The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-04-04
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
FREDERIC }. HASKIN. Director.
Washington, d. c.
EAT MORE CHEESE.

Experts from the dairy division OF the
| bureau of animal husbandry are now
travelling about the country. spread
| ing the cheese propaganda thru every
| city, village and farm, while at, the
headquarters of the bureau here there
| is a large pile of leaflets and posters
that are soon to challenge the pa
triotism of every intoxicating Ameri-
can.
| In spite of all that has been said
about the infamy of much meat-eat-
| ing during the war; in spite of the
| long list of meatless days supposed to
have been celebrated by the nation,
and in spite of the enthusiastic sup
| port of the PROSECUTING vegetarian, the
! fact remains that the American de-
mand for meat has not materially
| fallen off
| Whether this is due to the prevail
| ing high wages that are permitting
many people to buy meat who never
! bought it before. or whether the meat
| less day is considered merely theoret-
| zeal by most of the public, are ques-
tions that are still in the process of
argument. But in the meantime some
! thing must be done. More meat must
/ be released to our allies if we are
| to do our part in the war.
Thus the department of agricul-
ture recommends the American cheese
both cottage and factory-to our
earnest consideration. This year
] there was a six million pound surplus
of cheese in this country that. try
as they would, the cheese dealers
| could not get rid of, until the food
administration came forward and Of
| fered to buyit al "a cents a pound to
send to the allies. Now it is not so
| important that soldiers have cheese
as that they have meat. 1t is the
mainStay Of the predatory carnivora,
whether in the wilds or on a modern
battlefield, Bernard Shaw to the con-
| trary Notwithstanding.
Mr.. Shaw has recently come for
ward with the .lovel theory that alb
| stention from eating meat produces a
much greater ferocity than it ever
aroused by meat-eating, and bases his
| contention-not only on the example
! of himself-but on the fact that all
the great conquerors of antiquity did
their conquering with vegetarian SOL
| diers
Then, Mr. Shaw proceeds to argue
| that the vegetarian diet is much heav-
| Ter than that of meat. Men, to win
| bets, have been known to eat three
legs of mutton, turkey, six pounds
| of sausages and 100 oysters at one sit
| ting, with beer ad lib says Mr. Shaw.
| But the man who will dispose of fifty
| dates and Dutch cheese has yet to
be discovered
Military authorities, however. do
not share Mr.. Shaw's views in this re-
| gard. Every belligerent is working
an adequate meat supply. Most coun-
| tries are now on a meat ration. This
| has not yet been considered necessary
in America, but if we go on eating
meat at our present speed, the ra :
! tiOning of meat will be unavoida BILE.
If we don't learn to like cheese and
| other meat substitutes by next year
we may be compelled to.
| There is another reason why we
should eat more cheese and dairy
nj TlrIp he
years of war the production of dairy
products has greatly increased in this
country, stimulated by the heavy de-
! mand from Europe. The followin z
| figures are Illuminating: In 1915, this
country exported "a million dollars
| worth of dairy products and imported
| II million dollars worth By the end
| of the following year our exports ha d
imports had dwindled to million
| dollars worth.
The principal factor in this increase
was canned milk, but cheese also
played an important part. Before the
war this country annually imported
large quantities of fancy cheese from
Italy. France, Greece, Holland and
Switzerland. In 1914 our cheese i'm
pounds. while we exported only about
1000, 900 pounds. In 1916 only a.
100000 pounds of cheese were inn
ported, while our exports rose to &c.
| From this it may seem that tremen-
dous expansion has taken place in the
American dairying business. But now
the European demand has suddenly
fallen off. due to the lack of ships.
This accounts TO- the 100000 pound
| surplus. taken off the dealers hands
by the food administration. From the
international as well as the COM
production of dairy products must not
be permitted to dwindle When the
| war is over Europe will again turn to
this country for milk and butter and
cheese. for it will be necessary to put
every bit of European soil under Gull
tivation for the production of more
valuable things taan food for cows.
Americans are great consumers of
milk and butter. but cheese has never
achieved the place it is said to de-
serve in our affections. 1t has never
been used to any great extent as a
staple in the American diet. being
used more often simply an ap-
petizer or as a seasoning for some
other food. There seems to be a
popular impression that cheese is in
digestible and constipating, which
according to the Department of Agri-
culture. is entirely erroneous. Ex-
ment demonstrated that 95 per cent
of the protein of cheese is digested
while 80 per cent of its energy is
available. Even when eaten in large
| QUANTITIES anu lOT lOnS peTiOuS, nt
case of indigestion, constipation or
other disturbance was observed in
those who ate it, says the experts
One man who ate 9.27 ounces o.
? cheese daily in the place of meat for
. two years, did a fair amount of mus
cular work and kept in good health
In a comparison of food values the
Department of Agriculture appears tc
agree with Mr.. Shaw, moreover. One
pound of American Cheddar cheese
contains much protein Isl
pounds of sirloin steak. they assert
No wonder that no man has ever yet
, | tackled a whole cheese,
Cheese is much less expensive thar
meat, for there is not the same waste
of gristle and bone Cottage cheese