Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1918-05-01
LAUNCH POTATO CAMPAIGN
HERE week APRIL 20
Food Administrator Merrill Urges In
crease Use of spuds to Save Wheat
for Shipment Abroad.
EXCEPTIONS TO $3.50 RULE

2 Maine and an ap-
peal for every in
dividual In this State
10 eat more potatoes is made by
Federal Food Administrator Leon S.
Merrill
People are confronted with the
problem to consume not only the
surplus potatoes grown by the far
mers in 1917, but also the surplus
which accumulate from the cut off in
normal potato consumption brought
about by transportation difficulties
An intensive campaign to increase
potato demand will be waged by
every agency cooperating with the
Food Administration and every EFFORT
will be made to move potatoes rapid
ly to where demand arises. School
children. churches, voluntary work
ers. grocers will be enlisted in the
service 30 urge the people to eat more
potatoes.
Grocers are urged TO secure plenty
of potatoes in order to take care of
the demands of their customers who
will buy heavily in order to aid the
Government in winning the war
against German autocracy.
In addition TO urging people to eat
potatoes in all forms, and particul-
larly to serve baked potatoes without
wheat bread on the table, the Food
Administration is doing everything
possible to create other new uses for
the spud. 1t has recently made a
survey of plants where potato -four
can be made and has encouraged its
manufacture, Owners of such plants
have been quick to see their oppor-
tunity and on April LIST, there was
5000 tons of natural potato Hour in
sight.
Plants for the making of potato
-four and edible potato starch are now
at work in our own State of Maine.
and in New York. Ohio. Michigan,
Colorado, Idaho, Oregon and Wash
ington.
Fifty Fifty Exceptions.
BY this time nearly everybody un-
derstands the pound-fOr pound or
$3.50" ruling, to the effect that when
you buy wheat flour you must pur-
chase at the same time an equal
weight of food products selected from
the following: corn meal, corn -four.
edible corn starch, hominy, corn
grits. barley -four. rice. rice -four, po-
tato flour, sweet potato -four, oat-
meal. rolled oats, soya bean -four,
buckwheat flour, feterita -four and
meals.
This is clear to all, as well as the
fact that it does not matter whether
the buyer sticks to one substitute or
distributes his choice among several,
so long as the total weight of substi-
tutes equals that of the wheat -four.
Somewhat less we'll understood are
the two exceptions to the 5000"
rule.
The first of these concerns graham
-four and whole wheat -four. Both
of these because of the process OF
milling. use larger percentage of the
wheat berry than regular wheat
-four: /. e. bushel of wheat will
make a greater weight OF graham
or whole wheat -four that It does OF
the ordinary wheat -four. In other
words. graham and whole wheat
fiours are in themselves making
wheat go farther. For that reason. a
person buying a certain number of
pounds Of graham or whole wheat
-four. need get only 3-5 Of that
weight in substitutes.
The second exception applies 30
mixed flours. When any mixed -four
contains so per cent or more of the
ingredients other than wheat, 1t may
be sold alone for It is observing the
$3.50 rule in itself But If this mixed
-four contains less than so per cent of
substitute ingredients, that purchase
must be made up by other purchases.
For instance. suppose a person bought
four pounds of mixed fours composed
of three pounds of wheat -four and
one pound substitutes. Along with
that mixed -four he would have TO
buy two pounds of some of the speci-
fed substitutes. In so doing, he
would be carrying out of that store,
a total of three pounds of wheat, and
three of substitutes. The mere fact
that part of the substitutes had been
mixed with the wheat before it was
bought would not matter at all, be-
cause the pound for pound or $3.50"
principle would still be operating.