Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-09-05
GREATEST SCHEME gsyENTED r
HELP THE POOR

Without Degrading And saves TaxpayerE
M~0ne--To Re Adopted ~ AN Big citisa
The "Pingree potato patch has come
70 stay. The people Of Brooklyn as
getting ready D have several Pinrus
potato patches" right away. In a year
or tgo every big city that has al army
q poor and hanay people win hare
"Pingree potato patches
For pure b-eneacenos and downright
practical resuIts the scheme which May
or Hazen s Pingree q Detroit intro
dzcel about a yeE ago seems to Re
most f-z-re-ching, and is results, II in
dicatigns ara worth anything, VIII be 10
introd1ce Al entirely Few method q as
EiE;tng the unemployed who are willing
70 work No scheme OF plan ever C-igi-
mated ~ q man q Michigan achieved
snch a succeas IN It's first year, and today
the naIue "Pingree potato patch" Is
known from OCEAN to ocean in America
ard even ia some Of the eIete muaici-
palities Of Europe.
The winter of 1895 was a hard one
for Detroit's poor. The municipal poor
fund was beggared and the emergency
fund for that purpose spent long before
the winter was over. When the spring
came, there was still 81 army Of unem-
pioyed, and the city was stared in &he
lace By the question CT how 10 take care
Of them and u provide for the next Sc
we're winter.
Daring his official life the mayor has
produced many schemes and sensations,
but his greatest ere, and the enc which
viii always make his name q thing Of
fond remembrance to the poor. was de-
velOped on June 9 last. Wiseacres
laughed ard shook their heads, the city's
best authorities On economics ard mu-
nicipal matters jeered at the idea, and
even the wide awake newspaper men
did not believe il would succeed and
said 70. But the mayor had carefully
conned the statistics, was sure Of his
facts and figures and answered sneers,
smiles and scoffing with the same com
placence that he would have greeted
commentator.
On the afternoon Of June 6 last the
N~
mayor came bursting into his Office.
called the Office boy and told him 70
fetch the assessors quickly. The asses
ors came, and this was the question
that was asked Of them: How many
acres Of unimprOved and untitled land
are there in the city Hmits?'' They
guessed. but the mayor knew better than
they did, and he sent them away { o find
out. Then the newspaper men wee adj
mitted and the same question was asked
them, and they guessed allthe way from
5000 to 20, 900 acres.
II win tell you, said the mayor.
"There are within the city limits Of De
troit over 5000 acres Of unused arabic
land that could be cultivated without
trouble or much work Now, if the own
ers Of these lands viii only lend them
10 the poor, we can get the charitable TO
supply seeds and plows, and the poor
can work the land and ges whatever
product they arc able on Of IL. !"
This was the start Of the now famous
"Pingree potato patch plan. After the
newspapers had given it Publicity many
Of the landowners Of the city came fox
ward and offered ;heir idle and unoccu-
ped acres 10 help ont the scheme. and
applications for land - till began 10
iow in from the unemployed poor who
were willing to cultivate sGch Land II
they could obtain the necessary seed 20
plant and the Implements Of cultivation.
Hundreds Ok acres were offered. some
Of il 80 far out Of the city that it was
not Available, and then cam the qEes-
tiono getting money for the seed There
was some hesitation about starting q
subscription fCT ploEs and seeds until
Mayor Pingree himself said, Now, I've
got a good horse that Ina uzing every
day, bet I'll give that horse toward
starting this thing along, and wei sell
il for what we can get. The horse WIS
sold, and it netted $3.50. Then the peo-
pie began 70 see thet the mayor was
really - earnest, and the plan began to
take. BE personally labored with the
various 4 upIoyecs oG the city. and they
all contributed
There was soon land enough In sight.
bat there was a lack Ct funds 70 supply
the seeds and farming implements need
ed The mayors subscription Of his
horse was but a drop III the bucket.
The mayor issued a personal appeal
to the pastors Ct tho city asking them TO
get their churches to Contribute to the
good cause, and they very generally re-
sponded-
BY this time the "Pingree potato
patch" had grown beyond Mayor Pin
gree's available time to handle, and ne
appointed 2 commission. When rhe work
Of this commission started, the commit
tee had ON hand a total Of $50 acres OF
ground scattered all over the city.
As fast as applicants were registered
they were assigned to as much ground
rs the commission believed the appli-
cants could work. As far as practicable
the land was allotted near the apph-
cant's home, but in soLae cases this was
impossible.
As soon as the land was allotted the
commission took charge of the blowing,
narrowing and stalking off of each piece.
To every applicant was allowed from
one-quarter to one-half an acre. The APP