GRAPHIC EXHIBITS On FOOD CONSERVATION dtf FAIRS 8 EXPOSITIONS UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISWATION Washington, D. C. J } S PRELIMINARY EDITION September, iqij GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON This is the time for America to correct her unpardon- able fault of wastefulness and extravagance. Let every man and every woman assume the duty of careful, provi- dent use and expenditure as a public duty, as a dictate of patriotism which no one can now expect ever to be excused or forgiven for ignoring. WOODROW WILSON. T FEEL it my duty to emphasize that the food situation is one of the utmost gravity, which, unless it be solved, may possibly result in the collapse of everything we hold dear in civiliza- tion . . . The only hope is by the elimination of waste and actual and rigorous self-sacrifice on the part of the American people. GRAPHIC EXHIBITS ON FOOD CONSERVATION AT FAIRS AND EXPOSITIONS /. Introductory. II. Save the Wheat. Exhibit on "Save the Wheat." Demonstration in making substitute bread or "Emer- gency Bread." Exhibit of " Emergency Bread " loaves. Lunch counter for selling "Emergency Breads." Contest in making "Emergency Breads." ///. Economy in Use of Fat. Exhibits. Demonstrations of soap making and fat rendering. IV. Other Food Exhibits. Better use of milk. Canning, drying, etc. V. Food and War Facts. Information. Registration. Distribution of publications. VI. Appendix. Graphic Exhibits on F o o Our Problem Is to feed our Allies this winter by sending them as mucn food as we can of the most concentrated nutritive value in the least shipping space. These foods are wheat, beef, pork, dairy prod- ucts, and sugar. Our Solution Is to eat less of these and more of other foods of which we have an abundance, and to waste less of all foods. UNITED STATES FOOD ADMINISTRATION. Conservation at Fairs and Expositions CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY / T A WENTY-TWO hundred interstate, State, district, and county -*- fairs and a large number of industrial and commercial expo- sitions are held in the United States in the late summer and early autumn of each year. Many of these are already planning exhibits, demonstrations, and contests on food conservation. Many others will doubtless find it possible to perform a service to their country through the pro- motion of food economy if suggestions and plans on exhibits, dem- onstrations, and contests are put into their hands. The main pur- pose of this pamphlet is to provide such material in usable form. A further purpose is to present a few of the important ideas which the Food Administration deems it most desirable at this time to bring to the attention of millions of people who will attend these gatherings. The subjects of immediate importance for treatment in fairs and expositions are Save the Wheat. Economy in Use of Fats. Canning, Drying, etc. Better Use of Milk. As it is not possible to go into detail in this pamphlet, and as it is desirable to leave the final touches to the ingenuity of those preparing the material, the only attempt at completeness has been confined to the first two subjects, which may be regarded as samples. a p h i c Exhibits on Food Cooperation A number of organizations will be interested in exhibits and demonstrations on food conservation, including the following, which are taking the leadership in conservation work in all sections of the country: Extension Department, State College of Agriculture. State and County Extension Agents of the United States Department of Agriculture. State Department of Agriculture. State Council of National Defense. State Division of the Women's Committee of Council of Na- tional Defense. The first step toward a fair exhibit may be taken by any of the above, or by a local chamber of commerce, a local trades assembly, or other interested group. In many cases the management of the local fair will be first to act, the secretary calling upon the State college of agriculture or the county extension agent and others for assistance. It is expected that the demonstrations, food exhibits, and such features as the bread-making contest and "Emergency Bread" lunch counter will come under the direct management of the College of Agriculture or county agent. In any case their approval of all details should be obtained. Volunteer Helpers Doubtless, through the cooperation of the interested organiza- tions, much volunteer aid in the preparation of State and county fair exhibits will be available. The value of using such cooperation can not be overemphasized, although the possibility of securing it is not always fully realized. Particularly is this true in the case of some of the fairs which, in the past, have not enlisted the aid of committees or groups of citi- zens in carrying out special educational features. Preparation of Exhibits The rough sketches included in the pamphlet were made with a view to their reproduction in larger form by local artists. They Conservation at Fairs and Expositions may be made up on paper, cardboard, or wall board with a border or frame to give them finish. They should be as large as possible in order to catch and hold the attention of persons who would not take time to study small exhibits. Sizes suggested as effective are 30 by 50 inches or 40 by 40 inches. Photographs of some of the displays suggested are also included, together with descriptions which will make it possible to set them up locally. Finally, in the appendix of this pamphlet a number of directions to exhibitors are printed in the hope that they may be helpful in case amateur exhibitors are called in to cooperate in preparing the fair material. Adaptation of Material It is not to be expected that any fair will make use of all the suggestions offered