The Ronan pioneer. [volume] (Ronan, Mont.) 1910-1970, 1917-07-06
HAVE A GARDEN
DON'T BE STACKER
TAKE BEST OF CARE OF THE
VEGETABLES THAT YOU
HAVE PUT IN.
Growing Vegetables at Home Will
Not Only Help Solve the Food
Problem, But 1t Will Mean a Good
ly Sum in Your Pocket Book at the
End of the Year.
BY o. b. Whipple, Horticulturist,
Montana Experiment Station.

NAOhltASN sStdJlVHs
1t has been we'll said that this war
will bring our nation a substantial
benefit if it only brings us back to
Giving at home" or in orther words
revives the old custom of each fam
lily producing as nearly as is possible
the food it consumes. Every home
adopting the slogan make the home
so far as possible self-sustaining, Z"
will do much toward winning the
war You will serve the country first
because there is a real shortage of
food. 1t has been stated, apparently
on good authority, that Ohio, for in
stance, enters this war with less food
on hand than when she entered the
civil war and with population which
has now doubled and that the situa-
ton is much the same in all other
states, east of the Mississippi. Sec
ondly, you are rendering a service in
that you are relieving our transport
tation systems of an enormous bur
den in the way of food transporter
ton. Probably no one step Will do
more to solve our transportation
problems than the determination to
'live at home" Not in the sense
that we wish to advise against See
ing America First" and seeing it now
if you desire, but that every commu-
nifty should see to it that there are
no round trip tickets bought for
food at the local shipping point.
Idle Ground a Crime.
Sane and we'll directed gardening
enterprises will certainly do their
share toward solving our food prob
lem and the problem of Giving at
home There is in every community
much idle land that could be used
for such purposes. Some one has
said that "In our present emergency
idle ground is a crime and the owner
of it is a Stacker if he himself does
not put it to work or allow someone
else to do So"
We need not confine ourselves
alone to idle land for well-planned
garden plot will produce more food
than the same area used for any farm
crop. The farmer cannot be excused |
for not having garden because he
has his land all planted to grain. Abb
surd as it may seem it is commonly |
said that the farmer is the greatest
of factory canned goods.
The larger portion of this canned |
goods could be grown and preserved |
upon the farm. Think what this
means in added cost and especially in
1t is estimated that there are g.
700, 900 school children in our coun-
ry capable of cultivating gardens ON +
he vacant city lot or in the city back
ard. Probably there is an equal
lumber of adults in our cities with
eisure time that might be turned
nto this line of production. There
s abundant idle land for both groups.
hould like to bring home the fact
n this way that they may do their
ut and in they way express their pa
Plan Ahead Now.
We cannot hope at this late date to
Increase this years production of
arden crops, but you can care for
hose you are now producing. Every
Individual and every community {
hould lay plans now for greater [
creage of garden crops next year.
determine what you can grow, find
ut how to grow it and plan your
arden. Communities con do much {
1 the way of organization. Boys and I
iris make good gardeners, but they !
eed some help and supervision. If /
gu are planning a community cam i
align of gardening next year look
bout now for some one to supervise
. If the war continues through the 6
inter and next spring every farmer ,
nd every city dweller, who can find &
lie land in his own back yard or &
'me vacant lot, should plant gar f
an. 9
We hope that this war will make (