THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 13 



needed by our army and which were practically the 

 only kinds of food that could be shipped to our allies. 

 Every pound of beef that could be saved through the 

 growing of food at home, it was realized, would bring 

 victory just so much nearer; and in fact, without food 

 conservation, there was positive danger that the Cen^- 

 tral Powers would be able to have their way. 



The food shortage faced by Great Britain, France, 

 and Italy during the winter of 1917-18, the seriousness 

 of which was not realized by the people of this country 

 until long after the danger was passed, showed the 

 wisdom which led to the saving of every particle of 

 food. The ability of the United States to respond so 

 magnificently to the appeal of the late Lord Rhondda, 

 then Food Controller of Great Britain, for 75,000,000 

 additional bushels of wheat early in 1918, was made 

 possible in part by substituting in the dietary, war- 

 garden products for the customary commercial supplies. 



Once embarked upon participation in the war it be- 

 came evident that this nation would need to exert every 

 ounce of her power in the prosecution of the conflict. 

 In various localities anti-loafing laws were speedily 

 enacted to put every man to work. Since food was 

 even more necessary than man-power, it was of still 

 greater importance to put to use every particle of 

 "slacker land" — idle soil so located that it could be 

 worked. In our cities and towns, where the man- 

 power was available to cultivate these areas, were 

 thousands upon thousands of acres of idle real estate. 



Few people realized the enormous aggregate acre- 



