Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-09-24

uTASHINGTON, d. c., Sept. ga valuable
w industry has recently been born in
W this country, which, when fully developed,
is going to add thousands Of tons of food to the
national supply and, at the same time, make pos
sible large economy in transportaLion Already
forty factories have been established, but
these are working almost entirely orders from
the government. AS yet, the civilian consumer mas
only a slight acquaintance with their product,
which is we'll known in the trenches, but is Just
beginning to attract attention in the groceries II
is the commercial dried vegetable.
The dried vegetable, of course. is not new
Long ago. our ancestors discovered this method of
preserving vegetables for winter Up until
fifty years ago. dried sweet especially, was
esteemed highly, and many people still consider II
a greater delicacy than the canned variety. Other
vegetables were also dried in crude way ana
punches of tubers and green's suspended from
the rafters of the kitchen were the invariable
adornment of every country farmhouse
Then came the advent of the great American
can--one of the best food preservers ever known
Canneries sprang up all oyer the country; house
wives stopped worrying about the winters supply
of vegetables, and quite naturally and easily the
nation transferred its affection from dried vege
tables to canned goods. Never was rival more
completely routed, for 1t soon appeared that TIN
plate could do what the mere sun could never ac-
cOmplsh.. In addition to preserving fresh vege-
tables it could preserve fresh milk meat, fish and
fruit 1t simplhed existence to such an extent that
the public came completely under Its doml-
nance. The word can crept outrageously
into the nations vocabulary and everything be-
canned-frOm employees TO music
The came through this tremendous wave
OF popularity unscathed and finally took firm and
substantial place in the country's food supply 1t
is the can, today, which is providing most Of the
food for the American Expeditionary Forces. But
the war threw many difficulties in the smooth path
of the Gamers for the first time it became ap-
parent that the can itself not suffcient-that
some other method was needed that would pre-
serve food with the use of less tin plate and less
freight space.
Tin plate is scarce that the govern
ment is controlling its use, and is fOrbdding the
Gamers to can products that be dried equally
we'll A few things have failed to respond to the
canning process notably the potato, Whlie other
vegetables, like beans, as good dried as can
ned. Another great drawback to the can is that
it nearly always contains more water than any
thing else and when nation 1000 miles wide re-
lies exclusively canned goods it means the ship
ment of millions of gallons of water back ana
forth across the continent.
With transportation facilities in their present
overburdened condition. and acquiring new bur-
dens daily, it is evident that can no longer rely
exclusively upon canned foods They will always
play an important part in our menus, but they
will no longer be allowed a monopoly. The time
has come when efficiency is the chief consideration
of the nation, and efficiency makes monopoly I'M
possible Just as must supplement our It'll
roads with canals, so must we supplement- our can
ned goods with dried products
The need for this has become so obvious that
the government itself has stepped in to be sure
that the new drying industry keeps on Its teet
The current agricultural appropriations bill now
in congress, carries appropriation OF S2oO,OOO
with which the secretary of agriculture is instruct