CHAPTER XXV 

 THE WORLD'S FOOD SUPPLY 



258. The demand for food. It is sometimes said that the 

 necessities of life are food, shelter, and clothing ; and certainly 

 in our part of the earth all of these are of great importance. 

 Of the three, food is certainly the one that is indispensable, 

 for though men may exist with little shelter, and, in tropical 

 climates at least, with but little clothing, it is not possible for 

 men to exist anywhere very long without food and water. The 

 quantity of food that is consumed by man and by his domes- 

 tic animals is very great indeed, and a supply of food is at all 

 times a matter of the greatest importance. Lack of food has 

 caused the surrender of cities, defeated armies in the field, 

 changed the policies of nations, and caused the loss of thou- 

 sands of lives. In former times famines were of common occur- 

 rence, because when food failed in certain places there were 

 no means of securing it from the localities where it was more 

 abundant. Modern transportation systems have changed con- 

 ditions so that now a famine can hardly occur in any country 

 excepting the most backward and undeveloped. 



While a general famine is unlikely to occur in modern 

 civilized countries, it is yet possible for people in every country 

 to suffer from lack of food. It often happens that the cost of 

 food is so great that many people cannot afford to buy enough 

 of it. The population of the United States has been increasing 

 more rapidly than the production of food, and this, together 

 with other causes, results in higher prices and actual lack of 

 food on the part of some persons. 



259. The source of food. To those of us who live in cities 

 the source of our food seems to be found in the meat market, 



MJ 



