THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 61 



"As the season advanced," said Mr. Burlingame, 

 "a spirit of good-fellowship and the forming of new 

 acquaintanceships among those who found themselves 

 cultivating neighboring gardens, were features which 

 added to the value of the garden project. It was some- 

 times found that a laborer working side by side with a 

 foreman could, from the gardener's standpoint, turn 

 the tables, become instructor, and set the pace. When 

 illness prevented some man from working and there 

 were no members of his family to help out, shopmates 

 volunteered and cared for his garden or even harvested 

 his crops for him. Otten gardens cultivated by men hav- 

 ing had experience adjoined those where the workers 

 were beginners. In such cases the best good-will was 

 shown in giving and taking advice and instruction." 



Regular inspections of the gardens were made and rec- 

 ords kept. If a garden showed signs of being neglected, 

 a notice was sent to the workman and this tended to 

 spur the food growers on to keep their plots in such 

 excellent condition that there would be no need for 

 criticism. The men took their work very seriously. 

 Some swamp land which had never been cultivated and 

 which was considered absolutely useless for garden 

 purposes was reclaimed and produced excellent re- 

 sults. The largest crop of potatoes in a single garden, 

 twenty bushels, was raised on a lot which the gardener 

 enlarged by digging up land which had been a dump 

 beyond the plowing. A number of prizes which were 

 offered by the company for the best crops both as to 

 size and quality aroused keen and friendly rivalry and 



