THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 33 



deliveryman, certainly not less than twenty-five. If 

 every war gardener who made enough out of his garden 

 to buy a Liberty Bond also saved his deliveryman 

 twenty-five trips, the total saving of labor was enor- 

 mous. The number of persons employed, before the 

 war, solely to wait on other persons, was beyond belief. 

 Soon after the United States entered the war, merchants 

 began to face a readjustment of their business. It was 

 estimated that in New York City alone simplification of 

 delivery and clerk systems would release 100,000 men 

 for service in the army. In the aggregate, war gardening 

 aided to an incredible extent in this readjustment. 



Nor are these all the benefits conferred by war gar- 

 dening. Nothing is more essential to success in war 

 than the creation and maintenance of an ardent patriotic 

 spirit. War gardening fostered this spirit by enabling 

 so many individuals not actually in the army to do some- 

 thing tangible in the struggle. Millions of patriots joined 

 the army of the soil because of their deep love for their 

 country, and their desire to help in the hour of need. 



Many of the slogans sent ringing throughout the 

 country by the Commission breathed the spirit of 

 America and of democracy. That spirit spoke from the 

 Commission's posters and other matter. War garden- 

 ers were called on by the beautiful figure of Liberty to 

 "Sow the Seeds of Victory." Another slogan, a clever 

 paraphrase on the title of a famous song, told them to 

 " Keep the Home Soil Turning. " West Virginia started 

 the message: "Food Must Follow the Flag," which 

 became a household word throughout the United 



