Drying, or dehydrating, has long been known for beans, peas, and corn, and for dates, prunes, figs, and raisins.  But dried potatoes, beets, carrots, and “soup mixtures” are more or less new.  The drying, of course, merely removes most of the water from the vegetable, and if the process is properly carried out, soaking the vegetable in water restores its original freshness.

The war, with the need for every ounce of food and the increasing transportation difficulties, has brought the process into prominence.  The dehydrated products, if properly stored, seem to keep a long time.  Their saving in freight and shipping is plain, when it is remembered that the fresh vegetables and fruits often contain over 90 per cent water, and the dried from 8 per cent to 10 per cent.  Ships are too precious to be used for carrying unnecessary water.  Our Government has placed orders for several thousand tons of dehydrated potatoes for the Army and may use other dried products as they can be obtained.

Canada has sent abroad within the past 3 years over 50 million pounds of dehydrated vegetables, about two-thirds of which was the vegetable-soup mixture and one-third dried sliced potatoes.  When reconstituted this would make about 400,000,000 pounds of vegetables.  Germany has been drying her vegetables and fruits far more than we.  In 1917 she had over 2,000 commercial plants, and an elaborate system of distributing all the available fresh material to the different plants to avoid waste.

Individuals and communities with gardens or wherever fresh products can be obtained should not be dependent upon commercial agencies.  AS FAR AS POSSIBLE EVERY FAMILY AND EVERY NEIGHBORHOOD SHOULD BE SELF-SUPPORTING.  HOME AND COMMUNITY CANNING AND DRYING ARE IMPORTANT DUTIES.  CAN AND DRY THE SURPLUS.  STORE UP ENOUGH TO CARRY THROUGH THE NEXT WINTER.  FOLLOW EXPERT ADVICE AS TO METHODS.  USE THE GREATEST CARE TO PREVENT SPOILAGE.  WHEREVER POSSIBLE UNITE WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS IN COMMUNITY CANNERIES AND DRYERS SO THAT EVERY ONE CAN HAVE THE BENEFIT OF THE BEST EQUIPMENT AND THE MOST SKILLED SUPERVISION.

A GREAT DEAL WAS DONE IN 1917; MILLIONS OF CANS WERE PUT UP AND GREAT WASTE PREVENTED. BUT IN 1918 MORE MUST BE DONE.  MORE VEGETABLES MUST BE RAISED AND MORE MUST BE CANNED. A GREAT RESERVE FOR THE WINTER IS MORE NECESSARY THAN EVER.

CONCLUSION

Almost a year of food control in this country has passed and the great new experiment in democratic administration of the nation’s food is succeeding.  The method of well-directed voluntary co-operation, much more characteristic of our food control than of any other country’s, can be judged by its results to date.  We have sent abroad six times the wheat that we had believed was in the country for export.  We have exported vastly increased shipments of the other cereals, of beef and pork, of fats and condensed milk.  With Canada, we are supplying 50 per cent of the Allies’ food, instead of barely 5 per cent, as before the war.  Meanwhile our own population has been taken care of.  No one has gone hungry because of the shipments of food out of the country.  The price of the most important food, bread, has been kept stable—­a new experience in time of war.