The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1918-12-25
THE STATS OF
GARDEN WORK
N. M. Graham, Representing Bureau OF
Education, Visits Denison Recently
In Regard to Garden Work
100000 GARDENS kEx1 YEAR
This Number Of Gardeners Will Pro
duce $1oo, o,o0O, 900 Worth Of Food
Great Addition In Time Of Need

=
Friday, N. M. Graham, representing
the bureau OF education at Washing
lton, d. c., as the assistant regional
| director of the United States school
garden army, was in the city, confer
ring with local school authorities as
to the status of garden work in this
lcity.
The United States school garden
army had its inception when last Feb
ruary President Wilson set aside a
part of a war emergency fund to place
a force Of organizers in the field. UP
to July LIST. 100000 boy and girl sol
dier gardeners had been enlisted. For
this ensuing year the force OF organ.
izers has been increased and the en-
|listment goal has been set at 100000.
Concerning the aims, purposes and
possibilities of the garden work, Mr.
Graham made the following state
|ment:
eat the time Of the signing of the
armistice many people doubtless felt
THAT there was no longer any need OF
effort in the way of war relief activ-
ity. But when the government an
nounced that it would be necessary to
maintain an army of occupation num-
bering million and q quarter, and,
when information came that two hun
|dred million people must be fed by
agencies outside Of their own coun-
tries, the. American public were fore
|ilbly reminded that their part OF the
task in the great worlds war was not
completed on the battlefield. It will
be necessary for the army Of occu-
patton to stand guard preserving law
and order while these people recently
released from the tyranny OF absolut-
|ism work out their problems Of self
tgovernment. America has assumed
leadership in the family of nations
and she cannot stand by indifferently
to all of these world wide needs.
"Food Administrator Hoover says
that Americas contribution in this
emergency must be 20,00O,0 900 tons OF
food. Allowing 40 tons per car Tor
cars forty feet in length, we need b0o,s
| 900 cars which would make train
lover 22700 miles, or stretching out
/ from Boston to San Francisco, At IS
said even despite our best ehorts, oW-
ling to inefficient transportation facil-
|fties in the old world, from !. .00O, 900
to 2O,0OO,O00 people will die OF starva-
tion. s
Five million boy and girl soldier
gardeners will produce 100000, 900
worth Of food, q substantial addition
to the nations store In time Of need.
This aggregate is based on the con.
servative calculation that each juve-
nile gardener would produce $50 worth
OF food. Even II all the food these
boy and girl soldier gardeners pro
duce, is consumed in their own home,
1t releases that much from the gener-
'al market for expectation abroad.
aWhile the United States school
garden army was primarily organized
as a food producing agency, yet Its
promoters and directors are so I'M
pressed with its educational pOssibil-
tiles that they feel justified in urging
1t az q permanent Dart of the school
program. Knowledge that does not
function in life, is Of little value and
soon leaks from the mind. The gar
dener who keeps track Of receipts and
expenses In connection with garden
plots is receiving first hand knowl-
edge Of accounting. If a story is writ
ten OF the success or failure Of the en-
terprise there is an occasion for the
use OF written English in describing
a personal experience, which is very
much better than writing an imagin-
ative story Managing and planning
garden and being responsible for
iisposing OF its products is the means
OF giving boys and girls knowledge OF
those fundamental principles underly-
ing the commercial and industrial
world. "a
II am well pleased with what has
been done in Denison in the way of
organized and supervised garden work
am pleased to know their attitude
of friendliness toward the United
States school garden army with
which, no doubt, they will identify
themselves next season. Doubtless
after the planting time, citizens of
Denison will be greeted by the service
flag OF this army as it is displayed in
the home windows of the boys and
girls enlisting in its ranks.
JOHN kLINkER NOW IN FRANCE
Held Prisoner by Germans at Stutt-
gard After Being Wounded sE
Now Ia Good Health