1942: Horticulture

The year 1942 has seen, in the world of horticulture, a vast shift in interest from the ornamental to the practical. The turning point in this respect was reached at a conference in Washington, called by the Secretary of Agriculture, in December 1941. Up to this time — and even during the period of the conference — the Federal Department of Agriculture, and some of the State Departments, looked with little favor upon the stimulation of home vegetable gardening as advocated by the Men's Garden Clubs of America and some other organizations.

The amateur gardeners of America however, as was plainly indicated at this conference, were not to be side-tracked in their determination to take a real part in the War Effort to produce more food by growing their own vegetables and thus releasing commercial crops for the armed forces and those of the United Nations who were in need of food supplies.

As the year wore on, however, and it became evident that there would be real food shortages, the Department finally came out whole-heartedly in favor of having every family that had, or could procure, a suitable plot of ground, produce as much as possible of its own vegetable supply.

Victory Garden Campaign.

Despite the initial lukewarm attitude of the Federal Department and the definite opposition for any but farm vegetable gardens of many State Agricultural Departments who did not realize early in the year that labor and transportation difficulties would create almost immediate food shortages, 15,000,000 home vegetable gardens in suburban, urban and farm areas were actually planted and worked during the past year. In short, the eminently successful Victory Garden Campaign of 1942 is without question the outstanding feature of the year in the world of horticulture.

This educational and practical campaign was conducted in various ways: by national organizations such as the Federated Garden Clubs, and Men's Garden Clubs of America; by Civilian Defense organizations; State Agricultural Departments through county agents, Four-H Clubs and other such avenues; by Botanical Gardens; horticultural writers and editors through garden magazines and other publications; and by the tardy but eventually completely cooperative propaganda of the Federal Department of Agriculture.

Two series of lectures on vegetable gardening conducted in mid-town Manhattan by the New York Botanical Garden in collaboration with the New York Times, filled a Broadway theatre to overflowing night after night, bringing eager and intelligent gardeners to the city from suburban sections to hear recognized authorities give practical talks on all phases of the subject. The 1942 series were so successful that a third series, the first for 1943, is in progress as this report is being written.

Outstanding among urban efforts is the 1942 Victory Garden Campaign of Chicago, organized by the Office of Civilian Defense, the staff of the Chicago Park District, the Women's and Men's Garden Clubs, commercial growers and civic organizations. This campaign started with a series of lectures during the winter, and by spring an elaborate organization had been worked out, the efficient functioning of which resulted in more than 6,000 Victory gardens within the city limits of Chicago, representing a total area under cultivation of almost 8,000,000 square feet. The Office of Civilian Defense of Chicago estimates that even if not more than one pound of vegetables was produced on each square foot of this land (a most conservative estimate) the city gardeners of Chicago produced at least 3,500 tons of home grown fresh vegetables in 1942. These figures do not include the Victory garden activities in the suburban sections surrounding the city where registered reports show over 10,000 gardens with a total area of more than 500 acres. Over 100,000 families in and around Chicago participated in this effort during the past year. They have bigger plans for 1943, as have home gardeners the country over.

Climatic Conditions.

The weather during the past year, contrary to that of the three previous, proved extremely favorable. Rainfall was more uniform over greater sections of the country than it has been in two decades. The winter of 1941-42, though not severe, kept the soil well frozen over long periods, a favorable condition for perennial plants which are inclined to 'heave' out of the ground and rot when subjected to alternate freezing and thawing. The present winter, though much more rigorous than its predecessor, has, up to the new year, maintained a pretty constant freeze which promises well for the coming season of growth.

Insects.

Insects and other pests, as is their habit in these times, proved increasingly troublesome last summer, but the destruction caused by these saboteurs was met with determination, science and hard work by the country's gardeners.

Among the worst of the insect pests were the cut worms which descended on many sections in alarming numbers, mowing down young vegetable plants and freshly sprouted seedlings. Poison mashes and cardboard collars for young plants had to be used consistently to insure protection. Rabbits too proclaimed 1942 a gala year. They appeared in force in well settled sections where guns and poison could not be used with safety. Individuals developed remarkable talents for tunneling under and squeezing through good tight fences and for scorning such deterrents as moth balls, flapping newspapers and tobacco dust. The family cat and terrier, box traps, protective coatings for young trees and even electric fences were employed to combat these pests.

Science.

In general pest control, the pendulum has recently swung toward the use of dusts rather than of liquid sprays. Agricultural Experiment Stations recommended pyrethrum and rotenone (non-poisonous) dusts for the control of the majority of chewing and sucking insects. A shortage in the materials which go into these dusts had already begun to develop before the end of the 1942 growing season so that their sale was restricted to those who needed them for vegetable crops, the supply being insufficient for ornamentals. For the coming year, formulas have been perfected for special Victory insecticides and fertilizers made of ingredients non-essential to war production.

