Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1918-01-17
Fantastic Tales Concerning
Them Exploded by Federal
Government.
PR0.GERMANS SPREAD LIES
Home Gamers of America Prove Pa.
triotism in Meeting Emergency
Billion Cans of Food on Pan.
try Shelves Today.
BY J.. HAsKlN.

vegetables on the pantry shelves OF
American homes today. Those billion
cans are a huge monument to patriot
ism and the speed and efficiency with
which democratic America can rally
to meet an emergency. They are a
weight of some size on the spirit Of
German autocracy and q colossal stun
bling block in the path OF Germany's
march to world domination. They are
the most important collection of cans
the world has ever seen. And it is vi
tally important that the American peo-
pie should realize that those cans are
cans of good food, safe to use, safe to
eat, and that certain fantastic tales be-
ing circulated concerning them are ut
terly without foundation.
The home Gamers of America can
ned 1,O00,000,000 cans Of fruits and
vegetables this year. Next year, if all
goes well and the spirit Of the people
remains equal to the tasks Of war,
they will can M and one-half billion
cans of fruits and vegetables. This is
q var measure and n of vital impor-
lance. Any tale or rumor which tends
to discourage the use of this years bill
lion cans or the preservation Of next
years billion and a half cans, is of aid
and comfort to the enemy, although it
may, in some instances, be reported in
all good faith.
Some of the rumors are so ridiculous
that few people will believe them.
Here are a few that have been dis
covered, Investigated and exploded by
authorities of the federal. government:
Exhibit A is the tale, circulated early
in the canning season, that a part of
the glass jars and rubber rings in use
bad been poisoned by German spies.
Tale Spreads Fast.
Exhibit B is a rumor of immense
persistence and vitality, to the effect
that the government is going to seize
home-canned foods. This tale is sur.
prisingly widespread, judging by the
number of anxious letters concerning
it that come to the government depart.
meuts, the federal food administration
and the various newspaper bureaus in
Washington. Whether the story was
started, as most people here believe,
deliberately to hamper the coming
campaign and render it less effective.
or whether it simply arises from an ut.
ter misconception of the nature of the
food and it's purposes, is not impor.
tant. What is important is that the
story is not true. The government is
not going to seize any home-canned
foods.
A story related to this last is a re
port that the government is contem.
plating a war tax on home-canned
fruits and vegetables. Careful inves.
tigation here has failed to show the
slightest basis for this report.
Perhaps the most annoying report
that has been making it's unpatriotic
rounds is the report that fruits and
vegetables canned by what is known
as the "one-period, cold-pack method"
are liable to be unsafe as food.
For those who have canned foods OF
this sort on their pantry shelves the fol.
lowing absolutely authoritative state.
ment is offered by way of reinsurance
"The cold-pack method processes have
been used for five years and not a sin.
gle death or serious illness has result.
ed from the consumption Of food saved
according to it's direction"
"BoiIing" Saves Much.
Of course a certain amount of com
mon sense is needed in the use OF
canned foods, just as it is needed in
crossing the street or getting off a rail
way train. Fruits or vegetables which
show any signs Of decay should not be
canned. Canned fruits or vegetables
whose looks or taste, or Odor when the
can is opened, might indicate that they
are spoiled, are perhaps best thrown
away by the inexperienced Gamer
although experienced housewives Otter
make use of canned fruits that show
mold, for example, by boiling then
over" before putting them on the ia
BILE.
This last process suggests the nam
of "yacillus botulinus''-a germ in {
fair way to gain some small reputa
ton. In a recent number of a medica
journal there appeared an article OF
"botulism," a disease which may b.
contracted by eating spoiled canned
fruits or vegetables.
1t should be clearly understood tina
botulism is n of the very rare ma1a
dies. The chances for contracting i
by eating canned goods, say the ex
perts, are rather less than the chance
OF dying from lockjaw every time 20,
scratch your finger.
The lo~ng-and-short CT this who'll
matter Of canned food is that there i
no more danger from eating it thi
year than there was in any other year
: II you want to take extra precautions
recook canned foods a little befor
2 using them. Remember, too, tina
: homecoming is a great help in win
ming the war, and get behind mex
years canning campaign.