New Britain herald., 1918-04-18
Ten Million Home Gardens.


Gentleman there was a very excellent
article by John r. Mcmahon with
reference to the gardening movement.
1t is entitled Ten Million Home Gar
dens,' and Mr.. Mcmahon sets forth
that ten million home gardens should
be this years goal.
Last Year he points out that there
We're 100000 gardens and the Or
gan1zatlon was not half complete.
The 1917 war garden drive began with
good deal of hysterical impulse
The public mind was in a state of fer
nent and patriots and patrioteers
ramped into it. The result, Mr.. Nc
Mahon indicates, was a great deal of
preliminary enthusiasm, all of which
did not materalize in results. This
year. he believes, we have settled down
to something like more definite
movement and. while there may not be
quite as much noise about it, the 1918
result should be materially greater
MI. McMahon points out very striking
~ that If the United states home gar
deners raised more food in 1917 than
the submarines sank in a year, double
returns for our gardening In 1918 Will.
to use his own words mean "a whale
Of a, lot The home garden products
of last year were sufficient in volume
to fill 100, 900 freight ears. That
means, as Mr.. McMahon points out,
that the use of that number of cars
was saved for other purposes by
reason of the production of food near
the point where it was to be con-
stunned. This is far from the least i'm
portant phase of the home garden
movement since the transportation sit
uation is so acute.
Here are some of the facts Mr.. Nc |
Mahon gives: There is Il wheat short |
age Of around 100000 bushels for |
our Allies and ourselves The corn
crop last year Was heralded as a rec |
ord breaker of 100000 bushels |
but when deductions were made for
frost-bitten, immature or soft corn. |
the total fell to 2.591,O0OOOO, which |
is really below the average for the |
preceding five years, SO that instead Of |
q surplus of corn, we actually have a |
shortage. Production from all crops |
last year was 20 per cent. under ex-
pectations and the same conditions |
which produced that result in 1917 |
prevail to great extent in 1918, the |
chief of which, of course, is the short |
age of labor
The facts with reference to grain |
production are that the United States |
produced less of the six leading grains |
in 1917 than in 1915 and it is true, of |
course, that there was no campaign
for an increased food production as
far back as 1915, SO that with all the
drive Which was made for increased
food last year, We actually did not
produce as much in these directions
as was produced two years before
when We had no special effort to slim
ulate production.
Live stock is decreasing the world |
over. There are 20 per cent. fewer |
hogs than is normal in this country !
The farmers are killing poultry, so the
garden takes on a new significance |
Mr.. McMahon suggests consideration |
Of few possibilities in the American
garden. AS stated he estimates the
total Of last year at 100000, covering
about 100000 acres with n total food
production of $35O.0O0O0O. He sug-
gests win good reason that there is
no reason why that number should not |
be doubled this year There are
80, 900 cities, towns and villages in the
United States. Mr.. Mcmahon suggests
that If each place put an average Of
$500 an acre, the total food production |
would be $3.50, 000,0 900. Gardening. |
therefore,. when it Is considered on a
national basis, looms large as a means
Of producing food.
Ihc advice which Mr.. Mcmahon !
gives Is to plant only the most prac-
teal and productive crops which will
give food for next winter as well as
for this summer. This is in line with
the advice which is being given hy
the home gardens department of the
committee on food supply and seems
to be followed by local committees
He also suggests what has been found |
to be true in Connecticut that while |
there are seeds enough for all the gar
dens that will be planted. there is a
seed shortage and seed should be used |
5parlngly and not wasted. He recon- |
mends that every surplus vegeta BILE
should be sailed, pickled dried or
canned for winter and that commune
les which encourage a large garden
plant should be alert to tho necessity
IF providing some way of taking care
Of the surplus which is sure to de-
Jelop In mid-season when green stuff |
"opens much faster than the gardener
an eat it.
Issued by the Connecticut State
Council Of Defense,)