1 8 THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 



range and intensive in method. As an educator of the 

 masses there is no power equal to the public press; and 

 from the start, the Commission, had the cordial cooper- 

 ation of the newspapers and periodicals of the en tire coun- 

 try. Inspiration and detailed instruction were furnished 

 through the columns of the daily newspapers. Articles 

 and feature stories which dealt with various phases of 

 war gardening and sought to stimulate the movement 

 to the utmost were also prepared and sent broadcast. 



These appeals soon bore fruit. Requests for instruc- 

 tion in gardening and in the organization of community 

 gardening movements poured in from all sides. To 

 the requests the Commission responded with carefully 

 prepared pamphlets which gave the information de- 

 sired. In addition, representatives of the Commission 

 visited innumerable cities and towns to confer with the 

 local chambers of commerce or other organizations 

 which were directing gardening campaigns. As a re- 

 sult of this propaganda, war gardens sprang up as 

 though by magic. Gardening came to be the thing. 



In order that all this enthusiasm might be trans- 

 muted into substantial accomplishment, it was neces- 

 sary that the army of would-be gardeners should have 

 instruction, for many of them had never before handled 

 a hoe or wielded a fork. Daily garden lessons were 

 prepared therefore for the daily press. These lessons 

 were short and simple, shorn of useless technicalities, 

 but carefully prepared by experts. They were lack- 

 ing in nothing essential. They gave the fundamentals of 

 good garden practice, which would enable even a be- 



