Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-28
AMERICANS EAT LESS
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

Astonishing changes have taken
place In the diet Of the American
people during the last three to four
decades and they may fairly be held
to account to O considerable extent for
farm distress. Although the period
has been one of steadily increasing
wealth and @ constantly higher stand
ard Of living, staple farm products
have been consumed in progressively
smaller quantities.
People eat less than they did q gen.
Grafton or two ago. This is accounted
for by the development Of labor-saving
machinery. AS each year has brought
amazing new inventions, the necessity
for putting forth muscular EFFORT has
diminished. Steam, electricity, gaSo-
line, compressed air are doing mucn
of the work which formerly was the
direct result of the straining OF sinews:
While it remains task requiring skill
and some strength for a man to drive
a tractor dragging a gang-plow, less
muscular force is demanded than In
the holding Of an old-faShioned plow
and striding behind 1t.
In factories, even in ofnceS, tasks
have been made lighter. Even when
automobile drivers were required 70
crank their cars, stronger men were
49,
the trick. Before the days Of the motor
car the driver often had TO hold his
horses by main strength and usually
exert some considerable EFFORT In har-
Messing, embarrassing, grooming. feed
ing and watering his animal power.
All that Is q thing Of the past. the
motor car Il fed by the filling station
attendant, and even he Is armed with
labor-saving gadgetS. =,
The inevitable result has been q di-
nninished consumption Of muscle-ouilo-
ing food. Tissue still Is broken down
by effort, but, for the population as 9
whole, less Is actually needed to carry
on the majority of modern tasks.
Another element In diminished 1000
consumption Is to be found in improved
housing and heating facilities NC
longer Is It necessary for the people
to store up by hearty eating reserves
Of heat-conserving energy to night on
the cold. Houses are constructed with
more of an idea to comfort: Inc moo,
ern furnace, equally distributing hea'
throughout q dwelling, has taken tht
place of the open fireplace Wnlcr
scorched the face and froSe the back.
Use Of Flour Declines.
Some of the figures which have just
been compiled by the Foodstuffs Divi'
sion, Department of Commerce, are sur
prising. Incredible as it seems, the pei
capita consumption Of wheat -four ha'
declined from 223.9 pounds in 1889 Il
only Ills pounds. Here Is q shortening
| Of the yearly ration by more than 81
loaves Of bread. This Is accounted fol
to some extent by change In bakint
methods. In 1889 the loaf Of whitt
bread was Of much more solid texture
than It is today. It contained mor'
-four. The method of initiating bread x
something comparable TO the texture O
| q Swiss cheese had not been adopted
Also more homemade biscuits, some o.
them rather weighty, were consumed.
The decline In the consumption o.
corr meal is even more striking. II
1889 corn meal consumption was IL
pounds per capita. Now 1t is down u
| only 22.3 pounds. Corn meal mush
fried corn meal cakes, spoon bread anc
other dishes of the type have almos
completely disappeared from the Amer
lean diet save in some sections of thu
| Southern States.
The buckwheat cake which in 1885,
graced millions of American breakfast
tables has almost completely disap'