Evening star., 1943-04-19
u. ). Soldiers in Britain
GrowAmericanFood
In Garden Patches
Jeeps Being Hitched to
PIows and Prove Capable
For 'One-Horse' Forms
BY THOMAS r. HENRY,
Star Stan Correspondent.


UNITED STATES SOS HEAD
QUARTERS IN ENGLAND (By
MaiD The general-and even the
colonel-may always have flowers
on his table.
The soldiers will have fresh to-
matoes, onions, string beans and
butter beans.
With the sap running and the
almonds in pink blossoms. the plant
ing fever has seized the .ex farmers
among the American soldiers here
and almost every foot of land in
the camps is being spaded and
seeded. All over the place they
are turning swords into plow-
shares-or more literally jeeps into
plow horses.
For the first time Uncle Sans
soldiers, novel to this war, are go
ing into action armed.
Cultivating IS Acres.
The agricultural program is be-
ing framed for the peculiar needs
of the Army in this area. 1t is the
policy to obtain fresh vegetables To-
cally, but the British have not been
accustomed to eating those which
are most popular with the Ameri-
cans. Onions. especially, are hard
to get in the markets. Green
beans seldom are seen. Tomatoes
are a luxury, but are required in
ration.
At this particular camp Capt H.
j. Rast, ex-farmer of CharlestoWn,
S. c., and his men, all farm boys
a few months ago, have gotten IS
acres under cultivation. 1t is mostly
In plots a few feet square-the
spaces between barracks, little cor
ners of greensward. For the most
part all these must be spaded by
hand.
There are couple of large fields
where Capt. Rast is making prac-
tical tests of the value of the jeep
in agriculture. When the war is
over there will be many thousands
Of these army vehicles for which
It would be well to find some use.
Good Substitute for Horse.
He finds, Capt. Rast says, that
the jeep just about takes the place
Of a plowhorse. 1t will draw a
light plow just as effectively, and
considerably faster. But it can
never supplant the tractor for heavy
farm work, he believes.
1t may, he believes, revolutionize
quite different phase of agricul-
ture - cattle ranching. After the
war, it is likely, the picturesque
American cowboy will disappear and
his place in rounding up the herd
will be taken by the jeep driver
for the sturdy little cars can 60
about anywhere that horse can
go, move faster and keep going
longer.
But there is no ranching for the
farmer soldiers here. Obviously,
Capt. Rast says, 65 acres will not
contribute any great portion, in
bulk. OF the mess of several thou
sand hungry soldiers. But it can
contribute just the fine touches that
are needed to relieve the monetony
OF Army diet. A few bags of onions
might make big difference in the
meals for a week.
Start Flowers in Hot House.
It Is a little hard to associate the
srimness Of war and the gentle art
of raising flowers. Nevertheless.
Capt. Rast and his men were busy
the other day planting aster, pansy,
canterbury bell and other seeds in
an improvised hot house.
When the plants come up they
will be transplanted to prepared
beds in front of each headquarters
building. They are intended pri-
marily to beautify the camps, secon-
darby to provide fresh flowers all
summer and fall for the tables of
the staff officers. They will repre-
sent, however, very little of the
activity of the soldier farmers.
AL the men are volunteers. Car
Ing for the camp vegetables and
flowers will be full-time Job, Capt.
Rast says. His men all have been
enthusiastic over exchanging their
rifles for spades once more.
A similar project is being carried
out in each of the major camps,
each of which has an agricultural
officer. But everywhere it is q sep
arate problem, the officer deter
mining how the utmost can be
gotten out of the kind of land at
his disposal to meet the peculiar
needs of his outfit.
All the vegetable seeds are being
obtained from the United States.