524 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



SUCH A POTATO PATCH! 



With war gardens of this nature thriving throughout the land America 

 faces the winter with cheerful coniidence. The boys did all the work and 

 deserve all the credit. 



sister booklet. Wherever the government or other agen- 

 cies undertook the distribution of the one it did the same 

 thing with the other. As a result of these various forces 

 and of the distribution of 30,000 or 40,000 a' day from 

 the offices of the Commission each of the manuals has 

 attained a circulation of several million copies. The aim 

 of the Commission to place the booklets in practically 

 every home in the land has approached realization and 

 those who are familiar with the enterprise are of one 

 vroice in expressing appreciation of this patriotic gift to 

 .'America at war. 



As an indication of the national importance attached 

 to the preparation of foodstuffs for winter uses wide- 

 spread interest was taken in a luncheon recently given 

 in Washington by Mrs. Robert Lansing, wife of the sec- 

 retary of state. At this luncheon the entire bill of fare 

 was made up of dried food products. Women prominent 

 in the social life of official circles at the national capital 

 were included in the list of guests and all of them mani- 

 fested genuine enthusiasm over the excellence of the 

 luncheon. 



Not content to rest on its laurels with a realization of 

 work well done the Commission late in August made con- 

 tribution of another booklet in its series of publications on 

 food conservation. In the fourth manual explicit instruc- 

 tions are given on a variety of subjects involved in pre- 

 paredness for the winter season. The topics includf 

 storage, pickling, fermentation and salting and to these 

 are added directions for making potato starch, fruit but- 

 ters and kindred products. Prepared with the same care 

 given the other manuals the new booklet met with imme- 

 diate welcome, and the demand for it has been such as 

 to place a severe strain on already overtaxed printing fa- 

 cilities. With a determination to meet the demand 

 promptly the Commission has had some of the largest 

 printing establishments in Washington, Baltimore and , 

 Philadelphia running day and night. As a result there 



has been no delay in meeting requests for the various 

 publications and this promptness has played its part in 

 giving the manuals the widespread distribution with 

 which they have met. 



The storage of vegetables for future uses is as im- 

 portant as canning and drying. To keep vegetables 

 in their natural state is regarded as the simplest form 

 of preparation for winter needs and therefore one of 

 the most useful. As a premise the manual declares that 

 by taking proper precautions against decay and freezing 

 an abundant supply of many kinds of fresh vegetables 

 may be kept for winter uses at a minimum expenditure 

 of money and effort. From the introduction to the man- 

 ual I quote some of the arguments in favor of home 

 storage as follows: 



"The importance of making provision for winter food 

 needs was never so great as this year. Every pound 

 of foodstuffs than can be spared for export will be needed 

 in Europe for feeding American troops and to prevent 

 the starvation of the domestic and military population 

 of the Allied Nations. Every pound of vegetables stored 

 away for home uses will release food for export. A 

 nation at war is a nation with a food problem. A na- 

 tion with a food shortage is a nation in peril. For this 

 reason it is of vital importance that no vegetables of 

 high food value be allowed to go to waste. 



"The home gardening campaign conducted by the Na- 

 tional Emergency Food Garden Commission this year 

 resulted in the creation of a vast new planting area. More 

 than three million gardens have been planted where none 

 grew before. The output of these gardens is greatly in 

 excess of immediate needs. Unless proper steps are 

 taken to safeguard the surplus the waste will be pro- 

 digious. This Commission has already stimulated nation- 

 wide activity in canning and drying. The purpose of this 

 booklet is to arouse similar interest in the storage of 



THE NEW BACK YARD. 



Instead of trash and tin cans the backyards and vacant lots of America 

 now show crops of this nature. Note the contrast with the earlier picture 

 of the old back yard and take your choice. 



