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"All of the publications of the Extension
Service are obtainable from the Agricultural Extension Representative in
the county, popularly called the County Agent. Copies may be obtained in
quantity from the County Agent by Victory Garden Committees, for
distribution among all gardeners desiring this information.
"Circular letters, designed chiefly for rural and farm gardeners, but
useful for others, will be available for distribution from the office of
the County Agent and will be sent from that office to individuals or
lists of persons whose names and addresses are sent by Victory
Garden Committees.
"As for meetings, the County Agricultural and Home Economics Extension
Representatives and the Extension Specialists in vegetable gardening,
soil management, and disease and insect control are available as
speakers, as far as their time permits. Speakers for series of meetings
should be chosen among other qualified persons, such as vocational
agriculture or home economics high school supervisors, and experienced
commercial or home gardeners with speaking ability. The County Agent
usually is acquainted with such persons and will be glad to make
suggestions on this and all other phases of garden information. Victory
Garden Committees will find his advice very helpful in planning the
entire program."
Certain county and local Victory Garden Committees added additional
sub-committees, and these were brought to the attention of other
Committees throughout the State, to be adopted, applied with
modifications, or not, as local conditions seemed to make advisable. One
plan of sub-committee organization thus brought to the attention of
other Committees on March 3, 1943 (Bulletin No. 32C), was that evolved
in Blair County, where Mr. Glenn Bressler is Chairman. The
sub-committees set up were the following, with their respective
functions:
1. "Sub-committee on Procurement of Land.
This sub-committee will advise gardeners on the suit-ability of land for
gardening and will compile a list of plots available for allocation to
gardeners who do not have suitable land at their own disposal.
2. "Sub-committee on Registration, Assignment of Plots, and Soil
Preparation.
This sub-committee will register all Victory Gardeners, particularly
those desiring land for gardens, will assign plots, and will advise and
assist in preparation of land for planting.
3. "Sub-committee on Insect and Disease Control and Succession Cropping.
This sub-committee will stimulate interest and activity in these phases and will bring together information thereon.
4. "Sub-committee on Conservation and Canning.
This sub-committee will promote conservation of products and bring
together information on this subject."
The most recent instructions on
organization of the Victory Garden
program in Pennsylvania, which completes this organization as it is
functioning at present, was the following: OFFICIAL NAME OF VICTORY GARDEN CONSERVATION CENTERS
"The official name of any centers where conservation of Victory
Garden products may be effectuated for community or individual use
is—The Victory Garden Food Conservation Kitchen.
ORGANIZATION—STATE AND REGIONAL
Canning and Conservation
"The State has been divided into three regions to facilitate the food
conservation program.
The counties included in each of the three regions are as follows:
Eastern—Philadelphia, Delaware, Chester, Montgomery, Lancaster, Lehigh,
Berks, Bucks, Northampton, Monroe, Pike, Wayne, Susquehanna, Bradford,
Dauphin, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Wyoming,
Sullivan, Luzerne, Carbon, Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, and
Schuylkill.
Central—York, Adams, Cumberland, Perry, Juniata, Snyder, Union,
Lycoming, Tioga, Potter, Clinton, Centre, Mifflin, Huntingdon,
Franklin, Fulton, Bedford, Blair, Somerset, Cambria, Clearfield,
Cameron, McKean, Elk, Indiana, and Jefferson.
Western—Fayette, Westmoreland, Armstrong, Clarion, Forest,
Warren, Venango, Erie, Crawford, Mercer, Lawrence, Butler, Beaver,
Allegheny, Washington, and Greene.
"The regional chairmen are directly responsible to the Victory Garden
Committee of the State Council of Defense. ORGANIZATION—COUNTY AND LOCAL
"The chairmen of the Sub-Committee on Food Conservation of counties and
localities within the county, as has been stated previously, must be
members of a county or local Victory Garden Committee, and they must
function in this capacity solely, when assuming the responsibility of
the Food Conservation Committee chairmanship.
"The
chairman should be a volunteer worker, who will devote her time for the
next several months primarily to the Food Conservation program.
Professionally or commercially employed home economists should be
encouraged to assist with the program as members of the Food
Conservation Committee; but they should not be made chairmen of the
committees.
"Any county or local organization may co-operate in the Victory Garden
Food Conservation program; but none should be permitted to take over the
program. The Victory Garden Committee of the State Council of Defense
has been officially designated as the sponsor of a State-wide Victory
Garden Food Conservation program.
"It is intended that personnel, equipment, and other help be given by
the State Council of Defense to the respective communities, and further
that a unified, strong food conservation program be carried out in every
county of the Commonwealth. EQUIPMENT, PERSONNEL, AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT OF
VICTORY GARDEN FOOD CONSERVATION KITCHENS
"The State Council of Defense is assuming the financial responsibility
for the purchase of canning retorts which will be loaned to the
different counties for the duration of the war, and for the employment
of conservation kitchen supervisors who will serve either full or part
time in the different counties of the state, during the canning season.
These aids to the Victory Garden Food Conservation program will be
supplied to all counties which are fully organized in accordance with
the recommendations issued by the State Council of Defense to the County
and Local Victory Garden Committees. The retorts have a 33-jar capacity.
They are already manufactured. Since December the State Council of
Defense has been working to obtain retorts or pressure cookers, and now
the order is in the hands of the War Production Board, awaiting final
approval which it is hoped will be forthcoming immediately.
"County and local committees must arrange for all local expenses of
operation of the kitchens, such as fuel, salt, lighting, water supply
and waste disposal, necessary travel of the supervisor, and other
similar expenses. Jars, sugar, jar tops and rings, and other supplies
for preserving foods for community use must be furnished by local
agencies; similar supplies for family use should be brought by the
housewives
themselves.
"Fire houses, halls of Granges and fraternal orders, kitchens of Sunday
Schools, and the like are preferable to school kitchens as Victory
Garden Food Conservation Kitchens, because the latter will not remain
fully available throughout the canning season, after the resumption of
school in September.
"The State Victory Garden Committee anticipates that the Food
Conservation kitchens will provide ideal conditions under which Victory
Gardeners in towns and suburban areas particularly will be able to
reduce spoilage and other difficulties (including shortage of equipment,
inefficient use of fuel, and over-heating of living quarters)
encountered by relatively inexperienced home canners." |
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click for larger photo
Victory Gardens
Handbook of the
Victory Garden Committee
War Services, Pennsylvania
State Council of Defense
April, 1944
TABLE OF CONTENTS
page v
page vi
page vii
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