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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



gardening in the United States has accomplished even No one class of people has gone into this work to the 



more than the most roseate anticipations of its founders, exclusion of others. It has been participated in and 



Reports to the Commission from all parts of the country given the hearty backing and support of all sorts of 



and the requests which have come from many foreign organizations, women's committees and business men's 



countries for advice and information on the subject, bear associations, insurance companies, railroads and banks, 



a weight of testimony as to the intrinsic merit and the village improvement associations and commissions on 



inspiring helpfulness of this widespread movement. The beautifying our cities and towns, school teachers and 



great value of these reports in judging of the worth of church societies, Red Cross chapters and park depart- 



the whole proposition, lies in the fact that they have ments, army camps and hotel managers, boys' and girls' 



come not only from all over the country but that they clubs and community groups, mayors and recorders of 



have come from all sorts 

 and conditions of people. 

 They have included simple 

 letters from the unlettered 

 and striking testimonials 

 from presidents of big 

 banking institutions and 

 large manufacturing con- 

 cerns. The factory worker 

 and the college professor 

 have united in their utter- 

 ances of satisfaction and 

 praise over a plan of in- 

 creased food production 

 which is of benefit to rich 

 and poor, to the individual 

 and the community, to the 

 employer and the employee, 

 to the single war gardener 

 and to the nation as a 

 whole. 



The vast numbers of war 

 gardens which have been 

 cultivated in the United 

 States this year bespeak 

 the success of the scheme. 

 This only tells part of the 

 story, however, for numbers 

 alone do not always spell 

 victory. An army may 

 count millions of men in 

 its ranks but if they have 

 not the fighting spirit, they 

 might retreat without a 

 single victory to their 

 credit. The war garden- 

 ers of America have not 

 only grown into an army of 

 millions; they are instilled 

 with the determination to 

 win. The final estimates 

 of the National War Gar- 



deeds, factory welfare de- 

 partments and home dem- 

 onstration agents, in fact, 

 it would be almost impossi- 

 ble to mention any kind of 

 organization or official 

 which in some place has 

 not given assistance and 

 helped to stir up local en- 

 thusiasm in this garden en- 

 terprise. 



The enthusiasm which 

 has been shown by the 

 home food producers can- 

 not be measured in quanti- 

 ty or in terms of dollars 

 and cents. But it has mani- 

 fested itself in the eager 

 desire to help and in the 

 seeking for information 

 which would help to make 

 the task a success. This 

 was expressed in innumer- 

 able forms in the letters of 

 request which came to the 

 Commission all during the 

 campaign. The demand 

 for gardening books and 

 for instruction was con- 

 stant. During the past 

 season the Commission dis- 

 tributed millions of copies 

 of booklets on war vege- 

 table gardening and storage 

 of vegetables, on canning 

 and drying of vegetables 

 and fruits and pamphlets 

 and other literature on 

 the subjects as well as 

 inspiring posters which 

 were put in conspicuous 



He works early and late in the gardens of the Oliver Chilled Plow places in banks and Stores, 



factories and railroad sta- 



HERE IS A REAL WAR GARDENER 



den Commission show that 



there are 5,285,000 home "soldiers of the soil" in this tions, and elsewhere. The newspapers of the country 



mighty force. But the best part of the reports which were filled with the same patriotic desire to help, and 



the Commission gathered from all parts of the United their assistance in getting the message to the people has 



States, is that they confirm the conviction that America been invaluable. Hundreds of them have carried daily 



is fighting with nothing but the winning spirit. The war garden and canning lessons and other material of a 



gardeners are heart and soul with the boys in France, helpful and instructive nature. They deserve the Nation's 



