BEATING U-BOATS IN YOUR GARDEN!

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 70, 23 March 1940, Page 7 (Supplement)

BEATING U-BOATS IN YOUR GARDEN!

UNDER the heading, "Gardens v. U-boats," a leading English paper has the following:—"Plant Protection, Limited, advise ui> that they are making good progress with' the national campaign to produce more food from our gardens under the slogan, 'Your Garden versus the U-boats.' " No fewer than 350 towns are said to be setting up joint committees to stimulate increased local production.

It is pointed out that Great Britain grows less food tliau any other nation in Europe, and tho more she can grow tho more ships will be released for war purposes; and money which should be conserved to buy munitions and other war commodities need not be expended in tho purchase abroad of food which can lie grown at home. Plant Production, Limited, point out that out of every. 100 onions eaten in England only nine are grown in British gardens, and that out of every 100 carrots only 48 are British. Thcv suggest that a normal British family of, say, fivo people eats roughly in a year:— lOcwt of potatoes; 40 head of cabbage; 35 cauliflowers; 401b of beans of various sorts; and 1001b of onions.

"To grow these vegetables, less the potatoes, about 240 square yards of land would bo required. Add potatoes and a further 170 square yards would bo required, making a total of roughly •100 square yards, one square chain, or a piece of ground 22 x 22 yards of productive soil, properly balanced by mitritivo fertilisers, to maintain a self-sup-porting family of five for one year. It is estimated that there arc more than 3.500,000 gardens and 900,000 existing allotments in tho country."