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- 
