Evening Star Newspaper, January 14, 1923, Page 71

FICTION Part 5—8 Pages WASHINGTON, D. C, SUNDAY MORNING, JANUARY 14, MAGAZINE SECTION - The Sandiy ST, 1923. “ FEATURES ' 'Feeding of Nation’s Capital Requires Products From Wide Area BY FRANK GEORGE, Department of Agriculture., HERE is man be what he eats. If that| a striking picture of | Washington men and wn from the record of food | consumed in the National Cap- | The people of Washington have a inating palate. They want not | the best food the market affords, but a wide range in variety as well i In addition to the staple products, such | as apples, cabbage, cantaloupes, celery, | onfons, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes many favorites southern . like yamg, persimmons, kum- , chinquapins, cymlings and n. like the dasheen, the chayote and the alligator pear, are more or less n demand. To meet this demand, fresh fruits and vegetables are shipped by rail and steamer to Washington from all parts of the count Large quantities of | products are zlfo transported by motor truck and farm wagon from 1 farms. Carload receipts alone of nine leading do and vegetail total neariy ars a year. Ave «ging twelve tons to the car, this would | total 000 toi an average month supply of 3,000 tons and a daily suppl ©f 200,000 pounds. The average monthly car-lot supply | would fill the freight cars of a train nearly two milcs long and the receipts would appear as a tr cars twenty-three miles lonz, extend ing across the District and back again, with enough car: ft over to clutter the whole of Pennsylvanla avenue, ¥ o ok % HIS food eupply, shipped from dis- tant farms, is supplemented to a| considerable extent by home-zrown products raised in gardens in the Dis- trict and on gardens and farms in ad- jacent territory. These supplies are Lrought in to market by teams, trucks or small boats Figures regarding shipments are not available, tut on the farmers’ market alone, located in the large sheds west of Center Market, is estimated that about $2,000,000 worth of farm products is sold annually. This wvalue about equals that of the car-lot receipts of the nine orten leading fruits d vegetables, Indicating that the farmers' proportion of the city's sup- ply 18 much larger than the 10 per cent cstimated by some produce dealers. Motor trucks now come to Washing- ton from farming districts 100 .miles away. Most of the trucking is from iruch shorter distances, but the grow- ing importance of the motor truck sup- ply 18 a etriking feature. Of the car-lot receipts, about 1,009 cars are of potatoes, about 400 of ap- ples, about 300 of cabbage, about 200 cach of onions, sweet Potatves, peaches, tomatoes, cantaloupes and celery and less than 100. cars of strawberries. | These frults.and vegetables compose the great bulk of car-lot arrivals of do- mestic “produce of this class, the only important exceptiors prdbably being oranges, watermelons and grapes, which would fill several hundred cars more. In 1917 carload receipts of the nine leading fruits and vegetables totaled only 1,499 cars. .The year the United States entered the war receipts jump- ed to 2,986 cars, reaching the peak in 1920 with 3,072 cars. There was a slight falling off the following year, but during the first- ten months of 1923 nearly 2,900 carloads were recelv- od. Here, In the doubling of car- lot receipts since 1917, is further proof of Washington’s increasing population, Records for six years show that the largest volume of car-lot receipts is in October. Thefe are made up laregly of apples from Maryland, Vir- ginla and West Virginia; cabbage from New ¥ork, New Jersey and other states; celery from New York; onfons from New York, Ohlo and other ‘states, and potatoes from New York and New Jersey. Largo shipments are also received in September and November, the three months combined being the harvesting and shipping season in northern producing sections. In May, June and July there are largo arrivals, principally from the southern stales, representing . the ue may products ital. dise only early | n of | an old saying that a|if women | ¢ |Colorado and Arizona; Railroads, Water R of All Sorts A=A, of Food—Shipments Year of Nine Leading Domestic Fruits and Vegetables Require 3.000 Cars—Meat Consumption Larger Than in Most Sec- tions of Country, Because of Stream of Visitors to Washington and Large Demand for Restaurant Service—This City. Al- AAAA for though Chief Market in One of Country’s Main Truck and Fruit Regions, Is Supplied Liberally From Distant Sources. Produce Arriving early crops grown south of Virginie Cabbago comes from Florida, South | Carolina, North Carolina and Vir- cantaloupes < e from California, onions from Texas; peaches from Georgia, Vir- ginia and West Virginia: strawberries from North Carolina; tomatoes from | Florida, M sippi and other states, | and potatoes from Florida, South| Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland. ginla; ITUATED at the gateway between the morth and the south, Wash- ! ington draws shipments readily from either direction. Important railroads | bring supplies from every quarter, besides the liberal contributions by trucks, teams and river craft. The country's great truck garden, known as the eastern shore of Virginia and the Norfolk district, is within such short distance that the produce of one kind or another arrives