Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-04-30
LIVING AT HOME

This. is a question of vital interest and
concern to every one at the present
time. The war situation naturally tends
to complicate transportation facilities
and make it more and more desirable
that the largest possible per cent of
the food consumed by the population in
a given section of the country be grown
at home Is ii practical for our people
through their own efforts to produce
any considerable quantity of the normal
food requirements at home, or must We
as in the past look to its transporLa-
tion in large quantities from distant
sections of the country? Is our pres
ent system of bringing potatoes from
California and shipping Georgia water
melons to New York, Minneapolis and
Denver necessary, or could we live
equally we'll out of the products of our
own orchards and gardens, provided We
produce these in sufficient quantity and
variety? Consideration of what may be
accomplished in this direction is a very
important and essential matter at this
time, and hence an attempt will be made
TO show to how large an extent we may
feed ourselves at home and at the same
time be satisfactorily nourished.
study of the food consumed by the
average American family indicates that
we eat about per cent of fish, per
cent of eggs, 2 per cent of sugar IS
per cent of milk and butter, Is per cent
of vegetables, 81 per cent of flour and
other cereals, and 16 per cent of meat.
Let us take these food articles up in
the order in which they are presented
and see how nearly We could hope to
supply the needs of our population from
local sources. To begin with, Georgia
has a relatively long seacoast with many
islands lying thereof which provide
riety of fish There are many large
bayous or estuaries running back into
the seacoast in which fresh water fish
abound as well. Large quantities of
mackerel, whiting, shad, drum, bass, and
Dream are taken from either salt or
fresh water sources of supply. In ad-
dition, we have great oyster beds and
harvest great quantities of shrimp. We
are now putting up very considerable
quantities of sardines. These state
ments refer only to the choicer of our
food fish, there being many varieties
which are now not caught to any APP
preciable extent valuable as sources of
food and which abound off the coast
in large numbers. 1t is simply a queS-
ton, therefore, of promoting and devel-
oping the fish industries to a reason.
able degree which we can undertake
even in a war emergency in order that
we may be able to supply our consuming
population with all of this class of foo
essential to their needs. Several of our
most important railroads run from the
seacoast to interior points, and it is
an easy matter, therefore, to distribute
the fish satisfactorily, as a large per
cent of the express cars would move
back into interior points without proper
loads unless they hauled food of this
character.
In so far as eggs are concerned,
Georgia can easily supply all of this
class of food she needs. 1t is probably
true that some eggs are coming into
the state but the poultry industry can
be put on a self-sustaining basis in
so far as food supplies are concerned,
within twelve months. It is duty and
a privilege to undertake this at the
present time. Moreover, by encourag
ing the poultry industry, we will not
only supply ourselves with very cheap
and desirable source of food, but we
can increase the number of chickens
considerably and thus reduce the con-
sumption of meat.
Sugar now constitutes per cent of
the normal diet Georgia is not a sugar
producing state, though, of course rib
bon cane as we'll as other varieties can
be grown to advantage. Most of the
cane, however, is made into syrup and
there is no objection to this practice. IN
those parts of the state where sugar
cane can not be grown successfully,
sorghum can be cultivated and a very
desirable grade of syrup obtained. 1t is
well-known fact that syrup may lie
made to take the place of at least half
our normal sugar requirements, and
we should be able to produce, enough
additional syrup to send to other sec
tions of the country not too far distant
to Justify us in purchasing such sugar
from other states as we may need. As
a matter of fact, we are probably now
not producing and using as mucr syrup
as we should. This phase of our agri-
culture should therefore be stimulated
and increased. We have the facilities
at our command now for handling much
larger quantities of cane than our annual
harvest represents. Let us encourage
the production of larger quantities of
syrup, therefore, as a means OF enabling
us to conserve sugar to the highest
possible degree.
In the matter of milk and butter, we
have a considerable number of animals
classed as dairy cows. To be exact,
4350OO of them. The trouble is that
many of these animals are very poor
producers, probably not yielding over l.
500 to 1000 pounds of milk year and
only making from rs to 100 pounds of
butter. We cannot change this condi-
ton all at once, but it is certain that if
these cows were fed and cared for in
most skillful manner that their output
could be increased by at least 20 per
cent. This would add materially to our
supplies of milk and butter, and place
us on a more nearly self-sustaining
basis. By taking thought now and
working Systematically to that end,
there is no reason why in a compare
tively short time we should not be able
TO produce all the milk and butter need
ed The prices for dairy products are
such as to justify a considerable invest
ment in this direction and the handling
and feeding of this class of stock more
circumspectly.
Vegetables properly constitute 20 per
cent of our diet We could increase the
production in this direction materially
There is no difficulty about our sup
plying all the vegetables needed If we
have the wish and disposition to that
end. There are few sections of the coun-
try where so great variety OF Vege-
tables can be grown or where the garden
may be made to yield something during
practically every month of the year
There are three distinct garden seasons
in Georgia The first Of these would
be known as the spring and summer,
the second as the fall garden and the
third as the winter garden. Information
and nlans relative to the establishment