Congress, at the time the Food Control Bill was passed, fixed the
price of the 1918 wheat at a minimum of $2 per bushel, and the
President later fixed the price at $2.20. This has been high enough to
encourage the farmer to increase his crop and not too high to be fair
to the consumer. The Department of Agriculture, during the winter of
1917-18, had for its slogan, "a billion-bushel crop for 1918." It has
worked intensively to help the farmer in selecting and testing seed
and in fighting destructive insects and plant-diseases, and in every
way to help him grow more wheat.

Constant reliance has been placed on the individual's intelligence
and patriotism in wheat-saving. One of the unusual aspects of the Food
Administration is its confidence in the co-operation of the country
and the response which this confidence has met. Wheatless meals are
now a commonplace occurrence. Wheatless days are being observed
in many hotels and homes. People all over the country have pledged
themselves to do entirely without wheat until the 1918 harvest is
available. About 100,000 barrels of flour were returned by individuals
and companies during the spring of 1918, to be shipped to the Allies
and the Army and Navy. The individual all over the country, consumer,
dealer, miller, or farmer, has risen to the occasion to do his share
toward the fulfilment of the Government's promise to Europe.




CHAPTER II

THE WAR-TIME IMPORTANCE OF WHEAT AND OTHER CEREALS