100 years ago the United States was embroiled in a world war with thousands of troops overseas. On the home front people pitched in as they could, conserving food consumption, working harder to increase crop production for the troops and keeping up the spirits of neighbors, children and themselves.
In Kansas Governor Arthur Capper formed the Kansas Council of Defense, akin to the Council of National Defense. The Council's mission was to mobilize all the resources of the state for the support of the war. Circulars were published and distributed giving guidance to local officials, schools, farmers and the general public on varied topics that would contribute to the war effort.
The State Library of Kansas' KGI Online Library has a collection of 16 of these circulars online for your perusal. It's a cool look at how Kansas citizens were encouraged to give their all during a crisis. The topics in our collection are:
Circular 1. Plant only tested seed
Circular 2. Seed list (1917 list of vendors having crop seeds for sale)
Circular 3. Canning instructions
Circular 4. Home-made apparatus for drying fruits and vegetables
Circular 5. List of inspected seed wheat
Circular 6. How to prepare ground for wheat, and time to sow
Circular 7. Suggestions for teachers giving practical instruction to city boys in (a) care and handling of work horses (b) care, adjustment, and use of farm machinery (c) care and handling of dairy cows and milk
Circular 8. Speakers' handbook 1 ("Community action in a government at war")
Circular 9. Use of wheat-saving cereals
Circular 10. One-dish meals
Circular 11. Seed list (1918 list of vendors having crop seeds for sale)
Circular 12. Suggestions for greater efficiency of motive power in increasing agricultural production.
Circular 13. Speakers' handbook 2 ("Puncturing Potsdam propaganda")
Circular 14. Silos in war time
Circular 15. County war organization in Kansas
Circular 15a. Report of activities of the Speakers' Bureau of the Kansas Council of Defense and the United States Food Administration for Kansas
You can view these circulars online at:
http://cdm16884.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/singleitem/collection/p16884coll112/id/5/rec/15
Just click on the title at the top of the record that comes up.