THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 33 
deliveryman, certainly not less than twenty-five. If 
every war gardener who made enough out of his garden 
to buy a Liberty Bond also saved his deliveryman 
twenty-five trips, the total saving of labor was enor- 
mous. The number of persons employed, before the 
war, solely to wait on other persons, was beyond belief. 
Soon after the United States entered the war, merchants 
began to face a readjustment of their business. It was 
estimated that in New York City alone simplification of 
delivery and clerk systems would release 100,000 men 
for service in the army. In the aggregate, war gardening 
aided to an incredible extent in this readjustment. 
Nor are these all the benefits conferred by war gar- 
dening. Nothing is more essential to success in war 
than the creation and maintenance of an ardent patriotic 
spirit. War gardening fostered this spirit by enabling 
so many individuals not actually in the army to do some- 
thing tangible in the struggle. Millions of patriots joined 
the army of the soil because of their deep love for their 
country, and their desire to help in the hour of need. 
Many of the slogans sent ringing throughout the 
country by the Commission breathed the spirit of 
America and of democracy. That spirit spoke from the 
Commission’s posters and other matter. War garden- 
ers were called on by the beautiful figure of Liberty to 
“Sow the Seeds of Victory.” Another slogan, a clever 
paraphrase on the title of a famous song, told them to 
“ Keep the Home Soil Turning. ” West Virginia started 
the message: “Food Must Follow the Flag,” which 
became a household word throughout the United 
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