Oakland Tribune from Oakland, California • Page 22

28 aklaftO Ccibune JUNE 16, 1918. WAR GARDEN, PAGE What to Grow and How; Information Concerning Canning of Fruit and Vegetables SUNDAY MORNING Community Canning; What War Gardens May Do Potatoes Or Starvation Is Word Fiom England I "Potatoes! Potatoes!" That isUie FREE WAR GARDEN PRIMER 32 pages fully illustrated for every reader of The OAKLAND TRIBUNE We have arranged with the National War Garden Commission, Maryland Building, Washington, D. 'C, for you to get this free garden book of instruction on how to plant and cultivate a garden. Send this coupon and a two-cent stamp for postage NOW to NATIONAL WAR GARDEN COMMISSION Maryland Building, Washington, I). C.

Herewith two-cent stamp for postage for which please send me your war garden hook free. Name Street State. WA RNING I You must fill out this blank CAMP BOYS HAVE LARGEST GARDEN By LAURA BUFFUM Domestic Science Expert of the National War Garden Commission, Washington, C. One war garden alone cannot do modi. Five million war gardens can feed a larsra army, and the whole United States this year is eally one big community working together for- a common Union gives strength, and just as many home gardeners have found it of mutual advantage to work together in clubs or some other joint manner, so it is in the canning work.

If anything, the advantages in the Utter are greater. There is going to be an enormous yield from the 5,000,000 war gardens of the country. The product will be far beyond the possibility cf immediate table use; and this places upon the housewife the unusual burden of conserving as much as possible of this surplus product Complete data on canning and drying of fruits and vegetables is contained in the free manual which the National War Garden -Commission will send to anyone on request for a two-cent stamp for postage. One of the best methods to follow In canning is for several families to club together. The work may be carried on in a school house, empty store or at the home of one of the members.

Tfle room' or rooms chosen should have heat and water available. By joining In the purchase of equipment each participant will be in a position to save money and at the same time have the advantage of larger and more complete apparatus. During the season greater quantities of produce will be ready to take from the garden on certain days than can be conveniently handled In the household, and the neighborhood canning outfit would help in a solution of the, problems of attending to large bulk in comparatively short time. For this work a steam pressure canner Is to be preferred to the hot-water bath, as the processing requires a much shorter time and there is less fuel output Purchases should be made early as there Is likely to be delay in delivery. The cost installment and operation of-a community cannery require careful thought The National War Garden Commission furnishes a list of commercial canners.

This may be had upon appli-, cathm: Plan to have one expert paid worker to tnstruct and direct, and get full details oliall expense and activities essential before putting "the project into when It is shown that the soldiers win plant something like 175 acres of potatoes, 15 to 30 acres each of sweet corn, onions, string beans and beets. Seeds for most of these crops were donated to the camp by the National War Garden Commission, of which Charles Lathrop Pack is president "The value of this real war garden at an army camp," said Mr. Pack, "cannot be calculated, and the commission is very glad to help the army set this fine example to the country. The question of food Is paramount and each one of us must do everything possible to feed himself. The Reclamation Service will assign men to the gardening who are physically Incapacitated for duty overseas and who are otherwise unavailable for military duty.

Camp Dix Is a city of 48,000 men, and. this big war garden will give great aid to Captain BetJike, the subsistence officer, on the staff of Col. Tompkins, in providing food without the burden of transportation and pther drawbacks. This Is just the nation-wide example the National War Garden Commission is campaigning for. From the inquiries coming in everybody In the United States must be interested in the camp war warden hre The seeds of victory are in, and" from Colonel Edmond Tompkins of the Quartermaster's Department, down to privates at Camp Dix they are giving he best care to the biggest camp war garden in the country.

From the time the train of nine motor trucks loaded, with "garden ammunition' sent by the National War Garden Commission of Washington arrived around the camp wanted to know when they were going to get some of that garden sass frem Colonel Tompkins. Lieut. Champlin of the colonel's staff is getting the" seed Into the ground and hoping for rain at the right time, so it seems fair to assume that the victory crop will be aong on schedule. Following the start of this garden the Government will spend $60,000 for gardens at other camps. Col.

J. S. Fair will have charge of these details. Importance of the garden, which is to be between 300 and 400- acres, is seen la Europe, according to the newspapers Just received in Washington by the National War Garden Commission. The great importance of the 400-acre war garden at Camp Dix, N.

"which the Commission is having planted with the co-operation of Lieutenant-Colonel Edmund Tompkins, the camp ter, shows the army authorities are awake to the value of food produced as close to the mess tent door as possible. At Camp Dix 175 acres will be planted In potatoes. Following this planting by the Commission the announcement is made that through the Reclamation Division the Army will spend $60,000 on gardening at other camps. The- details are in charge of Colonel J. S.

Fair, assistant to the Acting Quartermaster-General. la England the crop outlook is not as good as last year, according to' the Con- Oriental Edition of the American Daily Mall, published in Paris. "Make sure of potatoes." says the Mail. "In the days to come they may stand between us and the paper prints this warning: "At a time when such tremendous 1s-sues hang upon the great battle in France and Flanders it may be hard for some of us to descend to the consideration of potatoes, but it must be remembered that there are such things as bad harvests and people in England particularly must be prepared NOT FOR THE BEST, BUT FOR THE WORST. "Much of the corn used in England Is Imported at the present time, and if we manage to increase our shipping faster than our enemies can destroy it we shall still need all the tonnage we can get for the conveyance of troops across the Atlantic must be ready then to do with the minimum of corn, and the best and only thing that can fill the gap is the potato.

