Weekly journal-miner., 1918-04-03
HOME GARDEN CAMPAIGN ID
 BE WAGED
DEPARTMENT OF AGR l. CULTURE POINTS OUT HOW SMALL PLOTS CAN BE USED TO INCREASE FOOD PRODUCTION.


 productive home garden on every farm and a backyard garden for every village, town, and city home" :" is the slogan of the United States ! Department of Agriculture. Many forces and different organizations are helping in the garden campaign but the United States Department or Ag- riculture and the agricultural colleges are carrying the biggest end of the work of organization and instruction ! There are approximately 10,OOO,OO0 rural families in the United States, and approximately 3,OO0!O00 addi- tional families in cities and towns up to 25,000 population. In the entire United States there are about 2l ,0OO,- GOO families, but a portion of these in the large congcstcd centers of the population can not have gardens. { home garden for every possible fam ily is the air. The work is well under way, already having been organized in January for this years campaign of food production.
 Caution
 i The department is emphasizing economic production of food through these gardens and, therefore, points out the following important cautions: | (a) No home garden should be raised except by labor of the family for the use of the family: in other ! words, a home garden with hired labor is not advocated. The hired la bor should be released 10 engage Tn . general farming to add to the food stores of the nation.
 I (b) Garden seed, especially of cer- tain important standard crops, such as beans and peas, must be conserved and not wasted.
 (c) Good soil, sunlight, and air are necessary for good gardens. It is waste of seed and labor to plant on land not suited or where shaded large part of the day.
 ! (d) In small backyard gardens, plant only those crops which produce large quantities on limited areas, such as string beans, tomatoes, lima beans, bects. or onions. Corn, peas, potatoes. and other such crops require more space than is needed for the other crops.
 Organization
 The United States Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with ! State agricultural colleges, has one of ! the most extensive organizations ever possessed by any country to put this campaign into effect The horticul turists employed in the Department of Agriculture have charge of the de- partmcnts campaign. They repre- sent both the Bureau of Plant In- dustry and States Relations Service. In almost every State there IS home-gardcn specialist representing the extension service of the college and the department. Gn some States two or three men are employed) Tn addition to these special men, the ] Department of Agriculture, In CO., operation with the State agricultural colleges, has very large force of men and women at work in the field, who will assist in the homc-gardcn campaign as part Of their great campaign for food production. There are at present 2,260 county agricul- tural agents and their assistants, trained in agriculture, who arc ac- lively engaged in the food-produc ton campaign, including its home gardening phase. There arc also L. l96 county home demonstration agents and loo city home dcmonstra- ton agents. These are highly trained and experienced women who arc de voting some time to the garden cam paign and who will assist in teaching the canning of the surplus products during the summer and fall
 Through the boys and girls agri- cultural clubs organized in the forty eight States. hugo army of farm boys and girls is enlisted annually for productive work It IS too carly to estimate the number in these clubs. Based on the increase already re- ported over last years enrolment, the number of rural boys and girls in these clubs will probably be more than two million and half engaged in larger productive enterprises, such as corn clubs, gardening, and canning clubs, pig clubs, etc. In addition to these, a large number of home gar dcns were iroduccd by boys and girls and adults in cities and towns last year and will be enlisted by the department this year.
 ,! The State and county councils ot defense, State food administrators, and their county representatives are very greatly interested in the garden campaign and are cooperating with the department and the colleges in many ways.
 The Bureau of Education is enlist ing the interest of teachers and other school authorities to enroll school children and give them leadership in home or backyard gardening in many larger cities and towns. These will add materially to the huge garden program of the Department of Agri- culture.
 The Boy Scouts of America, the Girl Scouts and Campfire Girls. and the Junior Rcd Cross are also organ izing for productive gardening or club work. and are corrclating their work with that of the department and the colleges and receiving instruction from county agents, club agents, and
 Al L..