The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1918-04-20
POTATOES AND PATRIOTISM.

| =
BY eating potatoes instead of
wheat bread. the people of South Car
olina can help win the war as well as
by purchasing Liberty Bonds and con-
tributing to the Red Cross.
With this statement. the conserva-
ton division of the Food Administra-
tion for South Carolina. announces
the Potatoes for America. Wheat for
IIurope' campaign in this State.
The existing situation calls for fur
| ther curtailment of wheat consump-
ton. and there Is no better substi-
tute, and no substitute for wheat
bread that is to be had in such GUAM
| titles, as potatoes. We have no
enough wheat for our Allies and our
selves but we have an abundance of
potatoes-an excess of 10000, 900
bushels over normal times. If we are
TO win this war the Allied armies and
the Allied peoples must have wheat
I]he potato cannot quite come Ja q
wheat in food value. but it does coifit
about ,as close to taking the place OF
wheat as any other food. i5
BY eating more potatoes, therefore,
the people of South Carolina can
save more wheat to send to Euorpe
Americans first realized how i'm
portant a part of their daily food the
potato played when last year a scar.
city of this vegetable drove its pffce
almost to prohibitive heights. When
planting time came again. every one
planted potatoes. The farmers were
particularly urged to plant potatoes
as a patriotic duty and accordingly
there was an abundance Of potatoes
produced.
A. time when the world Is 50
| sorely in need of food-only in
| America is there an abundance-it
would be criminal to waste anything
SO important as the potato. The po-
| tatoes raised through patriotism
| should be eaten through patriotism
substituted for wheat bread to as
great an extent as possible, and the
wheat thus saved sent to Europe, be-
cause while the people of European
countries consume i'm normal times
| about twice the amount of potatoes
| per capita as do the people of Amer
| lea. shipping facilities are so limited
that 1t is impossible to ship the sur
plus of potatoes abroad owing to their
bulk; also by reason of the fact that
| potatoes do not keep SO we'll as the
grains. Neither are potatoes needed
so much for the Allies as wheat
meat and fats. 1t should therefore
be accorded a privilege that we may
eat potatoes at home and release more
wheat for the army and the people
who are looking across the sea to
us, depending on us for their daily
bread.
Potatoes have been such an inte-
grail part of the dinner diet that peo-
pie do not tire of them, nor is there
need of monotony i'm serving them.
There are more than n hundred
ways OF serving potatoes. and one
way Of using up some of the surplli:
supply Is the use of potato bread
rather than wheat bread. MANY old
fashioned bread-makers still cling to
potato yeast. and since the potato is
rich in starch, less wheat flour Is
necessary in order, to form q stiff
dough. The bread made from potato
flour Is somewhat darker in color and
more moist than that made from
wheat -four; but by using it as an ad
mixture. at least, it would contribute
much to the conservation of wheat.
III the Potatoes for America. Wheat
for Europe" campaign is to succeed
The planting OF sweet potatoes be
comes a very important matter q,
this time for sweet potatoes. like
Irish potatoes. may he substituted 70,
bread to help win the war. }F
e