SENSIBLE WAR GARDENS 
ILITARY and civil authorities agree that any relaxation which restores nervous energy is 
to be encouraged if it does not require military materials. A garden fits this bill of particulars 
to a Tee. With your hands in the warm earth, surrounded by the calming beauty and fragrance 
of blooms and the restful green of leaves, your mind and body can relax and become reenergized. 
We suggest three practical types of War Gardens: 
1. Labor-saving Gardens 
A number of beautiful trees and shrubs thrive with a minimum of labor. A table and further 
information will be found on Page 51. Perennial plants, as well (see Pages 4 to 7) can be selected 
for a minimum of work and a maximum of enjoyment. 
2. Food Production 
There will be plenty of food, but will fresh fruit, vegetables, etc., be available everywhere if 
our transportation system is devoted to war effort? We suggest particularly Blueberries and 
Fruits on Pages 36 to 41. 
3. Natural Resources 
You may believe the war will be over before forest trees planted now become timber. Surely 
it will! But idle land yields nothing; planted land is protected from erosion and increases in value 
about $15 per acre per year. Natural resources can only be measured in dollars. Add your bit. 
Basic Needs of Plant Life 
N this Short Guide it is taken for granted that most trees and shrubs require normal food, 
air, and water. Thus a plant needing more air than usual at its roots is marked “‘loose soil” 
or ‘‘drain.”’ Plants very easy to grow are referred to as ‘‘tolerant,’’ or may have no notes whatsoever. 





THE ROOTS NEED— 
Air—‘‘loose,’’ “‘heavy,’’ ‘‘drain.”’ 
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Roots get oxygen from air that filters into the 
earth. Some plants need more than others; these 
must have loose (sandy) soil and will suffocate 
in heavy damp clays. Such plants are marked 
“drain” in this Guide. 

Water—‘‘damp,’’ ‘‘dry.”’ 
Roots can only use chemicals that are dis-  {/"~____] 
solved in water. Also, water is the means of _ |----- 
transportation up the stem. Some plants need 
more than others and die in severe droughts. 
In the descriptions such are marked “damp.” A 
loose soil quickly dries, a heavy soil keeps damp. —j____. 
Thus water and air for the roots are both present —‘{J?8°~—sL----______ faa ay 
in a normal soil, neither too sandy nor too clayey, . - 
and which has enough decayed organic matter 
in it. Normal plants that thrive in this ‘‘ordinary 
garden soil’ need no notation. 

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CLIMATE MAP—The numbers I to VII in the map refer 
Food—“‘humus,” “rich,” ‘‘barren.”’ to Zone numbers printed after each plant name throughout 
this Guide. It shows the northern limit beyond which any 
a. Potassium—most soils have plenty. given plant cannot usually grow. 
b. Phosphorus—needs to be added in most soils 
with fertilizer. THE LEAVES NEED— 
c. Nitrogen—Fertilizer supplies it, but water Air—"wind,” “city air.” 
quickly leaches it out, so the plant most of Carbon is absorbed from air. Ordinarily the gardener has 
the year depends upon nitrogen provided by no worries about the leaves getting air. Some plants, like 
soil-bacteria. Soil full of bacteria is called Tsuga, burn in strong winds. Bad city air is harmful to some 
“top-soil”; empty of it is called ‘barren.’ trees. 
These soil-bacteria depend on: 
Li ht—‘* 99 66 pees 
1. Acidity of soil (lime, etc.). 18 eee FES 
2. Drainage of soil (air). Light makes the chlorophyl factory turn its wheels. All 
3. Humus in the soil (food). plants need some. Those that get along best on little light are 
marked “‘shade’’ in this Guide. Those that need a great deal 
d. Iron, Lime, etc., in small quantities usually are marked ‘“sun.”—Normal plants are not marked—they 
present anywhere. live in sun or part shade. 
2 
