THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 57 



"Our purpose is to encourage the raising of fresh 

 vegetables at the mills and logging camps of this state 

 and Oregon where employes are engaged in the pro- 

 duction of essential war material for shipping and air- 

 craft purposes," was the inspiring word from Robert 

 B. Allen, of Seattle, secretary of the West Coast Lum- 

 bermen's Association. C. S. Williams, vice-president 

 of the F. B. Williams Cypress Company, of Patterson, 

 Louisiana, reported thus to the Commission: 



We are pleased to advise that practically every avail- 

 able piece of land that we own around the plant is 

 being used for war gardens for our employes. There 

 seems to be a great interest in home gardening through- 

 out this territory. We have never seen the land so 

 entirely and carefully cultivated. Hardly a family is 

 without a garden. Almost every one of our men has a 

 garden. The books you sent were quickly taken and 

 have been of great service to our people. They are now 

 planning a great canning campaign. 



One of the most interesting instances of this eager- 

 ness to help both the country and its employes, was 

 furnished by the Inspiration Consolidated Copper 

 Company, of Inspiration, Arizona. Before a thing 

 could be planted, it was necessary to dig five artesian 

 wells to furnish the water needed for the two hundred 

 and seventeen acres of war gardens cultivated by the 

 miners in the first year of the enterprise. The land 

 was situated 3,300 feet up in the mountains. The re- 

 gion was arid. The employes were cosmopolitan. 

 Italians, Chileans, Mexicans, Indians, Finns, Swedes 



