1918 ? Food transportation significant pandemic issue

[Amish Country]

War Gardens help solve Traffic Problem.

“The winter of 1917-1918 brought the most serious traffic congestion the United States has ever seen. This condition has no meaning more significant than that the gardens of this year must do even more than those of 1917 in freeing the overburdened railroads from the need for transporting food products. With food shortage threatening the allied nations and with railroad congestion as an added factor, the war garden results of the coming season must be several times greater even than the vast yield of last year.”

Source: http://books.google.com/books?hl=en...=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPP1,M1

1918
War Gardening manual
Home storage Manual
War Garden Commission
Maryland building, Washington, DC

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Manual also contains information on gardening and long term home storage of vegetables in a cold climate.

 

[gsgs]

Re: 1918 ? Food transportation significant pandemic issue

why was it a "pandemic issue" ?
2nd wave was in 1918/19

 

[Amish Country]

Re: 1918 ? Food transportation significant pandemic issue

In 1918 it was already a matter of scarce resources. This article indirectly highlights the priority of the overburdened railroads being needed to move freight, troops and war supplies over food for the civilian population. With large numbers of adult males already engaged in the war activities in Europe and military support activities at home, there would have been fewer workers available in the US. When the Great Influenza pandemic occurred that surgically targeted young healthy men, men that would have been running and maintaining processing, transportation and deliver systems, it becomes an issue. The pamphlet is one of the few contemporary sources that reports US having problems with food transportation and delivery.

At this time reports indicate the news media was heavily censored in many countries. Spain appears to be the exception. Reporting news that might hurt the “war effort” or moral was discouraged.

 

[gsgs]

Re: 1918 ? Food transportation significant pandemic issue

sorry, I haven't seen any reports which indicated food was a
major problem during the 1918-20 pandemic.

maybe malnutrition contributed in countries like
India,Spain,Italy - but this was "established"
before the virus did hit , before food-transportation
problems were felt.

 

[mixin]

Re: 1918 ? Food transportation significant pandemic issue

I haven't seen any stats, but I think those small backyard Victory gardens probably kept many people from going hungry during those years.

If we ever have a pandemic like some predict, learning how to garden will be important if the supply lines go down.

This is a great little book to download.

 

[Amish Country]

Re: 1918 ? Food transportation significant pandemic issue

I liked the manuals and thought the section on food storage was excellent. This was at a time when many had root cellars, iceboxes or springhouses, before most had refrigerators, as we know them today. Ice for refrigeration was delivered by a horse drawn wagon.