92 THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 



press. Closely in touch with conditions the world over, 

 newspaper editors understood, as perhaps many others 

 could not understand, the gravity of the food situation. 

 In their endeavor to do their share, they gave gener- 

 ously of their news space. Particularly was it neces- 

 sary to get the appeal for home food gardens before 

 the dwellers in towns, especially in the larger centers of 

 population, for there food was most needed, and there 

 people were least likely to take upon themselves the 

 duty of cultivating the small plots of land at their 

 disposal. Practically all such Americans were reached 

 by the Commission through the newspapers. In fact, 

 practically all Americans were reached. News stories 

 were prepared by the Commission's publicity bureau, 

 setting forth the facts as to the world food situation, 

 and these articles were placed in the hands, not of a 

 few editors, but of hundreds a : nd hundreds. Not only 

 were most of these news stories freely printed, but 

 often they were also prominently featured in such way 

 as to emphasize the message they contained. 



After the need of gardening had thus been sufficiently 

 impressed upon the mind of the public, the Commission's 

 staff of experts prepared daily lessons in gardening, 

 which were sent to a great number of newspapers. 

 Hundreds of leading newspapers, from the Atlantic 

 to the Pacific, carried these daily lessons. The Phila- 

 delphia North American, to mention only one of many 

 large city newspapers, printed a garden lesson daily 

 for many weeks, publishing it on its front page and 

 displaying it in a special box to attract attention. 



