Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-12-06

| world has ever seen.
To the average American this APP
| pears 10 be u hopeless dietary, uI.-
| pal2table, unsuited to the needs of
d mankind. and apparently incapable
/ OF providing adequate and satisfac-
tory nCuriShment. After ALL we are
| creatures of habit and our tastes for
| the most part are cultivated. To the
| individual who knows nothing diff
/ ferent. this dietary is sufficient in
all particulars as 10 quantity. quail
I ity and the satisfying of hunger.
{ The tact that il meets all these re-
qulrements is demonstrated by the
efficiency o fthe laborers which has
I been developed from it's consump-
I ton. Immediately some one queS-
tiOns the practicability of such di-
etary. but this is not difficult to Un-
derstand. 1t is true that corn is low
in protein, but the leaves of the veg
ctables consumed supplement this de-
feet. Olive oil by itself, of course, Il
a poor fat from the standpoint of
nutrition, but if you combine it with
green leaves you supply a large
! amount of what is commonly known
/ rs vitamines, and you therefore on
| set satisfactorily the defect in the
fat. Our theory Of the nourishment
Of people, and especially of children
calls for the consumption of an
abundance Aof milk, cheese, eggs ano
| meat along with a proper assert
]
this kind of dietary because 1t pro-
vides plenty of vitamines. ON the
other hand, it is easy to see ana
appreciate that the Italian dietary
referred to above meets fully the
needs of the situation and properly
rourishes and sustains the popula-
ton of the countries where 1t -
primarily used. In our dietary we
eat a variety of expensive foods men
toned not only to secure vitamines,
Gnff
Italian obtains these much more
cheaply and in an equally satslac-
tory form through the consumption
of the leaves of vegetables whlch
ere rich in mineral salts essential 10
the proper sustenance of the human
beine. How could a population be
nourished on a simpler or less costly
dietary? Were we to adopt 1t IN
this country, the high cost of living
would cease to be the principal topic
of conversation. Corn IS one OF inc
cheapest and most abundant or our
| cereals. The vegetable oils whlch
we produce in vast quantities are
cheaper than animal fats. II II were
true that we consume these two eIe-
ments alone, disaster would over
take the American people because the
ration would then be deficient in vi
tanines and mineral salts. If in al
dition TO the above, however, we utlI-
ize vegetables and fruits abundahtiy
w
which il is defective. increase its pai-
atabiIitv and make II nourishlng ahC
sustaining. Tt Is not the purpose or
Thought o fthis article TO advocate
the adoption of a ration of this cnat-
-7cter but to noint out the nosslpllI
ties of simplifying our living, OF
using smaller quantities of food anu
re utilizing much adVantageouSy
that is now allowed to go to waste.
While surprise may be eVioehce1
over the simplicity of this ratlon anu
incongruitv evidenced as to It's sus-
raining Qualities, the fact. of the mnt-
ter is that the cclored peonle or the
south have lived on ration very
similar in general characteristics TOT
manv years.
Their ability to perform hard ana
arduous labor in the fields mas never
been questioned, and while they have
certain physical defects ana are Iile
victims of certain diseases broughl
on chiefly through ignorance or care
lessness, they are in many respects
o healthy and vigorous race OF peO
DIe. This ration is normally dehclent
and unsatisfactory, but when II IS
recalled that these people eat sucn
large quantities of coarse, though
rourishing, vegetables such as COT
lards. cabbages and turnip greens, IL
is easy to understand how the ration
becomes suited to their needs sup
plying not only the necessary VITA
mines but the mineral salts in album
dance as well. We, therefore, have
the counterpart in our own country
of the use of a very Simpllned ration
through a long series of years with
the utmost success. 1t has been
Dossible for the colored man and his
family to live very cheaply In the
past, and unless he changes his mao
its and his point of view with reIer-
ence to the selection and utilization
of his principal foods he can continue
10 do this in the future. This eX-
ample of what has occurred and is
occurring in Italy for even longer
period OF time and to justify the con-
tention that we can live on Whole-
some and satisfactory, though much
more simplified and less costly, ra-
tion than we now consume.
Last year when the food admins
tration asked us to emphasize the use
OF corn in various forms some were
of the opinion that it would encour-
age the development of pellagra.
This. it will be seen, has not oc-
Cured in the case of the two races
or people separated by a sheet %
water three thousand miles across,
nor will il occur in the case OF other
individuals who eat a reasonably
well-balanced dietary. There is no
reason why we should not use 20 per
cent or even more of corn productS
in the ordinary dietary of the aver
so doing we will be conserving the
essential supply of wheat and wheat
flour needed for the proper nourlsh-
ment of our soldiers and our allies
abroad. We can consume corn IN al
most unlimited quantities, provided
we associate with its consumption a
proper degree of fresh milk, butter
and vegetables in the form of greens
or prepared in any manner so as TO
make them palatable. Our dietary
habits have been formed and estab-
lished by custom; they are not neces-
sarily right, wholesome or better
than those of any other nation. They
can be changed and modified very
materially without inJuring In any
way the standard of physical devel-
opment of the American people. FOOD
substitution is a new proposition 10
us and one which is not altogether
acceptable. 1t is one of the things,
however, we shall have to face, IN
derStand, appreciate and interpret
because the increasing population OF
our country, even when a return TO
pre-war conditions is possible, Will
neCessitate changing and varying our
dietary standards TO considerable
degree. This article has been writ
ten TO demonstrate, therefore, the
probability OF meeting the eXl-
gencies of the present situation, due
to high food costs, satisfactorily ana
successfully by the Simpllncatlon or
our diet and the substitution of foods
now available in great quantities at
reasonable cost. In proportion to the
success with which we effect these
substitutiOns will we be able to con-
serve and save the foods regarded as
essentials for the nourishment of our
soldiers and those of our allies. The
American people have not been called
upon to do anything which they cam
not easily and satisfactorily accom-
plish with a minimum degree of self
sacrifice and but slight modification
of their existing dietary standards.
LIME REQUIRE1rENTS OF THE
PEANUT
II. L. NJ, Lucknow, 5. C.. writes;
l wish 20 plant some peanuts next
year and wish to know how much line
TO apply per acre, and how to apply