The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1918-09-05
FOOD SUPPLY IS
MUCH INCREASED
Spread of War Garden Movement
Is Reported From Every
Section of Country.
ADDS MUCH TO POCKETB0OK
Examples of Progress Of Home, Chill
dren's and Community Gardens In
dictate They Have Come to Stay
Some OF the Advantages.

War gardens as a whole. including
home, children'S and community gar
denS, are more numerous and far more
productive this year than last, accord
ing to the department OK agriculture.
This is the consensus of opinion Of
those who have been working on the
garden problem, and is based on
specific reports OF the departments
agents, and upon the observations OF
its specialists throughout the country
While it is reported that seedsmen
sold less seed to home gardeners this
year than they did last, this does not
mean that there are less gardens or
smaller paintings. Amateurs learned
last year that they bought too much
seed. Some OF this seed was IN
dOubtedIy kept over, and many gar
deners saved seed from last years
crop for planting this season A few
gardeners going to work in 1917 with
more enthusiasm than experience de
cided not TO plant this year, but
great many more who did not make
gardens last year made them this
season.
Estimates Not Reliable.
Estimates OF the number of gardens
vary, and there are no figures other
than conjectures Department garden
specialists say that an estimate of TO-
100000 home gardens is conservative,
but admit that this figure represents
only a good guess.
Specific examples show how the gar
den movement has grown Before the
war, according to the garden leader OF
the District OF Columbia, there were
not more than 5000 gardens in the
federal district which contains the
capital OF the country Now there are
2S,O00. including school gardens, with
a marked increase in 1913 over 1917.
Chicago has $4,000 gardens, 10000
of which are home gardens, 10000 chill
dren's gardens and OBS. 600 community
gardens. Oklahoma City had more
than 1900 gardens last year
Gardens on Farms
It must not be supposed. either, that
city man and suburbanite constituted
the only classes that needed admOni-
ton to start gardens, and the only
ones that needed the admOnitiOn- The
county agent OF Oswego county, New
York. maintains that the majority OF
farmers in his county have not had
gardens and that much OF the effort
toward more and better home gardens
should be expended on the farmer
rather than on the city man.
In the South last year more than
$4,000 new gardens were started
through the efforts OF farm demonstra-
ton agents, and this figure takes no
account of many gardens established
as an indirect result Of the work Of the
department OF agriculture. OF even
greater significance has been the great
amount OF gardening done through the
cooperation Of Industrial enterprises.
Many OF the great lumber mills and
cotton mills Of the South have en-
couraged their employees to have home
gardens even to the extent Of furnish
ing the ground and the pioWfng. and
allowing time on with pay for the
planting, cultivation and harvesting
OF the crops In Bib county. Ala
bams, mine companies furnished land.
seed and fertilizers. In Calhoun
county, the same state, home garden