The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1918-10-01
They are Collecting Bushels Of Fruit
Stones and Giving Neighbors
No Rest These Strenu-
GUS Days.
GROCERY BOYS IN RACE
School Children Ahead Because o
Early start, But Drivers Of De-
livery Wagons VIII Have
Their Innings.

Say, save every one of your april
! cot and peach stones for me, won't
you" is what the housekeepers are
hearing every day from children now.
IF you want a thing done thorough
", start the kids at it." said one man
today. and the facts justify the re-
marks. as any observer in the office OF
Superintendent Aldrich knows.
Two thousand four hundred school
children in Keokuk are gathering
fruit pits and nut shells needed to
make gas masks for the protection
OF the American army at the front.
When fruit is served on their ta-
hles at home they dry the stones and
pits and take them to school where
they are piled into bushel baskets.
So jealous are the Keokuk children
in this work for the Red Cross chap
ter that they not only watch to see
that no peach or other fruit stones
go to waste at home, but they have
started out to solicit the pits from
people in the neighborhood. Every
neighbor is cautioned not to throw
away fruit pits, but to save them.
Cover the Entire City.
When lot have accumulated in
certain home the children go gather
them. In this way nearly every home
in Keokuk has been reached and con-
servation in this line is spread like
net work about the city.
The school children began to gath
er the fruit pits before the Red Cross
agitated the question Of conservation
along this line. according to William
Aldrich, superintendent Of schools.
When school first opened they went
to work.
Have you any peach stones?" is
familiar question often asked the
Ineighbors In fact they rather spester
the neighbor women. Whether 1t Is
two or three prunes or cherry stones
or a good sized bag full that the neigh
Dor has, the children want every one.
Four Bushels in AIdrich's office.
Four bushels of pits have been col
Ilected and stored away at the super
intendents office. Several bushels
have already been sent into head
Quarters.
There is further supply OF be-
TWEEN six or eight bushels at the ward
schools. These will be turned in to the
Keokuk Red Cross chapter, which will
dry and ship them in accordance with
war department orders.
Housewives have been asked to
give peach stones and other fruit pits
to the grocery boys to take to the stores
where there are special receptacles
kept. But receipts from this phase OF
the campaign make no great showing
as yet.
A Patriotic Race.
1t has been found that carbon made
by proper burning of nut shells and
the pits of peaches, apricots, prunes.
cherries and other fruits is very val
liable in the construction of the anti
dotal filling Of gas masks. The war
department has asked the Red Cross
to aid in collecting as many tons as
possible of these things for use in its
gas mask factories.
It is a race between the grocery
delivery boys and the school kids-be-
tween the Keokuk school system and
the Keokuk Red cross-as to which
shall collect the most fruit stones
and nut shells to make gas masks to
save Keokuk and other American
soldiers.
The schol children got quick
start and forged thead but the drivers
Of the delivery wagons VIII no" nave
their innings and will give the school
pupils hard race to get the most
fruit stones.
Go to TT is the slogan OF Secre-
tary of War Baker.
Get 'em anyway, but get EN-, says
the Red Cross.
And Keokuk youth is going to it
and getting them.