Evening star., 1941-06-14
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
Bu Thomas r. Henrv.

By Thomas r. Henry.
American tomatoes and beans will
keep up England's vitamins.
They happen to be the two vegetables
which contain substances essential to
life in fair abundance, which can be
require relatively little shipping space.
Nearly $4,000, 900 pounds of dried beans
have been purchased from American
farmers by the Surplus Commodities Ad-
ministration of the Department of Agri-
culture during the past month. Some
of this supply will go toward building up
a domestic surplus, but great deal of
1t Is intended for Great Britain, which
needs badly some of the food sub
stances in which beans are richest.
At the same time Secretary of Agri-
culture Claude r. Wickard has appealed
to American farmers to plant enough
extra acreage to assure an extra Is, 5,000,-
900 cases of canned tomatoes late this
summer. They are assured of a market
at a fair profit. Planting already is
under way.
The tomato, Department of Agricul-
ture food experts explain, is especially
rich in two vitamins-A and c. The
former, observers who have returned re-
Gently from England say, is a pressing
te L>,oor
night blindness, but is even more essen
tial as a protection against infections.
During recent years it has been used
widely in the United States to guard
against the common cold. The vitamin
G content of the tomato is necessary to
prevent scurvy.
Recent reports from Germany show
that for the past five years reserve
of vitamin C, in the form of synthetic
ascarbic acid, has been piled up. The
nation had terrible experience with
scurvy in it's underfed population after
the first World War. While there have
been few signs of this malady in England
as yet, there is some evidence that a
subclinical scurvy, which shows itself
in general ill-health, is present to a con-
siderable degree even in the well-fed
United States.
Beans not only are needed for Eng
land, but form one of the major items
on Americas own food program. They
are rich in two elements of the essential
vitamin B complex. thiamin chloride and
NICOTINE acid. Formerly a common
household dish in the United States,
they appear to have declined in popu-
larity during the present generation.
Beans were long a staple dish of the
American Navy, before their vitamin
content was appreciated. They also
appear to have been the chief source
of vitamins of the American Indians
during the winters when fresh meat was
scarce. Unlike most vitamin- contain
ing vegetables, they require no process
ing for shipment and storage and are
looked upon as an almost ideal form in
which food reserve can be built up.
The Department of Agriculture is urg-
ing 35 per cent expansion in the land
planted to beans this spring, especially
in Michigan, New York. Idaho, Wyoming
N1OIlldIld anu SdHIOTnld-lne CTle1 pro-
ducing States. Last years production
was 600, 100000 pounds. Double this
amount, it is believed. can be absorbed
by this years market. The Surplus
Commodities Administration plans to
make purchases which will keep the
price at about IS per hundred pounds
at which the crop can be produced
profitably.
The tomato market also is being guar
anteed. Gamers are being asked to sub
init offers at once to deliver canned to-
matoes after the new pack has been
completed With such offers accepted
by the Government they will be able
to finance increased operations with lit
tie difficulty. Agents of the Department
of Agriculture Extension Service are
going through the tomato growing areas
to persuade farmers to increase their
paintings.
1t also is planned to buy up orange
and grapefruit juice to provide vitamins
for England, but no special program has
been started as yet. Both of these are
rich in the essential vitamin c. Sup
plies of fresh fruits, which England OBJ
tanned largely from Spain in the past,
are practically shut off. Shipments re-
quire refrigeration, which is almost i'm
DoSsihle Under nreSent conditions