question and now we must ask what part the Garden Club should 
take in insuring not only moderate prices, but the production of 
enough food at any price. 
The first move toward this desired end is universal thrift and 
elimination of waste. Unwise and extreme economy, suddenly prac- 
ticed, is too drastic a measure for a nation of spendthrifts. We must 
not lose our sense of proportion because at long last we have decided 
to shoulder our responsibilities. Rather we must be moderate in our 
frugalities as well as in our expenditures. 
The president of one of our great packing houses suggests two 
meatless days a week; the governor of a mid- western state recommends 
a conference of the governors of the grain states with a view to in- 
creasing crops; the President says: "Our allies are in the field and we 
should help them in every way to be effective there." 
All these point to one duty: the production of enough food stuffs 
not only for our own needs but for the needs of our fellow-democracies. 
The Garden Club is made up of thirty-four efficient organizations, 
operating in communities where influence and activity count most. 
So far, as individuals, we have given more time to flowers than to 
vegetables, but the time has come to reverse our interests. We can- 
not let our flowers go but we can use them as our pleasure and relaxa- 
tion after a day more practicaUy spent. 
Each Club has its own particular problem to face. Some are near 
large cities with little ground around the houses, others in the country 
surrounded by idle fields. For those who cannot farm there is organ- 
ization work to be done, allotment schemes to be started, back- 
yard gardening to be encouraged. Several Clubs are already 
planning canneries where surplus vegetables may be used and 
methods taught. Towns can do this work even better than country 
communities because in these days almost every village has a Do- 
mestic Science Department in one of its schools with a properly 
equipped kitchen. If there is only enough to carry each family 
through the winter we are serving the country by eliminating our 
own needs. 
Where larger tracts of land are available, much space should be 
given to potatoes and other root crops. A fairly good potato crop 
can be grown on newly turned ground. That seed potatoes are higher 
than ever before is the greater reason for planting them. They will 
be higher next year unless we do and, surely, if we can afford a garden 
we can afford to spend another ten dollars for a barrel of potatoes. 
Or even, we could omit a few frills in the way of geraniums and lily 
bulbs. 
