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Show LIBERTY GARDENS ARE TO RECEIVE . BEST OF CARE; WOMEN DOING SHARE T"iTh the new Liberty loan. Liberty gardens arrived Not merely a war pardon, a school garden or a backyard garden, but an extra first class garden is urged this year by the Council of National Defense, the department ol agriculture and the woman's committee. commit-tee. Many a fine handsome vegetable grew to a dipnified maturity in amateur ama-teur gardens last summer, and was a credit to the can or table which it afterward graced. Many, also, how -ever, were the incipient tomatoes or egg plants which carried on a gallant but unequal fight with a large shade tree or a high garden wall, and died in midsummer of a broken heart To-tatoes To-tatoes that would gladly have done their bit were planted so near the surface sur-face that their roots could get no hold of the cround. while others were not planted at all, but interred, somewhere in the subsoil, never to rise again. Therefore, whereas many gardeners are eager to begin again, inspired b the successful crops of last summer, other gardeners who began with just as much patriotic fervor a year ago, are brooding over the fact that all i hey got out of a summer's labor was (he conuction that they did not know enough to garden. This crop of conviction, however, is not to be despised as a basis for this summer's work. This year land and feed and labor must all be used to the best effect, and a nation-wide system to insure this has been devised by the Council of National Defense. The cen-iral cen-iral point in this system is the Liberty garden, and its principal feature is the community garden director. The woman's committee of the Council of National Defenso has a three-fob! function in connection with the carrying out of this svstem. First they have to enroll all the prospective gardeners as "Liberty Gardeners' and give them a pledge card to sign. The pledge binds them to make and work their garden under the supervision of the garden director for their community, commun-ity, iind to keep a record of its prog-IB prog-IB . ress and results. Next, women are to have made and to distribute signs for window, porch or garden, proclaiming the family to have a Liberty garden; and finally, they will distribute and collect the record cards, which will be used as a basis for plans for 1919. Wherever possible, the community garden director is to be salaried and lull time worker. His office is to be central, bo that every gardener in his district will be able to reach him in person or by telephone. He is to be in touch with the representatives of the department of agriculture for his state, and well informed on the local and climatic conditions and needs of his district, as well as of the recommended recom-mended plan for Liberty gardens He will have, ready for applicants, plans for gardens of different sizes and exposures, ex-posures, and advice about the weighty matter of what to plant and when to i plant it. All summer lone he will have general supervision of the gardens on his list, and keep up, himself, a model community garden in some central place. It will also be part of his work to give special instruction to school teachers, so that they may direct the home gardens of children during vaca- tion. Ho will make arrangements for every available bit of land to be used, bringing those who have land and cannot can-not garden in touch with those who want to garden and have no land. The advantages of coming under such a system, planned and directed from Washington, and covering the whole country, arc apparent. Many more gardens should be planted by this arrangement. Those too timid to try the rvperimont unaided, will be emboldened by the presence of an expert ex-pert who will guide their faltering ' Steps, and many discouraged by unfortunate unfor-tunate experience Inst summer will take fresh heart at such an opportun-it opportun-it of getting the better of their old enemies. Aside from the increase in the number of gardens and increase of produce by making each garden a Lib erty garden will be a large factor in meeting the food situation this year. nn |