Norwich bulletin., 1918-04-06

President, National War Garden Commission, Washington, D. c.
 f ts far more true than most of us realize that the city beautiful is also hkefy to be the city prosperous, the city progressive, the city commercially worth while. To every city in the country there is now offered the op- port1lnity to combine a business asset and . identification scheme with pa- triotic service. This opportunity, which now in reality becomes duty is found In war gardens" The culti- vating of home gardens by hundreds and thousands in every city throughout the United States will constitute a source of wealth to the community which win mean an appreciable in- crease in its total resources. At the same time, multitudes of back yards and vacant lots which have been either plain or veritable eyesores to the neighborhood, with weeds and rank grass will be transformed into spots of growing. green beauty. In the third place, there will be an important addition to the vitality needed food supplies of the nation.
 Increasing the Food Supplies
 Let us take these up in reverse order, for no one will deny that, in spite of the benefits which may accrue to the, individual city from war garden ing, the needs of the nation are of paramount consideration. It is just as much of a crime against humanity for stacker land' to exist in the United States as for army slackers to escape through lack of detection from giving their services to their country. As nearly as possible, every available foot of land should be put to work for democracy. The farmers, of course, are doing their sharea but on account of the shortage of labor they will not find it possible to till all the soil which should be producing crops. So it becomes the duty of every city and town to help feed itself and at the same time feed the soldiers and the people of the entire nation and of our allies.
 The help which can be given toward solving the essential food production problem through home gardens culti- vated by city. soldiers of the soul" is tremendous. The aggregate of food which can be raised on a million or five million tiny home garden plots will have a wonderful effect on the final result. Last year. thru the en- couragement given to the movement by the National War Garden Commis- sion and other organizations, some thing like 100000 war gardens were planted, ranging in size from little patches of ground 20 by 30 feet to those covering an acre or more. The value of the product grown, as esti- mated from reports to the Commission, amounted to more than $500, 600, 900. This was surely wcsth while; and every small amateur gardener can feel that he had a share in the great work As a result of the food pro- duction campaign and the conservation drive which followed it, more than 450.o00,00 jars of preserved vegetables and fruits were slowed away on home shelves for winter use. This year it is the hope of the Commission that the number of gardens will be doubled at least, and that the value of the product will round out a billion dol lars. If this can be done-and 1t should be done there is little doubt about the ability of the United States to provide itself and it's allies with sufficient food. From it's Washington headquarters last year the Commis- sion distributed more than 1000, 900 of its garden primers giving all the information needed by anyone who de- thesired 10 shoulder a hoe and get out into the trenches of the back yard.
 War Gardens as City 5eautifiers
 In these days it does not take much stretch of the imagination to see beauty in a bed of crisp, green lettuce or in a row of onion tops and beets, which rivals even the charm of a garden of rare flowers. To-day a back yard filled with ripening beans and tomato vines is handsomer than one filled with roses. The ordinary back yard, as a rule, is bare of flowers, these being reserved for the show place in front of the house, and so a vegetable garden in the space at the rear is highly to be commended as an at traction to the place. Anyone renting or buying a place which could dis play a healthy and prosperous-looking