Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1918-05-04
MILLIONS OF WAR GARDENS

Have YOU planted your war garden or made arrange.
morts TO do so? Of course here in the Willamette VALLEY
If veu intended to have such garden you have large
mart of it already planted It is something that all VIII
car Should do, for it gives the gardener measure Oh
independence and serves to provide those foods Wmch
owing to scarcity of labor apt to be planted In less
this wear than usual Here in America the thought
of food scarcity seems almost absurd Ever since it has
heen country it has been abundanty supplied with 1000
for all 1t has been boast that we can 1eed ne Woru
and it is not an idle boast either The time is at hand zoo
when we have to make good on that clam Inc ales are
making tremendous demands and these we are not
ahe ia fill entirely We sending foodstuffs OF the
value of S6OO0OOOO month to them, but this is not as
much as they ask or we promised IL was only the
Voluntary going on short raons OF the great mass OF ne
American people that enabled America 10 keep Vhe aes
even partly supplied AT one time last summer New
York had but trifle more than one days supply OIL
wheat flour and most of the other cities OF the east less
than full weeks supply. Drastic measures were taken
to prevent an absolutely barren market and consequent
scare among the masses While nothing was printed at
the fine about it. the flour supply to the allies was re-
ouistoned for American use This was due TO the 1a
ire of Transportation facilities and may happen again.
AT the same time the shortage OF labor may curtain
production of some crops and so every pound grown IN
the war gardens is that much added foodstufs Tor ne
world Lack Of labor may result in food shortage at any
time when this lack occurs and one OF the problems Iac
ing the country just is this same labor shortage
Ship building with its high wages has drawn thousands
from the farms Demand Tor LABOR III lnultio idSIoi.oo
in steel uants coal mines and the countless things that
require labor to absorb the money expended Tor tnngS
needed to carry on the war draws on the farm labor
This item alone amounts to ten billion dollars year.
The demand for cars and railroad materials was never so
heavy and this branch is taking thousands away from
their regular employments 1t is one of the things OF
vital necessity oo for last year the car shortage was
what came near causing food shortage 1t was the
cause Of the fuel shortage and only the taking over OF he
railroads by the government prevented troupe serious
enough to be cassed calamity There great car
shortage still and this another argument why tne war
garden should be cultivated by everyone IN the Umtetu
States It saves that much transportation. 1t IS est
mated that the value of garden products last year
was above $300000000 The transportStlng OF TINS
nrodct to the market ceners would have required thous
ands of cars and this was saved One of the rather
strange features Of the situation is that the increased
wages has caused increase in the consumption OIL GER
tain foods Mr. Hoover has gone before congress Tor
additional authority for control of consumpton on ac
count Of these He shows the consumption OF meats mas
increased 20 per cent and fats about ii per cent These
must be reduced or the allies must SO without One rea-
son there has not been greater meat scarcity that
owing to the efforts of Mr. Hoover and his influence
with the packers the size of the hogs sent to market has
been greatly increased The quality of the bacon and
hams NAV have deterorated somewhat from this but the
antv has been added to- Your little garden will
help No matter if it is small or il it costs you all or
ore than the value of its products You have produced
something toward feeding yourself, and that is the
main thing.
Two weeks from today there will be lob lot of slogans