45 
Mr. Henderson is taking up the question of summer 
greens for the southern vegetable growers and is 
concentrating on the Chinese mustards and Chinese 
cabbages. There is a dearth of these aumraer veg- 
etables, as you perhaps remember. Hovf is not the 
time to experiment with highly problematical food 
crops, but with such as are of deicded promise we 
are in a position to experiment as usual. 
I cabled you the other day, asking for 100 
pounds of poppy seed. After a conference v/ith 
Doctor Stockberger, who has kept closely in touch 
v/ith the poppy situation, I discovered that there 
was a threatened serious shortage in the opium 
supply of this country. The use of morphine in 
the army may become a very extensive one at any 
time, and the shortage in morphine would lead to a 
tremendous amount of unnecessary suffering. You 
remember, some time ago we were forbidden from in- 
vestigating the poppy industry. As a result, there 
is a shortage of poppy seed in this country - so 
great a shortage that it is very doubtful v/hether 
we can do much this year in the growing of poppies 
for opiiim purposes. I realize that the poppy in- 
dustry has been given a tremendous setback in China 
but thought it was worth while to chance a cablegram 
to you, in the hope that you could discover some- 
where in your travels a supply of opium poppy seed 
of good quality. 
At the same time, I thought we might as well be 
prepared for the big demand v/hich there will be for 
Chinese cabbage. We can, of course, grow a good 
quantity of seed, but this takes time and costs 
more, perhaps, than it would cost to get the seed 
from China. 
There is another phase of the v/hole question 
of the preservation of foods which relates to the 
drying of vegetables, fruits and meats. Any sug- 
gestions which you get in your travels, v;ith re- 
gard to cheap home methods of drying fruits and 
vegetables, I wish you would send through to us 
as soon as you can. The development of the home 
drier or home methods is important at this time 
and will be, probably, for several years to come. 
T presume after this reaches you I shall get 
a letter from you which will put me more closely 
in touch v;ith the conditions which surround you. 
Everyone in the Office sends very best regards. We 
have all been deeply saddened by the sudden death 
December 31. 1917. 