in this pamphlet. There are too many kinds of fairs and too many variations in time, space, financial support, etc., to encourage this idea. It is hoped, however, that some of the varied suggestions will meet the conditions of every one of the 2,300 fairs to be held in the United States this fall and that many fairs and expositions will find space and resources to make the food conservation exhibit complete. Space Required The exhibits, demonstrations, and activities that are described call for space of three kinds: 1. An auditorium or other space ^vhere seats are provided. Here a considerable group of people may gather for the public judging of loaves of bread entered for the bread contest. Programs includ- ing informal conferences on practical home and farm conservation topics, with lantern-slide talks and motion pictures, could also be given here. 2. Exhibit space. This should consist of a series of shallow booths, with wall or screen space at the back for posters and car- toons; long counters or rows of tables in front of the booths for displays of food and other objects, and a railing along the aisle. It is estimated that the suggested space for the three topics, " Save the Wheat," "Economy in Use of Fats," and "War Food Facts," 8553-17- a p h i c Exhibits on F o o will be from 60 to 75 feet on the aisle with a depth of from 6 to 10 feet. This estimate is based on the use of wall space for posters or panels with dimensions of 30 by 50, 30 by 40, and 40 by 40 inches, with several inches of space between them, and an arrangement of displays on tables along the aisle as described in diagrams, illus- trations, and text. If a smaller space is used, it would be much better to omit some of the exhibits than to crowd them. Available space will necessarily vary so greatly in different fairs that details of the division of space are not further suggested here. 3. Space for demonstrations. Space and equipment for the bread- making demonstration in charge of the State college of agriculture would be agreed upon in conference between representatives of the fair association and the State college of agriculture. Probably the ideal arrangement would be to have (a) A booth or railed-in space on a busy aisle; and (&) A nearby room seating 40 to 50 people with demonstrators and equipment duplicating the aisle exhibit. This arrangement would give the more inquiring and interested women a chance to see and hear more than is possible when standing in a busy passageway. Commercial Exhibits Commercial exhibits, either of foods or of appliances, however meritorious, should not be combined with the educational exhibits and demonstrations. Commercial exhibits should be given a place quite apart from the space occupied by the food conservation and State college of agri- culture exhibits and demonstrations. Conservation at Fairs and Expositions CHAPTER II SAVE THE WHEAT A MOST important message this year on food conservation and * * one which lends itself to graphic presentation at State and county fairs, city expositions, and similar public gatherings is SAVE THE WHEAT. The Reason Why Our allies in Europe are largely dependent on us for food. We aim to send as much wheat and wheat flour as possible in prefer- ence to corn, because it can be more easily ground, distributed, and baked on the other side. The people there are not familiar with corn foods and are not properly equipped to prepare them. Corn is an American grain which we can easily substitute in part for wheat. Subject Matter The main feature of an exhibition on wheat saving would be dis- plays of those palatable and nutritious substitute breads, sometimes known as "Emergency Breads," in which wheat flour is combined with other flours or other meals, corn meal being the well-known example. Good to Eat The so-called "war breads" of this country are literally "good to eat." Moreover, these "good-to-eat" breads were "good to eat" before the war, and will be good after the war. It is hoped that war-time conditions may lead many Americans to discover these little known but wholesome and economical breads. "Emergency Breads" is a good title for publicity purposes. Since the term "war bread" may easily cultivate prejudice against a p h b i t o n o o K *s J^ O) 33 QO NT 10 Conservation at Fairs and Expositions these perfectly good foods, fair association secretaries are requested to discourage the use of the latter title. Five Features The "Save the Wheat" or "Emergency Bread" section of the food-conservation exhibit at a fair may well include the following features, which are described in detail on other pages of this pamphlet: 1. Exhibit on why and how to "Save the Wheat." 2. Demonstration of "Emergency Bread" making. 3. Lunch counter for selling "Emergency Breads." 4. Contests in "Emergency Bread" making. 5. Exhibit of "Emergency Bread" loaves. "Save the Wheat" Exhibit Exhibits in the form of posters and displays or devices as shown in the illustrations will supply answers to the questions Why should we send the wheat abroad? Why not send the corn? What will our small savings amount to? The booth for the exhibit may be arranged as outlined in the diagram on page 10, and include the following: 1. "To Save the Wheat." 2. "Why Not Send the Corn Abroad?" 3. "A Slice of Bread a Day." 4. "If All Americans Saved a Slice a Day." 5. "Thousands of Families in Europe Would be Saved from Starvation." Special Display Exhibit Posters numbered 3, 4, and 5 above, illustrating "A Slice of Bread a Day," would also make an effective display series where time for preparation and exhibit space will permit. The display would be arranged on a table not less than 3 by 4 feet, to be divided into four distinct sections by means of broad ribbons or strips of colored paper or cardboard. 