cS^ 2 2^/ ^L 9S SB 321 ■L75 Copy I UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS BULLETIN Issued Weekly Vol. XV FEBRUARY i8, 1918 No. 25 [Entered as second-class matter December 11, 1912, at the post office at Urbana, Illinois, under the Act of August 24, 1912.] THE WAR GARDEN By J. W. LLOYD Professor of Olericulture h (^ PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS Under the Direction of the War Committee URBANA "The proportion of our national diet in vegetables is very low, and it will not only do no harm to increase it, but in fact will contribute to public health." — Herbert Hoover. Monog^raph OBJECTS OF THE WAR GARDEN 1. To enaljle the family to produce a supply of vegetables which may be substituted in part for cereals and meats. 2. To grow food supplies at home and thus relieve transporta- tion facilities. Our Army and our Allies need the concentrated foods that can readily be transported ; and the transportation facilities are needed to carry war supplies. The free use of home-grown vegetables will aid materially in both these matters. WHAT TO PLANT IN A WAR GARDEN 1. Vegetables of high food value, (a) Vegetables rich in protein (meat-savers) : Dry beans, fresh Lima beans, green peas, (b) Vegetables rich in carbohydrates (substitutes for other food? rich in starch or sugar) : Potatoes, beans, sweet corn, peas, parsnips, beets, carrots, onions. 2. Vegetables suitable for canning : Sweet com, tomatoes, string beans, peas — staple canned goods of the market ; easily pro- duced at home. If cans are scarce the corn may be dried. 3. Vegetables that may be stored fresh : Potatoes, beets, car- rots, parsnips, onions. Production and storage at home save trans- portation. 4. Vegetables for summer use: In addition to the sorts men- tioned above, plant lettuce, spinach, turnips, and early cabbage. Confine your efforts to staple products ; do not experiment with vegetables difficult to grow in your locality. HOW MUCH TO PLANT For the winter supply, plant enough to have one quart of canned vegetables to five persons every day, for seven months. This would mean approximately 210 quarts. In addition to the canned vegeta- bles, those stored for winter use should include, for a family of five, approximately fifteen bushels of potatoes, five bushels of root crops (parsnips, carrots, beets), and three bushels of onions. A half- bushel of dry beans should also be grown if the locality is well adapted to this crop and facilities for threshing are available. D. of D. JUN 5 1918 The following table gives the amounts of seed and land required, under normal Illinois conditions and good care, to produce the quantities of food materials mentioned above. Sweet corn . Tomatoes .... String beans Peas Potatoes Beets Carrots Parsnips Onions Dry beans Amount of seed I pt. plants 1 pt. 3 Pts. I V2 bu. I oz. I oz. 1 oz. 2 oz. 2 qts. Area of land 1500 sq. ft. 800 sq. ft. 300 sq. ft. 1200 sq. ft. 3600 sq. ft. 100 sq. ft. 150 sq. ft. 150 sq. ft. 400 sq. ft. 1200 sq. ft. Product 40 doz. 6 bu. 2 bu. 3 bu. 15 bu. ^ bu. bu. bu. bu. bu. Prod, after processing 60 qts. 100 qts. 30 qts. 20 qts. Lima beans may be advantageously substituted for part of the corn. The total area of land indicated is 9,400 square feet — equi- valent to a town lot 66 by approximately 142 feet. For growing a supply of vegetables for summer use, about 50 percent additional seed and space would be required. WHAT TO DO AND HOW 1. Prepare the soil tlioroiighly before planting. If manure can be obtained, apply it before plowing. Plow as early as the soil is in suitable condition for working. Disk and harrow until the surface is thoroughly pulverized. Use steamed bone meal and dried blood for fertilizer if manure cannot be obtained. Mix these materials with the surface soil by harrowing. Finish the preparation of the seed bed for small seeds by planking or hand-raking. 2. Plant good seed. Seed is scarce this year ; order early. 3. Plant carefully. Don't waste any seed. Plant small seeds shallow and large seeds more deeply. Firm the soil well over the seeds after covering. 4. Plant at the proper distances. Allow enough space between rows for tillage and for full development of the plants. Corn needs more space than carrots. 5. Plant at the right time. Potatoes, peas, beets, carrots, parsnips, and onions should be planted early — as early as the grovmd can be worked in spring. The planting of beans, corn, and tomatoes must be deferred until the weather is warm. 000 928 494 6. Take good care of the growing crops. Cultivate iicqucimy. Weed and thin where necesSary. Protect from attacks of insects and funffous diseases. GET MORE INFORMATION Get Circular No. 198, on Home V^egetable Gardening, from the Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station, Urbana, Illinois ; and the following publications from the United States Department of Agriculture, Washington. D. C. : Farmers' Bulletin ^18, The Small Vegetable Garden ; Farmers' Bulletin 853, Home Canning of Fruits and Vegetables ; Farmers' Bulletin 879, Home Storage of Vegetables. WHAT TO DO NOW 1. Select your garden site. 2. Plan your garden, 3. Order your seeds. 4. Read gardening literature. -Z- ?^ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS DDDmEfl4Tm # Hollinaftr Corn.