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WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
April, 1917 
EVEN IF THE AVAR ENDS TO- 
MORROW. 
The need is quite as urgent as if 
the war continues a year or three 
years. The food supply of the 
world is short and daily growing 
shorter. If the war ends before the 
ink on this page is dry every ounce 
of food that can be produced thru- 
out the world will be needed. 
Millions of Belgians, including 
hundreds of thousands of innocent 
children are now slowly starving to 
death. Millions of others in the 
warring countries haven’t had a 
square meal in two years and will 
take all the food we can spare. 
Whenever we produce for our own 
needs we release other supplies for 
those who are now hungry and will 
be hungry for many months to come. 
COAL ASHES. 
The soil in back yards is apt to be 
heavy. A liberal supply of coal 
ashes worked into the soil when 
spading will help. If no wood was 
burned, except occasional kindling, 
an unlimited amount of the ashes 
may be used. Coal ashes, however, 
contain practically no elements of 
fertility. 
USE LIME FOR SOUR SOIL. 
Many garden soils are sour. To 
offset this as well as to improve the 
physical properties of clay soils use 
lime, either fresh or burnt lime or 
slaked lime; if the former on a plot 
50 by 100 feet use 100 pounds, pul- 
verized and raked in after digging 
and before planting. If air slaked, 
use 1—150 lbs. 
CITY ANI) HOME ADORNMENT 
CAN WAIT. 
Governor Philipp says in his mes- 
sage to you: “I wish to again im- 
press upon the people of this state 
that the food situation is so serious 
that we will commit a moral wrong 
against our government if we in any 
way unnecessarily interfere with the 
production and successful harvest- 
ing of our agricultural products.” 
Any community which now ex- 
pends time and money purely for 
adornment is committing “a moral 
wrong against our government.” 
These things can wait. Use this 
energy and money to get gardens 
planted. The individual, no matter 
how comfortable he may be finan- 
cially who now spends large sums 
in beautifying his home grounds 
and nothing in the effort to increase 
the production of food is commit- 
ting “a moral wrong against our 
government.” Keep up the parks, 
but spend nothing additional on 
them. Keep your home grounds 
neat and attractive but plant more 
potatoes and fewer flowers, — this 
year. Next year we can make up 
for lost time. 
WHAT NOT TO PLANT! 
In small gardens do not attempt 
to grow sweet corn, cucumbers, egg- 
plant, cauliflower or melons, as these 
take up too much room. Forego al- 
so planting such “fancy” kinds as 
brussel sprouts, artichoke, etc. 
Stick to root crops largely — kinds 
that will fill the vegetable bins next 
fall. 
WELL ROTTED BARN YARD 
MANURE BEST. 
Neither coal ashes nor lime will 
take the place of manure. Where 
available, use liberally. Spread so 
as to completely cover the surface 
or even to a depth of two or three 
inches and dig or plow under. 
For fiftv-two years our Society has labored unselfishly to 
“make the* land fruitful" and to instil a love of the beautiful in the 
hearts of our people. 
A greater need has now arisen than any we have ever before 
known. Let us set our hands to this task in the same steadfast, 
earnest manner in which we have faced our problems in the past. 
Let us show to all the world that the horticulturists are not 
“slackers” but workers and “doers.” 
