South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-01-21
REPORTS POTATO
SITUATION VERY
MUCH IMP ROVED
People Urged to Eat More
"SpudS" and Less Wheat,
as Result of Govern
ment Survey.
BY Clarence Du Bose.

/ Gated. lie mas also IOunG that the
/ potatoes are being consumed very
slowly, that much of the supply re-
main in storage and that there is a
prospect of considerable wastage
unless marketing OF potatoes be-
! comes more general.
So Uncle Sam urges YOU 10 eat
/ more potatoes and less bread. Thus
: instead of being wasted, the bis
/ potato crop will release wheat for
the use of men who are fighting in
/ France for your liberty. If the pO-
| tatOes are not eaten this winter they
may glut the market next spring
/ and when the new crop comes on
we will have more on hand than can
/ possibly be eaten. If that happens
| the man who has been holding will
/ lose, as will the producer. And,
what is of vastly more importance
! than any individuals financial loss.
/ our food resources needed 10 win
the war will be diminished
! Will YOU do your part? 1t is
| simple enough; just eat more pOta-
! toes than you have been eating. and
eat less bread. If you are holding
potatoes commence 10 market them
gradually and in a way to pro
tect your own interests, but with
sufficient rapidity to insure your
stock being consumed before the
new crop begins to move next June.
The latest report of the bureau
of crop estimates of the United
States department of agriculture
shows a total potato yield Of 442,-
536, 900 bushels, which is not only
the greatest potato crop we have
ever produced, but is 5000, 900
bushels more than was indicated in
the report a month ago. The
December figures also show a wheat
production of 65O,S2S,OOO bushels.
which is 100000 bushels less than
seemed probable in the preceding
month.
The Wheat Shortage.
So the potato bin in Uncle Sans
agricultural stOrehouse is piled
higher than it has ever been, high
er than it was thought to be a
month ago, while the wheat bin
contains less. And yet that wheat
bin should be chock full if we are
wheat bin this year, and We can't
afford to assume it will be filled next
year. But the thing we can do is
TO dig into the wheat bin less and
into the potato bin more; TO eat
here at home, more potatoes and
less bread, and thereby leave 'the
wheat bin free for military require
ments.
In order to effect this program
cooperation of all the people is
necessary. The holder of potatoes,
whether a farmer or a mijdleman,
who boards his stock, is DOING
thing that will be improbable and
that is patriOtic-although he
may not so intend it. And the per-
son who does not increase his or
her potato ration, at the same time
decreasing bread consumption, is
just simply failing to do all the in
dividual can do TO help win the
war.
The big potato bin has no war
value unless its supplies are 30 used
as TO conserve the food reserves in
the wheat bin. We can't send our
big potato crop to Europe. If we
don't eat il here at home this win
ter and next spring ii will be vast
ed-wasted at a time when the war
for the yorld's liberty will be won
by the side that can maintain long
est and adequate food supply
About the middle OF next June a
new potato crop Will come in. If
the potatoes now on hand have not
been intelligently marketed and
gradually consumed before that time
IL is probable that the holders will
all try 10 unload at the same time.
In that event the market will be
glutted there Will be more potatoes
offered than can possibly be con-
sumed, and quantities Will be abso-
lutely wasted. And the effect will
not stop there The producer will
be indisposed 10 plant another large
potato acreage after SUCH an expe-
rience, and we may go into the win
ter OF 1918 with a short potato
supply-and at that time the urg-
encv of food for the fighting forces
in Europe. the American armies
and the armies of the allies, will
be much greater than il is now.
The Season of 1914.
Past experience warns against a
continued boarding Of the potato
crop. In 1914 the potato yield was
large 4O9.921, 600 bushels. At that
time that was the second largest
crop ever known in America, but
II is 32,615.0O0 bushels less than
the present crop. In the winter OF
1914 that crop moved into consump-
ton very slowly-just as the crop
is doing now Much OF il was held
i'm storage on farms or in ware
houses. until in the early spring Of
1915 those who were holding sud-
denly realized that a new crop was
coming on and that they must un-
load quickly. But il was too late
Everyone tried 10 unload at once. Il
was impossible 20 consume such
quantities of potatoes The bottom
dropped out of prices - quantities
were sold 10 starch factories for %
TO so cents per barefoot bushel
and thousands OF bushels spoiled
or were deliberately thrown away.
In recalling this experience il
must be remembered that transpOr-
tation conditions were not then in
the abnormal state that they are