unless America was able "amply to provide herself and her Allies with food," and that this was impossible, because America was "facing a crop failure which can not be averted by President Wilson's little remedies."

In America the response to the President's call was one of deeds rather than words. From all sections came reports of organized movements to increase the crop-acreage, to enlist men and boys in "the army of the plow," and to

MODEL VEGETABLE GARDENS IN UNION SQUARE, NEW YORK CITY These gardens were laid out and vegetables actually grown in them for purposes of giving instructions to dwellers in the city unfamiliar with gardening methods

supply the farmer with capital for intensive cultivation. In Philadelphia, a "recruiting station for farmers' helpers" welcomed all who wished to enroll in the President's "service-army," and sent them to big grain sections of the Northwest to assist in planting spring wheat and rye. The appeal stated that "25,000,000 acres of spring wheat and rye must be planted in the great grain belt of the Northwest within the next twenty-five days," and explained that "this

represents an increase of more than 7,000,000 acres over last year." A Chicago dispatch told of six thousand boys above the age of sixteen who had been released from the high-schools of that city with full credit for school-work for the remainder of the school-year, on condition that they pledged themselves to work on farms, or enter some employment that would increase the food-supply of the nation. President Bisby, of the Chicago surface street-railway lines,

announced that schoolboys who were to work in truckgardens on the outskirts of the city could ride to and from their work free. In North Dakota children were released from school to work on the farms, and in Wisconsin, Louisiana, and many other States proclamations were issued calling upon all citizens to plant every available square foot of ground.

Hundreds of thousands of backyards were converted into vegetable-gardens. Owners of big ornamental estates

in the neighborhood of New York dedicated their lawns and parks to raising potatoes, beans, and corn. Vacant land in New York, including some of the city's small parks, was placed under intensive cultivation by a city-gardening commission. In Union Square, New York City, a model vegetable garden was laid out and planted. The Federal Farm Loan Board perfected plans for lending $200,000,000 to farmers to stimulate food-production. In New York a Patriotic Farmers' Fund prepared to finance the planting of at least one acre more on every one of the 250,000 farms in this State. Manufacturers in some sections agreed to release workers from their factories for work on the farms during the planting and harvesting seasons, these workers to receive from the manufacturers the difference between the farm and the factory wage. Under this arrangement the Lackawanna Railroad alone released between 800 and 900 section-hands for work in the southern agricultural section. of New York. Because manufacture of alcoholic liquors. consumed millions of bushels of grain annually, a new organization called the Grain Savers' League was formed, the only condition of membership being a pledge not to "drink, buy, sell, or give away any intoxicating liquor" while the war lasted.

As the autumn came on it was found that, while our wheat crop was below expectations, three other important crops had broken records, and three among the lesser crops. had also. Corn, oats, potatoes, rye, sugar-beet, and beans carried off the honors. In 1917 we had grown 767,000,000 bushels of the four food cereals-wheat, rye, buckwheat, and rice-compared with 740,000,000 bushels in 1916, which assured us food in plenty. In food for both man and beast there had been great increase. Reports showed 5,092,000,000 bushels of corn, oats, and barley, where in 1916 the total was 4,067,000,000 bushels. These grains meant meat, milk, butter, and eggs, food for draft animals, and substitutes for wheat in domestic use. We had the largest crop of potatoes ever raised-540,000,000 bushels of both kinds, against 356,000,000 in 1916, so that a more extensive use of potatoes in the place of wheat and meat could help to feed fighting men. At the same time there were 11,300,000

bushels of flaxseed and perhaps 5,400,000 tons of cottonseed, crops which represented something more than oil, for the oilcake was a valuable stock-feed, and meat and dairy products were among the foods the military authorities were most interested in. We had also a good crop of fruit, a record crop of sugar-beets and beans, and a large total of vegetables. With care in their use, shortage in Europe could be made up here, while our own population would be well fed. If food could decide the war, Nature had given us the victory, for she had given us victory crops.

The House of Representatives on April 13, by a vote of 389 to 0, passed a $7,000,000,000 bill, the greater part of that sum to be used in aiding the Entente Allies. Owing to pairs by absentees, only 389 votes were recorded for the bill, but Democratic and Republican leaders announced that all the members would have voted affirmatively had they been present. The formality of a roll-call would have been dispensed with if several members present who had voted against the resolution declaring a state of war with Germany had not insisted upon having the opportunity of recording themselves in favor of providing money to carry on hostilities, now that the Nation was actually at war. The bill authorized issues of $5,000,000,000 in bonds and of treasury certificates for $2,000,000,000, the latter sum to be raised ultimately by new taxation. Passage of the measure was never in doubt during the two days in which it was under consideration in the House. When members suggested that some of the Entente Governments receiving the loan. might not be able to repay it, others declared that they would be willing to donate the funds outright provided it would aid in terminating the war. "I don't care if they don't pay it back," sharply said a Congressman from Illinois; "America has entered this war to win and to maintain American rights. If we can maintain those rights by furnishing money to some one who will fight our battles. for us while we are getting ready, it seems to me we ought to do it." In the Senate the bill was also passed unanimously.

On April 25, Mr. McAdoo, Secretary of the Treasury, handed to Lord Cunliffe, Governor of the Bank of England,

a Treasury warrant for $200,000,000. In return Lord Cunliffe gave a note on behalf of the British Government, thus completing the formalities attending the first loan made to any Entente Government under the new $7,000,000,000 war finance measure. The transfer was made in the presence of Federal Reserve Board Directors, Treasury, and British Embassy officials. Lord Cunliffe took the Treasury warrant to the British Embassy, where it was delivered to Sir Cecil Spring-Rice, the British Ambassador. Sir Cecil indorsed the

warrant over to the United States Treasury with a request that the amount be deposited in the Federal Reserve system to the credit of his Government. The fund was to be employed to meet payments for war supplies already delivered, or soon to be delivered by manufacturers in this country under contract to the British Government. There was now due on such contracts fully $100,000,000.

Both Houses of Congress passed an Army bill embodying among other things the Administration's plan for a selective draft. The vote in the Senate was 81 to 8; in the House 397 to 24. The final vote in the House preceded by a few minutes the final vote in the Senate and it followed a decisive defeat of the pro-volunteer forces in both houses.

WILLIAM G. MCADOO

Since the war began some 16,000 Americans had already enlisted for the cause of the Entente under the Maple Leaf of Canada and joined the colors of King George. They had acted from two motives-about 50 per cent. from a spirit of adventure and about 50 per cent. from a spirit of crusade. Canadians were fighting, to quote recruiting posters, because they believed that "Germany was the foe of liberty and civilization and a menace to the welfare of