. 1t
Will also mean that the bin will have
room to receive the new potato crop
| next fall. But If we fail to empty it
| this winter-that is, if we do not, at
| once, commence to eat more potatoes
than we have been eating, and COM
mence to market the potatoes that we
have been hoarding-the market may
be glutted when the new crop comes
next summer. If this happens, there
Will be more potatoes than the bin can
hold and some of the supply will go
to waste. In turn, this would discour-
age producers and possibly prevent
the planting of liberal acreage, re-
sulting in shortened potato supply
year from now, at time when food
needs will be even more urgent than
they are now.
But what can you do about it?
You can help empty the bin You
can eat more spuds and less bread.
Unless you do eat more potatoes than
you have been eating the bin will not
be emptied.
And if you are farmer or middle
man now holding potatoes in storage
you can market them, get them to
moving, get them out of the bin and
into the kitchen. Responding to this
appeal will not mean the sacrifice of
your personal interests. All you are
asked to do is to market your potato
holdings, gradually, steadily during
the winter and spring, SO the present
surplus will have been eaten before
the new crop begins to move about
the middle of next June.
Your prospect of loss-if you are
holding potatoes-is not in commenc-
ing to market now and continuing to
sell slowly. 1t is in failing to do this
that you stand to lose If the bin is
nj nH NV, nd
a glutted market when you try to sell.
If, when the new crop is in sight, there
remains heavy hangover of the old
crop, and if there is a scramble of the
holders to unload all at once-there
can be only one effect on prices.
So, commence to sell your potatoes
now, Mr.. Holder
And commence to eat more potatoes
new, Mr.. Consumer.
/ And prepare to plant another big
potato crop next year, Mr.. Farmer.
! But the latter gentlemen cannot
reasonably be expected to heed the re-
quest if he sees the present potato
supply go to waste. So the situation
really hinges now upon two factors,
the consumer and the holder-some
farmers, of course, being included in
the last category. If they will carry
out their part of the potato program
it will mean that we will have more
food for the armies. 1t will mean an
other big potato planting next year.
This years potato crop is 442, $780,
900 bushels, according to the latest
figures of the bureau of crop esti-
{ mates of the United States department
Of agriculture-the largest potato
crop this country has ever produced
Last year the potato production was
only 2S5,953,O00 bushels. so we have
, this winter 155,5S3,000 more bushels
, in the potato bin than we had las
winter.
What is the value of these potatoes
, not in dollars and cents, but il
terms of the only real value anything
possesses these days--its potency il
helping win the war? We can't pu
, these potatoes in cannon and shoe
them at the Prussians. We can't sen(
them to France.
q They have no war value unless yol
will eat them and unless you will sci
I them They are liability rather thai
I du ASSET IL tuty Teudlu III tlle Clu
+ They will help us lose the war in
D stead of helping us win the war-un
f less, right now, those who are holding
p potatoes commence to market them
. and everyone commences to eat NOR
i potatoes and less bread.
: Even aside from war considerations
potato growers and others now holdin
: potatoes should remember and prof
s by their experience with the 1911
: crop That crop was held during tn
/ winter and moved slowly into con
h sumption, quite as the present crop i
: being marketed very slowly. AS re
e suit, in the spring Of 1915, with neN
S crop in sight, everyone who was hold
= ing tried to unload at once. Each ma
V realized that he had held too Ions
: But the realization came too late. TIL
: scramble glutted the market. Guam
:. titles of potatoes were absolutel
e wasted and there were many sales I
y starch factories at % and 80 cents
k barrel-not bushel.
i This was an economic loss, as is an
i waste Of foodstuff at any time-but
e didn't imperil the future of the Unite
I, States. To waste foodstuff now doe
d endanger the very existence OF on
It country. To waste food now is to in
e yite to our homes the hideousness tina
e came to Belgium. That is what We ar
n doing if we waste the enormous potat
b crop now in the American bin.
tz1o <bo cbyYdrop In fhnir al