in com- paratively first-class condition | Favorite northern apples, like the Rhode Island Greenings, compete here with the Southern Grimes and the York; Green Mountaln potatoes with the long-keeping Peachblow, and the dry-fleshed New Jersey sweet potato with the molst-meated Geor- | gla yam. The people of the District represent the tastes and fancies of all states as do the citizens of no other city, but all the various people, whether from Maine or Florida, from New Jersey or Oregon, or anywhere be- tween, are Iikely to find some of their favorite dinner table necessaries on sale in Washington. Center Market, besides offering a | most tempting array of the usual luxuries in the fruit and vegetable line, invites also numerous experi- ments in the cultivation of new table tastes, while outside the market in long rows of stalls are inducements for the bargain hunter in the shape of liberal -displays of produce not quite up to fancy grade, but well adapted to attract the buyer who cares less to gratify his eye than to fill his market basket. While Washington s centrally lo- cated with regard to sources of pro- duction, the city, like many others, is at a disadvantage in haviag no large cen- tral unlozding point. Produce arriving by rail must be trucked from onme to three miles across the city. This adds preatly to the cost of distribution. As in other cities of moderate size, the produce is sold direct to the retaller by the receiver and there is little of the intermediate jobbmg trade, as in New York or Chicago. The retailer buys in small lots. The prices quoted for such sales in the official reports of the Department of Agriculture may, therefore, appear high in comparison with the quotations of large lots known s jobbing sales in the metropolitan markets, and the higher range of the small-lot eales has led to statements that Washington is an especlally high-priced market. But it is at least doubtful whether this is true when sales over a long period of time and oa the same basis for the same grades of produce are compared for the different cities. Prices, however, may be relatively higher for northern products than for southern product be- cause of the longer rail haul. * k% % ‘ JASHINGTON offers a steady mar- ket for produce and shipments of supplies are generally regular. Erratic price changes are infrequent. There are few gluts and less produge is sold SRR by Rail Must Be Trucked Across City. e WHOLESALERS DISTRIBUTING THE PRODUCE THAT ARRIVES IN CRATES, BASKETS AND BARRELS. at sacrifice prices than at some other markets. Yet a market of this mod- erate size Is easily oversupplied, and farmers are being constantly urged to make previous arrangements with the dealers to whom car lot shipments are to be consigned. Potatoes composs about one-third of *he receipts. The leading varieties from nelghboning sections are the McCormick and Cobbler. Florida ships Spaulding Rose early in the season, followed by the Cobbler from - Carolina ‘and Vir- ginia. New Jersey ships the Glant and Malne the Green Mountain, while the “round white” class of potatoes arrives chiefly from New York, Michigan and ‘Wisconsin. Northern potatoes come in. sacks of 150 pounds and nearly all are marked or tagged U. 8. No. 1 Grade. Southern potatoes are packed mainly in barrels holding eleven pecks, and the quantity is nearly equally divided between No. 1 and No. 2. The No. 2s sell at 25 to 45 per cent less than No. 1s. During the last four years Washing- ton has averaged about 1,000 cars of potatoes yearly, or 600,000 bushels. ‘The early potatoes are mainly from Florida and the Carolinas, followed by Norfolk and the Eastern Shore. The late supplies come from New York, New Jersey, Michigan and Wisconsin, com- paratively few coming from far distant sources like northern Maine or Idaho. Receipts from the South are heavier in June and from the North in October and November. During the remainder of the year the city lives partly on thel| home-grown potatoes and the supply in storage. The first apples of the season are drawn from the surrounding- country in early July. Yellow Transparentis the first good commercial variety: Red Astrakan, Maiden - Blush and others come soon after; then hardler types or fall and winter va- rieties, such as Grimes, York Impe- | rial, Fall Pippin, Winesap, Stayman Winesap, Ben Davis and Black Twig. These varieties and many more are grown on the farms and orcahrds nearby and are brought to the city without belng packed or graded— usually two sizes, large and small They find ready sale at figures that are prompting the farmers to devote more time to the cultivation of their orchards and to speclalize in a few types best suited to their peculiar conditions. Comparatively few of these early apples are grown in what might be termed strictly commercial orchards. ok k X ILE in former years much stock was purchased from western New York and used in the market, during the past two years nearly all the eastern stock consumed has been from the Virginia section. During the early part or October and through November apples from the northwest are received at the local markets. Under ordinary conditions, most deal- ers prefer to 1ay in their supplies for the season during these months and but very little fruit is recelved after that time. Sweet potatoes ars popular in Washington. The city used 193 