"A Garden in Every Yard" 



SL()(JAN FOR 1917 IN AMKliICA 

 Hv JOHN H. FINLEY 



President of the University of the State of New York and State Commissioner of Education 



THE present food sliorta^ue and 

 consequent increase in foodpi'ices 

 have emphasized to the Ameri- 

 can people the necessity for immediate 

 steps toward adequate food production. 

 Conservation agencies interested in 

 farming and those more generally con- 

 cerned with the whole financial condi- 

 tion of the country agree that no other 

 factor in our present national situ- 

 ation is of greater importance than care- 

 ful and systematic preparation to secure 

 the largest possible production of food 

 crops during the present year. All the 

 data collected for the government re- 

 ports show that the quantities of grain 

 and other products remaining upon the 

 farms are less than one half the supply 

 at this time last year. There seems to 

 be no very great promise of an unusual 

 crop for the coming year, and therefore 

 it behooves every American citizen to do 

 what he can in the way of producing, so 

 far as possible, some of the food which 

 he and his family will necessarily con- 

 sume during the coming year. If pro- 

 duction is not possible, the least that 

 any one can do is to conserve carefully 

 the food supply produced by others. 



There is, throughout the land, a most 

 intense interest in the campaign which 

 has been started with the young people 

 for more and better gardens. Every 

 community should coordinate all of the 

 forces — educational, social, business, and 

 religious — interested in the promotion 

 of garden work among young people and 

 cause their efforts to be united in an effec- 

 tive campaign. A garden committee com- 

 posed of a representative of each organi- 

 zation interested might well be formed 

 to direct the work. The superintendent 

 of schools or a member of the board of 

 education might well be chairman of 

 this committee. Whenever practicable 

 a trained supervisor or director of this 

 work should be employed by the board 



of education to insure the proper devel- 

 opment and permanency of the work. 

 In the larger school systems teachers al- 

 ready in service, who have had some 

 experience and training in garden work, 

 might well be enlisted to act as local 

 supervisors under the guidance of the 

 trained director. In the smaller school 

 systems, where possibly a director who 

 will give his whole time to the work is 

 impracticable or impossible, a teacher 

 already in service might be retained dur- 

 ing the summer, while, from the spring 

 planting until the harvesting of the 

 crops in the fall, he might give part 

 time to the direction of garden work. 



One of the first necessities is to arouse 

 interest in the work among the young 

 people of the community, but fully as im- 

 portant as this is securing the cooperation 

 of the parents. It is quite necessary for 

 the entire success of this movement, that 

 the older people not only realize the \m- 

 portance of increased production during 

 the coming year, but that they also take 

 an active part in the production. 



It is especially important that only 

 good seeds and good plants be used. 

 Therefore, those who are in charge of 

 this work should see to it that those 

 having gardens be referred only to re- 

 liable firms for seeds. In order that lack 

 of capital may be no handicap to those 

 desiring to take up the work, there 

 should be provided and administered a 

 loan fund for those who need assistance 

 in buying manure, hiring vacant lots or 

 large garden plots, and in paying for 

 plowing and harrowing same. 



Now is the time to deal with next win- 

 ter's disturbances : high cost of living, 

 boycotts, and embargoes. A national 

 preparedness for either peace or war de- 

 mands that immediate steps be taken by 

 every individual to do his share in the 

 production movement. "A garden in 

 every yard" should be our slogan. 



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