"Last year England had a splendid crop on record acreage. We cannot, in reason, hope for such a crop this year," and it is a Tact no country can produce too much. If a shortage of labor stands in the farmer's way, the labor must be supplied. There are plenty of people in England who could do their share of farm work wlttut damaging their efficiency- in any task of national im- portance on which they are engaged, and if necessary they should be compelled to do it. "When we are to'd by those who are best qualified to judge that we may be compelled during the next twelve months to eat potatoes instead of bread, we have got to make sure of the potatoes.

In the dayg to come they may stand between us and starvation." In a statement today by Charles L-throp Pack, president of the National War Garden Commission, he says:" "The 400-acre garden at Camp Pig will furnish not only thousands of bushels of corn and potatoes for close lo the mess door. bul it will furnish an example to th Llnited States and the" world of how transportation burdens can be relieved if (the people will do everything possible to feed themselves by. cultivating backyards and vacant los POLICE THE GARDEN.) 1 HOE FOR LIBERTY enect Hoe and hoe, then hoe some more, Is the best motto which the home food grower can, adopt. Eternal hoeing Is the price of a good garden, just as eternal vigilance Is the price of liberty. Frequent cultivation "will save the gardener from much other labor and it has many advantages, says today's bulletin from the National War Garden Commission.

For instance, it will save much watering and is better for the plants. In fact, tie hoeing will keep the -moisture, which is down in the ground, from evaporating. The dust cover or "mulch," as it is called, prevents this. In addition, hoeing lets in the air and liberates the fertility around the plant rootsso that they can get at it and eat it. Another advantage is that the hoeing will keep weeds from getting: a start and consuming the food in the soil, which should go to the vegetables.

Hoeing should be done every seven days at least, and always after a -rain or after the garden has been watered so as to break up the hard crust which forms on the surface. Dovnot hoe deeply, as the plant roots are likely to be cut If that is idone. About an inch is deep enough. A mistake sometimes made is to water the garden a little every day. Wait til the plants show that they heed water and then give them a good soaking.

Once a week, is usually enough, even in the dryest weather. A few days after a rain or an artificial soaking, test the soil by squeezing a handful. If it falls apart after squeezing the surface crust formed by' the water should be broken up by hoeing. If any reader of this paper has not yet secured, a war warden primer, he should write to the National War Garden Commission, Washington, fr a free copy, sending a two-cent stamp for Police! There are marauders in your vegetable plot, not the two-legged variety, but the little fellows that hide under the leaves. You remember the days when you were a boy and the ambition of your life was to a policeman.

Well, here's your chancei by hunting the insect pests, says today's bulletin from the National War Garden Commission. It'is an easy matter to decide what kind of spraying apparatus to get It simply depends upon the size of garden and whether you want a partnership pump a neighbor or two, if you decide to use liquid sprays. If you ex- pect to depend on dust spraying, then he simplest duster Is a tin with holes punched in the bottom. With this the poisoned dust or sulphur can" be sifted on the plants. A flour sifter is also good for this purpose, but the most efficient duster is one with a bellows which blows the dust out with considerable force.

For liquid spraying in a very small garden there is a small hand sprayer on the "squirt gun" order with a little container to. hold the The best one of this type has a glass container whirh the spray cannot corrode. These cost frc-m fifty cents, up. The bucket pumps are efficient and reliable in every re-fpect, bu't are a little unhandy for one person to use because he must pump with one hand and then the pump and bucket must be moved from place to place because the spray will reach only a few feet in any direction. There are several types of bucket the best one having an attachment to fasten it to the bucket.

The best outfit, howeVr, is a compressed air sprayer. It hoTas three gallons" and is carried by a strap passed over the shoulder. The oldest type of liquid spray distributer is a whisk broom. JKave you received your garden primer yet, Mr. Reader? If not, write today to the National War" Garden Commission Washington, and enclose a two-cent stamp to pay for the postage.

MY WAR GARDEN. First I pulled up all the weeds, Then dropped in the tiny seeds; This I did on Saturday morn My seeds consisting of beans and corn. I always kept it watered well So they'd be suitable to sell. I worked In my garden with a win Until I found my ground did fill With vegetables though small and green. When counted were found to be sixteen.

I Sold the vegetables to our neighbors. And told them of all my troubles and labors The neighbors cooked the bearis and corn And told me about them the next morn. They said the corn was fine indeed. And asked me to plant some of the seed. Instead of planting corn arid beans.

I planted onions and other greens Such as parsley, lettuce and cabbage, too; Some of which' I will sell to you. Ndtyou plant a garde5 I hope you will succeed, And help supply the food that we and our allle3 need. VERNA F. FRIEDMAN, age 11 yrs. DE KALB BEATS H.

C. OF L. De Kalb Junction, N. T. June 15.

How the residents of this section won out against old 11. C. L. is told by O. F.

Pattbetx, superintendent of the St. Lawrence Pyrites in a report he has made to the National War Garden Commission of Washington. Mr. Pattbetl says the company furnished employees with plowed land and that the men raised large of potatoes. Although on account of the severe winter many pota- oes froze, the local crop was so large that they could still be bought this spring for 85 -cents a bushel, a big reduction over last year's price.

This year crops be even larger..