THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 131 



selves to work for her at the cannery on a given day 

 each week. In this way the supply of labor was 

 assured. Usually there was additional help, for all 

 volunteers were welcomed. 



In order that the work might be done scientifically, 

 and the pack be uniform from day to day, everything 

 was done under the direction of a paid expert. Visitors 

 were free to come and watch operations, which were 

 thus a continuous demonstration of scientific canning, 

 and thousands of women who had come to market only 

 to buy products also dropped into the cannery and 

 learned the up-to-date methods. The educational 

 value of this effort was beyond computation. The 

 women of the entire city were reached. 



One of the most interesting conservation efforts 

 reported to the National War Garden Commission was 

 that of the employes in the shop of the Carolina & 

 Northwestern Railway Company at Hickory, North 

 Carolina. So great was their enthusiasm that they 

 took the cylinder from an old engine and turned it 

 into a canning plant. They coupled up this cylinder 

 with the shop steam-boiler, put on a steam-gauge 

 and drain-cock, and inside the cylinder placed three 

 shelves of heavy wire to hold the jars of vegetables 

 and fruits. Their community canning plant was then 

 ready for operation. 



Reports to the Commission from all parts of the 

 country indicated that in a great number of places 

 arrangements were made to preserve surplus garden 

 products through community canneries, and also 



