Show Us so S gardeners aid in nations victorya Victory victor 9 drive increased number of gardens d ens this year vital 1 i for balanced diets released by western newspaper union uncle sams wartime food needs have put the all but bu tf for gotten family vegetable garden back on the map millions of americans are now poring over seed catalogs checking tools and eyeing likely planting sites once the frost is gone an army of gardeners recruited from farms small towns and big cities will prepare the earth with spades and fertilizers then will come seeding weeding and cultivating in a vast effort to produce plenty of fresh vegetables F 0 B the kitchen door this effort is part of a great national victory garden program in the weeks since pearl harbor officials of the U S department of agriculture ri have been consulting ath gardening experts from every state organizations everywhere have pledged their aid garden clubs boy scouts girl scouts campfire girls 4 H clubs As the program develops activities will follow two major lines 1 farmers and their families throughout the united states will operate cooperate co by planting vegetable gardens 2 small town and big city dwellers will sponsor community and school gardens and wherever possible individual family victory gardens this newest move in the war on the axis is reminiscent in many ways of the stirring days of world war no 1 when backyard back yard garden fo 7 t A I 1 3 i Y A miss bliss peg reaps the results of having g a garden of her own the green beans she is collecting will ill be delicious at the fam ilys evening meal ers did their bit to make good the slogan food will win the war but there are wide differences too and it is hoped that many of the mistakes of the 1917 18 war garden program will be avoided this time the last war demonstrated that home gardening can contribute importantly port antly to the food supply in 1917 alone acres of city and town land were under cultivation by 1918 there were gardens V 4 4 YN 4 JP jim LA I 1 T Z I 1 from industrial centers and other defense localities now working at top speed for the nations victory the program excellent business condi con eions found there are overflowing into the more rural sections of the t united states as the above shows As map farm cops and rural pro pi increases of the C U S better business conditions will show in the fair areas are american farmers now making blaking wartime plans faced with the biggest demand for or agricultural products in the history of 0 the nation Arne american rican farmers today are planning ing prepa preparing ring and working toward the single end of producing the crops givsto livestock ck dairy products fibers and other raw materials to meet wartime needs writes L G elliott president of the lasalle lasaile extension university more food will be required by our military forces demand from our allies is constantly growing which produced pounds of food but there was wa waste and unnecessary sacrifice too many a hopeful big city garden yielded nothing but blisters and backaches in some places park lawris lawns golf courses and public recreation areas were plowed up and planted to potatoes ornamental plantings in private grounds were sacrificed flowers were forgotten to make room for vegetables and gardens were attempted in congested big city locations where success was obviously impossible today an abundance of land is available for victory gardens without sacrificing landscape beauty or the growing of flowers which are just as important to morale as vegetables are to physical well being this is particularly true in small towns and in the suburban areas of big cities nutrition Is watchword nutrition is the watchword of the present program first of all our soldiers must be well nourished so must defense workers in fields and factories britain russia and our other allies must be kept supplied with food but the program goes beyond that A battle is being waged on the home front against malnutrition regardless of how long the world war lasts the nutrition battle at home will go on until every american is receiving enough of the right kinds of food in considering the two main phases of the victory garden program the farm effort will of course be the backbone every farmer who can possibly do so will have a garden where he can produce fresh vegetables and fruits for home use and have some surplus to market secretary of agriculture summed up the movements philosophy when he told delegates attending a recent conference in washington this situation is different from 1917 then the effort was to save food so there would be plenty for our troops in france now the need is for a balanced diet when the farm family grows its own vegetables it eats more and thus improves the fam ilys health we hope for an increase of farm vegetable gardens in 1942 the goal we have set is growing glowing vegetables on the farm puts the food right where it is to be used it take any freight cars or trucks to move food to those families home vegetable gardens release more commercial vegetables for other purposes commercially canned vegetables are packed in tin and we are short of tin As a reinforcement to the farm garden movement the work of small town and big city gardens will help swell uncle sams food output in communities large and small every family that has access to a favorably situated plot for producing part of its food supply is being asked to join a victory garden club while production has been increasing the prices received by farmers for what they sell have also been rising average prices are now the highest in 13 years prices which the farmers pay have also been go ing jig up but not quite so rapidly and the ratio between prices received and prices paid is steadily becoming more favorable it has already reached the goal of parity and the policy of the government is to maintain main prices at around that level in that way farm income will be kept at the average rate these town and city gardeners are being cautioned that their gardens must be economical that every seed every pound of fertilizer and every implement counts that there must be no waste the members of 0 these garden clubs will meet and discuss their problems together and obtain guidance from experts provisions are being made in many cities by the civilian defense organization for the establishment of community gardens in which plots are assigned to families that do not have fertile garden soil of their own schools and organizations are promoting the program how big a job is it to put in a garden and make it produce successfully cess fully simple to garden its relatively simple according to gardening experts they point out that with modern knowledge of soils plant foods new tools and the improved vegetable varieties developed by plant breeders bleeders bre eders it is possible to grow fresh vegetables for the family in a favorable location with on only I 1 y a few hours light exercise each week the secret of effective gardening lies in the size of the plot too big UM aa A fresh radishes tor for salads are what this young lady is gathering her victory garden will give the n necessary balance to the fam ilys daily meals a garden is likely to be neglected one just large enough producing the vegetables a family needs and no more in balanced proportions can be kept well without hard work another secret is in not trying to grow too large a variety one authority suggests six different vegetables as a basis tomatoes snap beans carrots cabbage lettuce and greens all are high in food and vitamin value moreover tomatoes beans carrots and greens can be easily canned these gardening experts win will tell you one more thing that youve got to feed the soil if you expect it to produce for you this means providing it with plant food and this is just as true if you garden on the farm or in town the average farmer knows by experience with field crops that fertilizer will enhance the size of his crop increase its resistance si to disease improve the quality and promote allaround all around hardiness he will apply that knowledge in making his victory garden contribute to the national defense the city gardener can profit by the farmers experience the three fertilizer e elements lem ants most needed for plant growth are nitrogen phosphorus and potash these elements are mentioned in this order in the analysis of commercial fertilizer for effective gardening use said one authority it has been found advisable to apply the fertilizer before planting time mixing it in thoroughly with the soil when the first spading or plowing is done the quantity to apply win will vary with the soil type but the victory gardener will be safe in using 5 pounds of a mixture such as 5 10 5 to each square feet of garden once havin having g undertaken its gardening project the average family will reap dividends far exceeding the crop of vegetables at harvest tune time of prime importance in w wartime artime arime is the morale factor gardening is a morale builder without equal anywhere there is no better antidote for war blues than a session with a hoe gardening provides a release from the worries and nervous tension of long hours spent at a desk or in the machine shop of a munitions factory it gives the housewife a change of 0 pace from the routine of domestic duties |