Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-10-08

wv yASHINGTON, D. c., Sept. 21.-"A sandwich
M of sliced boiled batata spread with cocoa
w nut butter and bits of shredded cocoanut;
a dish of baked patanos, scalloped auguacates;
chocolate with cocoanut milk and a suck of the
sugar cane, reads menu Of Porto Rican food
cOnservationist
Porto Rico, like the rest of the United States,
must conserve. She is, for all such purposes, as
much a part of the nation any state. But when
it comes to procuring food she is an island sepa-
rated from the mainland of supplies, as is England.
This fact brought poignantly home to the
Porto RicanS when, on June 2, the steamship Caro-
lima sunk by a German submarine. Suddenly
they realized that their problem different from
that of the mainland. If anything should cut their
connection with it, it would not be question of
conserving for the allies. but of finding food for
themselves. The town would be panc-stricken.
1t obvious that, while obeyng the orders of the
food administration to save wheat, fats, meat and
sugar, they must also learn to use their own prod
ucts wherever possible, and must increase their
production of such foodstuffs.
Fortunately this possibility had been foreseen
by the department of education, and as early as
August 1917, according to the report OF the chair
man of food production and home economics, Porto
Rcan division of the wOman's committee, Council
of National Defense, plan started to make
Porto Rico self-supporting in her food supplies.
First of all, two weeks summer course for
teachers held to study the new work for the
coming year, which to instruct the students
of the schools and their families in diet, and
utilizing local products. During the year cooking
classes were conducted in forty-two towns. These
classes were not only in conservation cooking, but
also in Porto Rican cooking.
1t was simple matter to omit pies and cakes
and wheat bread, from the school menu cooking
lessons The question was, what should be sub
stituted? Corn was not used in Porto Rico in any
quantity; what was, was imported. Rice and
potato fours would all have to be imported. And
it was from this dependence upon importation for
the staff of life that the Porto Rcans had to be
freed.
1t was found that Porto Rico is specially blessed
with vegetables rich in starch This starch can
readily be extracted by a simple home process.
The vegetable is peeled and grated, covered with
water and allowed to- stand for several hours. The
pulp is then strained out, the starch allowed to
settle, the water poured off, and the starch dried
and sifted In all cases it is fine and white and
serves we'll flour cornstarch. In order to
prove the people that starch is starch whether
comes from a vegetable a grain of wheat, and
that it furnishes much nourishment to the body,
collections of starch were made illustrating the
varying amounts extracted from equal quantities
of several vegetables These collections were
hibited and explained to the public. They were
also used with great in all school recipes,
except bread, calling for -four.
The next step was to teach dissatisfaction. In
place of bread boiled baked batata baked plata
nos and other vegetables must be used For sand
wiches, slices of boiled yauta and boiled batata
were spread with peanut butter or shredded cocoa
nut.
At the University of Porto Rico dryer was in