The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1918-03-18
EVERY VACANT LOT AND BACK
YARD SHOULD PRODUCE A
WAR GARDEN THIS YEAR

Mr.. Herbert c. Hoover, the United
States Food Administrator, is plead
ing for aid from the people of the
cities and towns. The need for an in
creased production of food-stuffs is
imperative, not only to help our al
lies but to save our own American
boys from needless sacrifice and suf-
fering.
At Mr.. Hoover's request, Mr.. F. NJ,
Sackett, U. S. Food Administrator for
Kentucky, has appointed a War Gar
den Division, with instructions to
urge every patriotic man, woman and
child in the state to join in the ma
ton wide campaign to put under cul-
tivation the land lying idle in, and ad-
jacent to cities and towns. Mr.. Hoov-
err very strongly emphasizes the ne
cessity of raising beans, potatoes, and
other vegetables that will keep dur
ing the coming winter when food at
any price will be scarce.
Our own soldiers in France cannot
hold their sectors of the fighting lines
if the British and French cannot hold
theirs. They must all win, or all be
crushed. Our allies are in great need
Of food. For over three years they
have been fighting our battle. Shall
we let them fail? Shall the American
soldiers be over run by the armies
Of Germanys War Lord? This decis-
ion, so fraught with the veal or woe
Of all, depends upon the combined in
dividual effort of each single person
in this country as well as "over
there"
The War Garden Division is urging
that a local War Garden Committee in
each community will undertaken to
get idle lots cultivated and made pro-
ductive. List the available vacant
property and get the people to work
who will undertake the patriotic duty
Of thus helping to win the war. -
1t is the aim of the War Garden Di-
vision that every back yard, every va
cant lot and every idle tract of land
should be turned into War Garden,
producing food.
Mr.. Hoover is authority for the
statement, that the food situation of
the world must steadily degenerate as
long as the war lasts; that further
more, our over-taxed railroads, which
will continue to be over-taxed during
the whole course of the war, will be
greatly relieved If we have a larger
area of gardens planted.
Every community large or small,
that makes itself self-sustaining and
Independent of supplies that have in
the past been delivered by the rail-
roads, will be helping by Just that
much to relieve the congestion of
traffic and clear the road to rush sup
plies to the front.
1t cannot be too strongly urged that
unless the people of the cities and
towns, potatoes and other winter
crops that will take the place of
bread, the shortage of food supplies
next winter will bring about very
serious situation.
Last year, by reason of the over
whelming amount of work that de-
volved upon the Food Administration,
the War Garden Work was not thor
oughly organized, nor was the need
for it given sufficiently wide publicity.
But, Notwithstanding these serious
handicaps, Mr.. Hoover feels that the
War Garden Movement of 1917 played
an important part in saving the coun-
try from positive shortage.
1t must, therefore, stand clear that
your individual efforts and activity in
bringing about production of food
crops upon idle land. is indeed a most
important factor directly affecting
the welfare of our military status, and
in so doing, you are lending patriotic
effort to the cause as distinctively as
are the men under arms.
This il a real, and an urgent. call
to the colors-a challenge for you
to join the Army with the Hoel