The airplane is taking an ever larger part in the control of pests in commercial crops and forests, by broadcasting dusts from the air. Expert, even daredevil fliers are needed for this work, especially for low-growing plants such as cotton and beans, since the planes must fly extremely low to deliver their dust where it will do the most good.

Higher percentages in seed germination and in successful transplanting and propagation from slips have been attained through increased use of improved hormone dusts used to stimulate root growth. Experiments show increasing numbers of plants which respond to these stimuli.

On the other hand the silence of deserved oblivion has fallen on the Vitamin B₁ furore which rocked the horticultural world for several years. This product, which in the writer's opinion, constituted the greatest horticultural hoax of the age, has been put in its place largely because the gardener of today is growing seriously, not experimenting with a few pot plants in a window sill. The same may be said for chemical gardening. This branch of horticultural science, though extremely valuable in the field of research and in practice for certain commercial crops and amateur plant culture especially under glass, is more trouble than it is worth to the average dirt gardener whether he is growing flowers or vegetables.

Plant Breeding.

There is a new aspect to the current plant breeding picture, due to the war which has prevented the usual influx of foreign novelty introductions. In some cases however, valuable plant stocks have been shipped here from abroad to escape possible destruction.

American breeders, stimulated by the need for native-bred plants, have risen to greater heights than ever before in creating new varieties of ornamental and food plants especially suited to American conditions and resistant to our most prevalent plant diseases.

Of special interest among 1942 introductions are: the golden Tomato Jubilee, a richly colored, globe-shaped fruit, meaty and solid; a new table variety of soybean, Giant Green, which many people prefer to limas when cooked green and which may also be dried for winter use; an American strain of the Italian Zucchini Squash, long, narrow, dark in color, a heavy bearer on bushy plants, and of fine flavor; and the first American bred All-double Petunia America (former varieties of this type having been created in Japan).

Last but not least are the distinctly American roses from such master breeders as Hovarth and Brownell: hybrid roses which carry the blood of strong, sturdy species along with that of the beautiful but fragile Teas, thus producing varieties which are able to meet the exigencies of our American climate.

Garden Trends.

Garden trends for the year to come are, of course, all in the direction of productive gardening, but with a firm determination on the part of all to maintain established ornamental plantings and to keep home grounds colorful and attractive for the Duration by the use of easily grown annuals and perennials.

The Spring Flower Shows which were held with their usual success in 1942, have been called off for 1943. Gas rationing, transportation and labor difficulties have made this step inevitable, but local garden activities in individual communities will take their places. In New York City, a Garden Week is one of the things planned for mid-March to fill the gap left by the absence of the International Flower Show at Grand Central Palace.

A Victory Harvest Show Campaign which was organized in the summer of 1942 to raise $2,000,000 for Army and Navy Relief did not produce the hoped-for results. The Harvest Shows, backed by commercial growers, were splendidly staged in many urban and suburban sections and in the display gardens of some of the country's leading nurseries. Gasoline and tire rationing, the increased working tempo of the American public, and the fact that almost all flower lovers were actually in the midst of harvesting and canning home-grown vegetables in August and September when the shows were put on, prevented the record attendance which was needed to produce a 'box office success.' This failure has turned the trend for 1943 away from big shows and displays and toward hard, productive work.

The program of the Federated Garden Clubs has put on gloves and overalls and gone all out for food gardening and home canning. The very active part which these clubs are taking in the Victory Garden Campaign is helping tremendously to spread its sphere of influence from small home plots to those of large acreage.

Horticultural Literature.

Horticultural literature during 1942 reflects like a mirror, the interest of the public in productive gardening. A dozen or more books on home vegetable gardening have appeared in the last twelve months. These range from the thorough-going reliable text book to the smart modern volume which advises planting 'drifts' of beets in the flower bed, edged by rows of lettuces garnished with annual flowers! As a group these books shows more than anything else the general neglect and oblivion into which home vegetable gardening has fallen since the first World War. The haste with which many of these volumes have been written, and the superficiality of the material presented, testifies to the lack of practical knowledge of the subject prevalent among garden writers as well as among amateur gardeners. There are good, practical books in the long list of recent publications, among them Home Vegetable Gardening by Charles H. Nissley of Rutgers University and A Manual of Home Vegetable Gardening by Francis C. Coulter.

A new magazine, devoted exclusively to gardening, and with a declared editorial policy of emphasis on home food production for the Duration, came to birth at the close of 1942. Its record-breaking first issue circulation (over the 100,000 mark) is a sure indication of the widespread current interest of the American people in gardening in general and vegetable gardening in particular.