Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 270, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 November 1918 — CARBON FOR GAS MASKS IS URGED [ARTICLE]

CARBON FOR GAS MASKS IS URGED

Provide Protection for American Boys Who Are Fighting in French Trenches. FRUIT PITS MOST VALUABLE Stones and Shells, Ordinarily Regarded as Valueless and Thrown Away, Are Wanted—Send Direct to Red Cross Stations.

Do not throw away a single peach, plum, apricot, cherry, prune, date or dive pit nor the shell of a nut. The United States government asks you to give to it, through the Red Cross, the fruit stones you would ordinarily throw away. About 200 peach stones will provide enough carbon for a gas mask—the only protection between our boys and poisonous gases being used by Germans. One of the essentials in the respirator designed to protect our soldiers on the front lines against deadly gases is carbon. The efficiency of the mask to a large extent depends upon the quality of the carbon. An excellent quality is obtained from fruit pits and nut shells. These stones and shells, which are ordinarily regarded as valueless, the people of this country now are asked to save, as our government is experiencing difficulty in getting the •ight kind of carhop. The British government has also asked for a supply >f high-grade carbon to use for the same purpose. The pits before they are delivered to central collecting points should not be cracked, but dried carefully in the ■sun or in ovens. Rain will pot injure he stones or shells provided they are horoughly dried afterwards. Nut Shells Valuable Also. Large quantities of -hickory nuts, valnuts and butternuts * are to Be ’ound in various sections of the county and only limited amounts are now gathered annually. As the meats are rateable food, they should be extracted Tom the shells before the latter are ielivered to the Red Cross collecting tations. Nut meats wHI keep perfecty in a dry place for months or they nay be marketed. The whole nuts nay be sent, if the nut meats are not ised locally. Quantities of pignuts tnd bitternuts remain uncollected each /ear, even by the squirrels, because >f the taste of the meats, or their smallness; the shells of these, howver, are excellent for carbon. Only the shells of the nuts and the stones from the fruit listed above ■hould be sent, as the government chemists have carefully selected the kinds which are most valuable for the gas mask manufacture. It requires about 200 peach pits or seven pounds of nut shells to produce carbon enough for one mask. This mask will protect the boys- In the front line trenches -gainst every kind of gas excepting one, which is seldom encountered. A mask may be used for 18 hours before

its contents become so surcharged with the gas as to render it valueless. Through the county agricultural agents the United States department of agriculture is urging large establishments such as''canneries and fruitdrying businesses to save pits from their products for gas mask use. Ordinarily these pits should be shipped whole, but exception has been made for certain California fruit canners and driers who make a valuable byproduct from the kernel within apricot seeds. Boys and Girls Help. The department also has aligned the million members of the boys’ and girls' clubs throughout the country, and they are busily working to see which club, district and state can deliver the largest amount in the shortest space of time in this pit and shell drive. They are putting “pep” “jump,” “speed,” “get-up-and-go” into their drive, and they are usihg signs, slogans and songs to send the pits and shells over the top. Department stores have barrels placed in their aisles where collections may be put; hotels and community canneries are patriotically putting the stones aside for the government, but the largest source of supply—one which is practically untapped—ls thftt from the individual households. The amount from, any one home seems Infinitesimal, but the aggregate from more than twenty million homes will be stupendous. -- S < The stones and shells should be taken to the nearest Red Cross center, where they will be forwarded to the proper department. * " Any one who saves these Important carbon requisites for gas masks is helping win the war.