cars last year, or about one car of sweets to six of white stock, which Is a larger proportion than in northern citles. They come mainly from Maryland, Virginia and the Carolinas, but Georgla sent 35 cars in 1921, in- cluding many of the yamlike Porto Rican variety largely grown in that state. Cabbage receipts are usually around 30 to 60 cars per month, except in the | summer, when the demand falls off. Florida sends the early supply and New York leads in shipments of win- ter cabbage, but midseason shipments | are heavy from Virginia and the Caro- | linas. The city receives about 200 cars of onioms, or 100,000 bushels, every vear. The early ones are| mostly from Texas and the late from | New York, New Jersey and Ohlo. The Texas Bermuda onions are| galning in favor and the rate of sup- | ply has nearly doubled in recent years. The increase from year to year in the supply of both onions and cabbage seems to be chiefly from the south, while the use of the northern crop of both theso vegetables is nearly stationary. } The supply of celery has increased | almost every year from 1916 to .1922. The extenslon of celery culture in Flor- ‘da and California places this product in the market through most of the year and the demand has been gaining rapidly in city markets. Washington receives carloads of celery every month except in July and 80 per cent of the supply comes from New York and Flor- | ida in about equal proportions. No- vember is the heaviest celery montn, owing partly to the general use of celery with the Thanksgiving poultry dinner, * ¥ ¥ % LY about 12 per cent of the car- lot supply of leading frults and vegetables comes from the adjoining states of Virginia-and Maryland. Large additional quantities arrive from these states In small I6ts by teams, trucks and small boats, but the larger part of Washington's domestic fruit and vege- table supply s from more distant pro- ducing sections. regions is supplied liberally from dis- tant sources. Virginia apples, for in- stance, often skim the top prices in British markets, yet Washington some- times takes more car lots of apples from the Pacific coast than from Marsland and Virginia combined. The state of ‘Washington shipped only forty-one cars of apples to this city in 1916, but in- | creased to eighty-three in 1917 and has gained each year until receipts were 186 cars in 1921, Even with the big local crop of 1920, about half the city's car-lot supply for that year came from states not adjoin- ing. Of 197 cars of celery received in 1921, only 11 came from Maryland and none from Virginia, yet there is much fine celery grown in the vicinity, al- though seldom for market. Virginia has remarkably favorable climate and soll for cherry culture, but the local sup- ply, especially of the sour varietles, is mostly from distant sections. Florida and Mississippl supply most of the tomatoes during a time of year when Intensive gardening methods in more local districts might provide an earlier and later crop from sources not so distant. Late cabbage comes mostly from New York. California supplies more than half the canta- loupes, under a frelght handicap which alone would be a big profit for local producers. All but 20 cars of onions out of 196 received in 1921 were from distant states; more than half of them from New York, Ohio and Indiana. The total supplies of ten leading fruits and vegetables were 3,131 cars, of which New York sent 738, or near- 1y one-fourth; Virginia and Maryland sent 489, or less than one-sixth, and Washington and California sent 374, | The picturc of the fruit and vege- | table situation would be incomplete | without including the busy govern- ment Inspector down at the railroad | vards along the Potomac, who may | be seen any time crawling into cars, overhauling sacks of produce; taking, sting and welghing samples in ex- amining the condition of the load. The work has the dual purpose of assuring the people of Washington | | products of good quality and in lssu- ing official statements of the condi- tion or grade of the products to the | numerous persons immediately inter- ested In the shipments. | The local buyer or commission | dealer, for example, may wish to know the final standing of the car lot in order to explain to the shipper why the contents are not worth the | full market price. The car may be { Inspected for the shipper to Inform {him of the condition in which his | consignment reached the market. In- spection may be made as the basis for a damage claim against the railroad, |or the inspection may be requested by the carrler to protect it from paying an unjust claim. These inspections total 40 to 50 cars a month. Pota- toes, apples. peaches, cantaloupes and melons make up about 75 per cent of the inspection worlk * ok % ¥ \ TASHINGTONIANS and their guests who visit the Natlonal Capital are heavy meat eaters, consuming approx- imately 8,400,000 pounds of meat a month, a recent survey during Septem- ber, October and November shows. Of this vast quantity about 4,300,000 pounds are pork, 3,000,000 pounds are beef, 600,- 000 pounds are lamb and mutton and 500,000 pounds are veal. Figures are not avallable to determine consumption in other months of the vear, but the probabilities are that con- sumption is smaller during hot weather. During the period covered by the sur- vey it was estimated that each person