11 Graphic Exhibits on Food On the sections would be placed the following: 1. A pile of 91 loaves of bread. Label: "A family of four saving one slice of bread apiece each day will release enough wheat for 91 one-pound loaves of bread in a year." 2. Toy ships. Label: "Bread ships for our allies." 3. A group of dolls in foreign peasant costume standing around a line of wagons labeled: "Bread made from American wheat." Display Exhibit "More than 50,000 Entered the Gates Yesterday" is the title for a display arranged as shown in the sketch on page 19. The sketch calls for a display based on an attendance of 50,000 people in a day. Where the attendance is smaller for a day or a week, one barrel of flour may be shown with the label: "See What 4,000 Visitors to the Fair Can Send to Europe // Each One Saves One Slice To-day" The figures are computed on the basis of one slice of bread con- taining three-fourths of an ounce of flour. Demonstration of "Emergency Bread" Making A demonstration of "Emergency Bread" making would be espe- cially interesting and instructive at the fairs. It should be brief, especially if it takes place in a booth with people standing in the aisle to look on. In order to give the more important facts to as many people as possible, it may be desirable to actually demonstrate only the meas- uring and mixing of the breadstuffs. The other steps can be described briefly, and the bread when baked can be shown. The limited space at some of the fairs may make it necessary to do the baking outside the demonstration space. Visitors should be given cards or leaflets containing recipes for the breads demonstrated. Information Sources The college of agriculture of your State, through its extension division, and the county extension agents, if application is made to 12 Conservation at Fairs and Expositions "Tb Save the Wheat" Use other cereals Have one wJaeatless m*al a. da.y C-uJt the loaf at tlie tatle Use stale bread f or Order froin tTue taker -tv/enty four laoi^rs in acLvan.ce TO SAVE THE WHEAT Description, page 11. Sketch for a poster in colors to summarize the wheat-saving program. Suggested size, 30 by 50 inches 13 t s on F o them, will choose the breads suitable for use in your particular State and will select the recipes to be demonstrated and distributed among the visitors. " Bread and Bread Making in the Home," Farmers' Bulletin No. 807, price 5 cents, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D. C., gives recipes and valuable information regarding substitute bread made from various combinations of wheat with other flours. Recipes for several combination breads are contained in a pamphlet entitled "Ten Lessons on Food Conservation," which will be sent free upon application to the United States Food Admin- istrator, Washington, D. C. Lunch Counter for Selling "Emergency Bread" The surest way to bring people to the idea that "Emergency Breads" are good to eat is to give them a chance to taste them. Sandwiches of these breads could be made up with egg,- nut, cheese, jam, or other fillings in place of meat and offered for sale at several places, such as: (a] At a lunch counter or cafeteria, which could itself be a feature of the food exhibit. (b] At the bread-making exhibit, where miniature sandwiches could be sold for a cent or two. (c] At one of the leading cafeterias or restaurants on the fair grounds; the menu card could have a line or two telling what the breads are and why they are used. Several lunch-box combinations might be prepared. This would give a chance to offer suggestions on the better planning of lunch boxes or dinner pails for children and adults. If sandwiches and other foods are served at a lunch counter or cafeteria, all of the foods served should conform to the Food Ad- ministration program as to the size of portions, removal of fat, use of meatless and wheatless dishes, etc. Whatever the plan and management of the lunch counter, it should be a model of cleanliness and attractiveness. Moreover, the substitute breads served should be of the highest quality. If possible, there should be an agreement with the fair manage- ment that no so-called "war breads" (i. e.,. those not conforming to approved recipes) should be allowed on the grounds. All " Emer- 14 Conservation at Fairs and Expositions Why not send the Corn abroad? You Jus' GIVE THAT CO'N To MC AH KNOWS WHAT'S GOOD' WHY NOT SEND THE CORN ABROAD? Description, page 1 1 . Sketch for reproduction in color. Suggested size, 40 by 40 inches gency Breads" sold should be approved by the State college of agriculture or the county extension agent. Contests in making "Emergency Breads" Contests and public awards are usual features of State and county fairs. This year, in order to stimulate interest in saving the wheat flour, it is requested that the fair managements conduct con- tests in making "Emergency Breads." In every State, it is hoped, the State college of agriculture, through its extension division, will make early announcement of a plan for holding neighborhood, town, township, county, and State 8553 17- 15 Graphic Exhibits o n Food contests in making breads of combinations of wheat flour with O other flours or meals, the breads referred to in this pamphlet as substitute "Emergency Breads." Contestants The first step toward success in holding such bread-making con- tests is the securing of the largest number of contestants possible. In view of the bread-making work already done by the girls' clubs, they will be most easily organized in many communities; but it is hoped that in many instances provision may be made for women's contests, so that mothers and housewives may receive due I Ou-r Share of bread W the- Alii os A Slice of bread a day If Father -Mot her two Children eack saved, a slice of trcacLa-