The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-03-25
Secretary OF Agriculture Sends Letter
to All Parts Of the Country Urg-
ing Establishment Of
These.
HEALTH AND SAVINGS
Mere Boulevnrds Count for Nothing
Where There are fostering
SIums, is One Pertinent
Thought In Letter.

Secretary L. T. Meredith OF tAe
IT. s, department of agriculture, II
a letter sent throughout the country
urging that a thrift garden campaign
he made this spring, to help lower
the high cost of, living, makes an IN
tAresting statement about the nome
gardens of America.
The war taught this generation the
value of home gardening, the secre-
tary says, and while there are NO
statistics on the value of the 1000
produced in this way, the experts OF
the department report that from
their observation more was produced
in 1919 than in 1917.
The latter was the first war garden
year when probably more gardens
were made in this country than ever
before or since. Patriotic zeal IN
sDired attempts TO make vegetables
grow in very barren soil. in many
cases. Many disappointments result
ed. and in succeeding years the num-
her OF gardens undoubtedly was re-
duced, but as the secretary pointed
ont, the amount of food produced In
creased. This was due, without
doubt, to the increased Skill OF the
gardeners that stuck at it, ana the
improved yield Of land cultivated
more than one season.
GARDENING 2 Worldwide Vogue.
Like many other fashions that
have followed the world war, the
vogue OF home gardens is not pecu-
liar to America. In England, the
allotment holders, who cultivate par
cehs Of land assigned to them by the
government, are still at their agree
able task. The back to the land
movement is pronounced in England
where great estates are being cut up
into small farms, which the men who
cultivate them. for the first time in
generations, are allowed to buy.
In every large American city, CO.
incident with the increase in rents
which has marked the last six
months, there has been a tremen-
dous movement to the suburbs and
the country. Houses in suburban
localities have jumped in value, the
most desired being those which had
ground suitable for gardens attached
to them.
Promoters of subdivisions have
found that the quickest sales were
made where small farms" were
offered, this being the phrase used
to describe half acre. acre and larger
tracts, which are represented as sutA-
cient operations.
Unlike many of the tendencies
coming in the wake of the war. the
popularity of gardening is asserted
10 be distinctly wholesome. 1t fills
q vital economic purpose. in helping
to keep down prices to those who
cannot make gardens, in lessening
the strain on transportation, and
materially increasing the total sup
ply Of food.
Health in The Garden City"
In its effect upon health and social
conditions, the gardening movement
contributes in way which many
consider to be even more vital. The
direct relationship between high food
prices and social discomfort is recos.
nized. The value Of gardening as a
factor in health improvement is not
SO we'll understood, but in recent
address in Chicago, DR.. Victor c.
Vaughan dean of the University Of
Michigan medical school, speaking
before the congress on medical edu-
cation, pointed to England as having
had, before the war, at least, the
lowest death rate Of any country.
What, is the reason?" he con-
tinued at is because the English
pay more attention to practical SAM
tation than anybody else. The mod
ern English trend is toward garden
cities. Now garden city is not