consumed monthly an average of 19 pounds of meat, consisting of 9.8 pounds of pork, 6.9 pounds of beef, 1.4 pounds of lamb and mutton and 1.4 pounds of veal. This consumption is larger than in most other sections of the country, the reason for it being attributed to the large number of visitors constantly in the nation's capital and to the neces- sarily large hotel and restaurant trade. Pork constitutes 1.2 per cent of the total meat supply consumed, ‘while beef comprises 35.7 per cent, lamb and mut- ton 7.1 per cent and veal 6 per cent ‘The bulk of the supply Is furnished by Chicago and Baltimore packers and by local slaughterers who obtain their sup- ply largely from surrounding districts. Chicago packers contribute 36.9 per cent of the total supply, the live stock slaughtered by these interests originat- ing largely In the “corn belt” region of the middle west and in the western range country. Local slaughterers, of whom there are six or seven in number, furnish 32.8 per cent and Baltimore packers contribute approximately 13 per cent of the total during the early autumn months. - Various other sources of sup- ply also exist in the District, such as meat. brokers and hotel supply houses, which are large wholesale distributors of meat. * kK ¥ IGID inspection of the meat sup- ply is maintained to assure the public good food. Fourteen food in- spectors, who also inspect meat, are constantly on duty throughout the:city Thus the chlef market located In one jor about the same as the adjolning | wherever food distribution is made. Two of the country’s main truck and frult|great producing state of Virginia, men operate solely at Center Market, | to the other public markets of the cit Inspections of meat at each place of distribution are made at least twice | daily at the mar and sometimes even during the night. The meat at the local livestock slaughtering estab- | Ushments is given specially thorough inspection, as a large portion of it is { | not subject to federal inspection. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 1922, a total of £120 pounds of meat was condemned by these inspectors as being unfit for human consumption. Pork comprised 3.964 pounds of this quantity, beef 3,200 pounds, 438 pounds of lamb and 528 pounds of liver. Condemnation occurs principally be- cause of a slightly decomposed or taint- ed condltion of the meat. In the case of locally slaughtered meat, some of whicit has never undergone federal inspection, gome emall quantities are thrown out because of diseased condition. All suci meat is rendered unfit for food by pou ing kerosene it, and it s then shipped to soap fac Cold storage naturally plays an portant part in the fresh meat. trade Washington. T! has at least four plants, with a capacity of about 2,3 218 cublc feet. Holdings in cold storage as reported for December 1, 1922, were 100,242 pounds of beef, 373.131 pounds of fresh and cured pork, 20.977 pounds of lamb and 167617 pounds of miscella- neous meat. This quantity of cold storage supply is suflicient to meet the demands of the city for somewhat less than three days independently of outside sources. Nearly 4.000 concerns in the city sell or produce food supplies. More than 1,000 of theso are groceries which distribute both fresh and cured meat and meat products. There are also ten important market places in the city, all of which retail meat in connection with other supplies. Cen- ter market alone has forty-nine deai- ers handling fresh meat, in addition to twenty-five dealers who handie cured meat only. The daily consumption of milk Washington is estimated at 35.000 to 40,000 gallons, the total supply com- ing from dairy farms within a radius of sixty miles of Washington. Fully 70 per cent of this quantity is shipped to Washington direct by producers and 30 per cent is received through country recelving stations operated by dealers. Of the quantity shipped direct, 50 per cent is transported by motor truck. The District’s butter supply comes from the middle west, including Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio and Minne- sota, large quantities being bought through the Chicago market. Approximately 13,000 pounds of butter a month are received by the Marine Corps alone for use at the Ma- rine Corps barracks, the mavy yard and at Quantico. All butter for the Marine Corps Is inspected by Depart- ment of Agriculture inspectors as provided for in purchasing contracts. The cheese supply is received from Wisconsin and Néw York. Poultry and eggs come from nearby farms in Maryland and Virginia. Some poul- try comes from Tennessee in carload lots. Large quantities of eggs are bought through the’ Chicago market, the supply originating in the middle western states. A Bobbing Wind. A CURIOUS Instance of the effect of the shape of the ground upon the wind blowing over it was noted by a Frenchman experimenting with kites in France. When a north wind floated the kite the latter kept its balance easily, but when the wind came from the south or southeast the kite pitched and bobbed in & very irregular manner. The explanation was furnished by the character of the surface over which the wind had passed. Coming from the north, it had a plain country to blow over, but coming from the south and south- east it passed over broken hills, which set it into irregular puffs and undula- ( over n- e cit, in