The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-02-16
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
FREDERIC J. HASKIN, Director,
Washington, d. c..
WHAT EUROPE EATS.

WHAT EUROPE EATS.
Reports from the French Academy of
Agriculture Shed Some Light on
Food and Farming Conditions in
Both Germany and France.
Washington, Feb. 12.-How COM
pletely the belligerents of Europe are
separated from each other by the
fighting lines is shown by the eager
ness with which French scientists eX-
anined bits of food in a Zeppelin
which fell on French soil and was
captured by a hunter. These bits OF
food were evidence as to how the
enemy was living; they were analysed
as carefully, as tho they had been
fra gments from another planet.
The French scientists found to their
great surprise that the rye bread,
which constituted the basis of the ra-
ton used in the Zeppelin. contained
about 10 per cent of rice flour How
could Germany obtain rice? In only
one way-from Java by way of Hol-
land. Here was one important fact
deduced from the scraps of food in
the fallen airship.
The rest of the ration was suggestive
of Germanys poverty in foodstuffs. 1t
is well known that aviators require
diet rich in fats and sugars so that
they may withstand the cold of high
attitudes. These Zeppelin men were
were two kinds, evidently intended for
officers and men respectively. The
officers had the better bread, made
with a percentage of rice flour. and
their sandwiches were made of very
poor quality of cheese and honey from
which the saccarose-the most valu-
able food element-had been ex-
traeted.
These analyses were published in
the reports of the French Academy of
Agriculture, which are regularly re-
ceived by our own department of agri-
culture, and which throw much light
upon conditions in France, and some
upon conditions in Germany. One or
them, for example, contains an ac-
count of French experience in the use
of prisoners of war as farm laborers,
which is of special interest inaSmuch
as the ACCESSIBILITY of sending German
prisoners over here in returning YES
sells for the same purpose has been
seriously considered.
The French agriculturists are not
very encouraging. The first drawback
is that very few of the prisoners have
had any experience in farming. Most
of the good farmers have been Kept at
home A second difficulty lies in the
fact that the prisoner is most unwilling
to work. He can sometimes be bribed
to work by extra rations of food; but
generally he succeeds in making him
self pretty nearly useless. A good deal
of trouble was caused by attempts to
apportion the men among farmers,
who were required to keep them in
their homes. This practice resulted in
SO much immortality and trouble that
it was stopped. It is interesting to
note that in the north of France along
the German border, where the French
and Germans are people of about the
same racial type, the use of prisoners
as labor was something of a success,
while attempts to introduce the pris-
oners in the Latin south of France
were failures. The people in some
cases rejected them with violence. The
conclusion of the French scientists is
that prisoners of war may be used
with some success in cultiSating large
areas under strict military supervision.
Thus some of our unusued western
lands perhaps offer the best oppor-
tunity that there is for the successful
use of this labor.
1t appears that in both Germany
and France great attention is being
given to the raising of rabbits and the
keeping of bees. They have also given
| much attention to the development of
| small home gardens, but these produce
for the most part only fresh vegetables
| which contain little nourishment. Rab-
| bits, on the other hand, provide fresh
| meat'of a very good quality, and may
| be fed on all sorts of weeds and plants
| that could not otherwise be utilized,
| while bees provide sugar, and extract
| 1t from plants without impaifing their
| food value. Meat and sugar are what
| allfthe world needs Our own depart
ment of agriculture has been encour-
| aging the keeping of bees, and scien-
fists of the biological survey have
| pointed out the possibilities of sup
plementing the meat supply by raising
i rabbits. So far, neither of these move
ments seems to have taken hold in this
country. If bee and rabbit keeping
| could be promoted MS successfully as
was the home garden idea last sum-
mer, the food shortage could be great
1y al1eviated.
OF course, the great question which
France faces is that of manS power
| In spite of all her efforts her agricul-
tural production has suffered for lack
| of men TO till the soil. Many of the
Academy reports deal with various
phases of this problem. Thus it indi-
Gates that the labor of women in the
fields is being stimulated by offering
| prizes to farmers wives for agricu1-
tural work There IS also a note in
| dicating that, the labor of prisoners
of war not having proved very useful
France is now turning to her colonies
for labor. Black men from Africa
| either have been or are to be imports
ed for use as agricultural labor. Both
France and England have tried the
use OF black men on the battlefield
but there they have failed. being an
able to stand the rigorous conditions
of military service in a climate to
| Which they are not adapted. 1t seems
quite probable that they might be sue
cessfully used as laborers. especially
| IN the warm regions of Southern
| France. 1t nay be haZarded, too
that only desperate lack of mar
power would induce France to rish
| the problems which have always riser
from the Importation of black mer
into an Aryan country.
M'ADOO EMBARRASSED