River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-11-21
SURPLUS FRUITS
ANDvECETABLES
Much Canning Done by Volunteer
Women Workers of the De-
partment of Agriculture.
CREDIT GIVEN MRS. HOUSTON
Wife of Secretary Planned That Prod
ucts Be Utilized in New and Pa
triotic Manner-Donated to
Walter Reed Hospital.

Twenty-Five hundred and fifty quarts
of canned vegetables, preserves and
jellies to tempt the appetites of our
wounded boys in the Walter Reed hos
pital in Washington, as well as hun
dreds of bushels of fresh fruit and
vegetables, is the result of a summer
of unceasing activity by women of the
department of agriculture interested in
this work.
At the Arlington farm, where is car
ried on governmental experimentation
with fruits and vegetables, there has
been necessarily much waste product
In previous years. In order that accu-
rate observations during their entire
season might be made by the plant
specialists a large share Of the fruits
and vegetables grown there had to be
allowed to come to full maturity on
the plants. Thus to large extent the
farms products were too ripe to be
marketed when their value to the sci
enlist was at an end.
How Project Started.
To Mrs. David F. Houston, wife Of
the secretary Of agriculture, is due the
credit for these products being utilized
In new and patriotic way this year.
The Walter Reed hospital, filed with
our wounded from overseas, was to be.
If 1t could be managed, the recipient Of
all the surplus fruit and vegetables Of
the Arlington farm. Mrs. Houston
planned that all of the products which
were in prime condition and which
could be used at once by the commits
sary department of the hospital should
be sent there directly. The surplus
was to be made by volunteers into
home dainties for the boys.
When it is realized that the lieuten-
ant in charge of the cOmmissary must
provide food for each soldier, wounded
or sick, at maximum cost of so cents
a day, the exceeding value Of these
preserves and jellies to the diet OF
the invalids there may be better ap-
preciated. Perhaps no other one thing
which has been done for the hospital
has been SO much appreciated by the
boys themselves as this food, which,
as they said, "tasted like home and
mother" sent through the untiring
work of these women connected with
the department of agriculture.
Girls Picked Ripe Products.
All the work was done through eff
cfent committees. One of these was
composed of girl workers from the de-
partment, who went out after work to
the farms and did the picking when
ever their chairman was notified that
the harvest was ready" AS is quite
usual with crops, those grown by the
government did not accommodate
themselves to regular schedule but
f1uctuated from none on some days to
an amount that taxed every recruit to
the utmost at other times.
The War Relief association of the
department OF agriculture supplied
help in the kitchen and for cans or
supplies. However, large part of the
cans and spices were donated by those
interested in the york.
The recipes used were all home ones,
although the work, especially the lat
ter part of the summer, had to be done
on q commercial scale because of the
quantity of fruit and vegetables avail
able. Mrs. Houston and Miss Florence
E. Ward of the states relations service,
chairman of the committee, little