THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 151 
food is the first of all requirements, we should by all 
means adopt and develop that method of food shipment 
which calls for least space. This means that we should 
greatly increase the use of dried foods. 
One thing alone stands in the way of a large develop- 
ment of the commercial drying industry. Aside from 
government contracts, the food driers have at present 
practically no market for their products. Manufac- 
turer after manufacturer has so reported to the National 
War Garden Commission, and practically all report 
that it is difficult to create a market. The period of 
government contracts is limited. Army consumption will 
decrease rapidly. Faced with this situation, food driers 
naturally do not care greatly to enlarge their plants. 
Something must therefore be done to create a market 
for dried foods. For one thing, an educational adver- 
tising campaign on the part of the operators is to be 
strongly urged. A western company writes of the as- 
tonishment of visitors “at the simple and sanitary 
method of handling the fruits or vegetables, ” and their 
interest “because of the very apparent economy of the 
method.” With this as a premise an intelligent adver- 
tising campaign should quickly create a market. The 
establishment of government-controlled plants and 
government advertising would more quickly and thor- 
oughly create markets, however, than the usual proced- 
ure of private companies. Dried foods are practically 
“new” foods, and the acquisition of a new food habit 
by a whole people is exceedingly slow, unless the gov- 
ernment systematically undertakes its establishment. 
