596 



A.MI'.RICAX l-ORI'Srin' 



LITTLE BOPEEP IS 

 feeding her sheep 



On the tops of the 

 greens she has grown. 

 i" They eat cauliflower just 

 six times an hour; 



They're the fattest 

 young sheep ever 

 known. 



Miami and a large number of children have hcini given 

 space. 'Ihe gardeners are made uj) of many nationalities, 

 including Italians, Mexicans, Indians, Chileans, Ger- 

 mans, l""inlanders and Swedes. Over seventy per cent 

 have never had experience in this work, or at least where 

 it is necessary to irrigate, and they had to be taught. 



"The gardens were planned by C. E. Mills, general 

 manager of the company. An ex])ert makes three trijis 

 a day over the gardens to instruct the gardeners. Bulle- 

 tins and posters are placed at convenient spots in the 

 gardens which are 217 acres in area. The double crop 

 system was used. For example, squash were planted 

 among corn so tiiat when corn came off S(|uasli covered 

 the ground. We grew most anything but need was con- 

 sidered first and 85 i)er cent of the ground was planted 

 to Mexican ])ink beans and sweet corn. Nothing goes to 

 waste and drying and canning is encouraged, especially 

 drying, for our climate permits sun drying. 



"We have o])ened a war garden market where the ex- 

 cess vegetables are sold for the gardeners, without cost 

 to them. Nothing is sold at this market e.xcept that 

 which is grown in the war garden. This market, I be- 

 lieve, is the first of its kind in the United .States. This 

 is the largest single tract of land devoted to war gardens 

 in the west. With 217 acres under cultivation 1 lu-lieve 

 it is the largest in the country." 



Another high s])ol in the season's activities was the 



1^, 



/""--J. 



A CHARMING YOUNG 



bud named Marie 

 Wrote to Mrs. von Stuyve- 

 sant Lee: 



"I'm begging your par- 

 don, 



r* "^ -:'.A-^S\ ^ ■^'^^ can't get away for your 



f-/f— .( I'm working my garden 



tea." 



word which reached the C'omniission from i.aurel, .Mis- 

 sissippi. In this southern community practical applica- 

 tion was given of the most efficient and reliable methods 

 of conservation and thrift. Some of the moves were the 

 substitution of motor trucks for horses for the sake of 

 saving horse feed and the cutting of wood as a blow to 

 over-reaching coal men. In a letter to the Commission 

 Mayor T. G. McCallum wrote : 



"Immediately upon the entrance of tlu- Cniled States 

 into the war and the Ciovernnient's aj)i)eal to the jieople 

 to conserve and produce all products we proceeded at 

 once to motorize all departments where mf)tor trucks 

 could be substituted for horses and disposed of the horses 

 to farmers to jiroduce more food as well as to save food 

 by the introduction of the automobile. The next step 

 taken by us was to secure and plant sufficient lands to 

 corn and peas in order to jiroduce enough corn and hay 

 to "take care of all the remaining city teams, and while 

 we scarcely had time to do this, war having been declared 

 late in the spring, we are glad to say that the city will 

 make all the corn and pea-vine hay necessary to care for 

 the teams owned and used by the city in the pulilic work. 



"As soon as this matter was out of the way we took 

 up the question of fuel for the city schools, city hall, 

 jail and other ]iublic buildings, and upon in(iuiry of the 

 mines or coal dealers, ni.my of ilicni refused to ipiote ns 

 prices on account of the scarcity of cars, and with those 



IF OLD Mother Hubbard 

 should go to the cup- 

 board 



She'd find all the food 

 she'd desire; 

 For stored away there is i 



I 

 I 

 I 

 I 

 ) 

 I 

 ( 



foodstuff to spare, 



The product of canner 

 and dryer. 



I "THE TIME HAS COME," the seapack said, 

 "To think of growing things, 



Of corn and wheat, to 

 make our bread, 



And stuff that gar- 

 d'ning brings, 

 For we must feed our sol- 

 dier men and those of 

 foreign kings." 



