Ruler

Object Name:

Ruler

Object ID:

2022.001.03

Place of Origin:

Greene, NY

Date:

1942-1945

Description:

Page's Garden Stick. 18" advertising ruler for home gardening. Imprinted in dark green on front: "PLANT - PAGE'S Standard Quality SEEDS 'At Your Service Since 1896' Compliments of GARDNER and HALL CO. CONCORD, N. H. Phone 2710". Reverse imprinted in black: "Page's / Garden / Stick / THE PAGE / SEED CO. / GREENE / NEW YORK", with seed sowing information, including depths and distance between rows.

Material:

Wood
Pine

Dimensions:

W-1.1 L-18 D-0.15 inches

Provenance:

Page's Garden Stick was given away by Gardner and Hall Company, hardware store, Concord, NH, with the sale of Page seeds. The stick was a plant measuring and information device created for seed purchasers and amateur home gardeners. Home gardening expanded during World War II when the United States Department of Agriculture encouraged the planting of victory gardens. It was emphasized to American home front urban and suburban residents that the produce from their gardens would help to lower the price of vegetables needed by the War Department to feed the troops, thus saving money that could be spent elsewhere on the military. Around one third of the vegetables produced by the United States came from 18 million victory gardens.

Credit Line:

New Hampshire Historical Society Purchase, Katharine Prentis Murphy Fund

Subjects:

Victory gardens, Gardens, Gardening equipment and supplies, Seeds, Planting, Sowing