The Portland daily press., 1895-06-22

to Have Succeeded-His Potatoes got
Premium at the State Fair-The Expe-
riment is to be Continued.
Mayor Hazen S. Pingree, known the
world over as the inventor of the mu-
nicipal potato patch, has distributed the
last of the seed from the city granary for
this years crop. He has located free gar
idens for the families of 1,750 onest
workingmen, says writer in the Chicago
esHerald, and by the splendid gener-
osity of the plan has mace this army of
tenement jewellers landlords over $50
acres of growing vegetables.
This system of cultiyating the subur-
ban lots by the industrious poor was an
experiment by the mayor when the panic
came and the charity commission was
confronted by the problem of feeding the
unemployed for an entire winter. He
had no sooner announced his scheme,
with a pledge to pay half the cost of its
trial than his idea was Kissed and hooted
His friends declared his sympathy for
the people had turned his head and his
enemies renewed their cry of grand stand
politics. He paid no heed to either
1t took only SO long as the crops were
maturing to put the mayor into the po-
sition of the man who laughs last. His
fame as the father of the plan of munich
pal gardens had spread beyond the oceans,
and all winter long one secretary was as
signed the tremendous task of sending
specifications of the scheme to the cities
that wanted to adopt it. Letters came
from north and south and east and west
and England and France, and the glories
of the stories of the first trial in compar-
ison with those of this season will be as
children's fables to the tale of an Arabian
night in case the rains descend and the
abundance.
Mayor Pingree. who succeeds the best
when his opposition is the strongest, had
all his trouble with public sentiment at
the beginning. His invention having
proved an honorable success, the council
the general enemy, the entire community,
has come to his support and the potato
patches are now in greatest favor He
had only to ask it and the aldermen voted
S., 600 for plows, harrows, seeds and men
to direct the work. He sent word to the
real estate men he wanted 200 acres for
struggle. 1t thus happens that the second
crop is now sprouting, with every man in
town lending his moral support to the
novel project.
The success of the first year, when 945
families filled 80 acres, was so abundant
the mayor began early to get his plans for
the present year into shape. He created
an agricultural commission of sixteen
men, rented headquarters for the secreta-
ry, established a municipal granary,
bought the necessary implements and
sent word to his friends, the workingmen
that this year they should try to be better
farmers than they had been last and get
the gardens planted early.
1t was established by the commission
that all applications for land should be
made to the poor board. This was done
that the mayor might know that each
it being the business of this department
to actually investigate the circumstances
of him who seeks assistance This feature
was not acceptable in all cases, due to
pride, and it was then decided that so
many as would pay nominal fee, half a
dollar into the fund might receive his
allotment of ground without application
on the claim of poverty.
John McGregor was appointed secretary
of the commission, opening the headuuar-
tiers on Jefferson avenue as soon in the
spring as the days suggested the planting
season. His office was filed with work
ingmen, who came in the evening to ar
range for their prospective holdings, or
with women, who brought the proxies
of their husbands. The lists grew by
scores and hundreds, the very first appli-
cants being those who knew by experience
the benefits Of the scheme All the no.
tees of merit issued by the poor commits
sion were kept on file. The clerks made
the entries in big ledgers and from time
to time leaflets of instruction on truck
gardening were sent to the families. :.
1t happened this season, in consequence
of the increased interest on all sides. that
the ground was ready for sowing nearly
a month sooner than the time of the dis
covery of the plan in the first year. The
first warm day, when it was evident the
winter was gone, notices were mailed to
the city farmers to come to the head
quarters and get their assignments of
ground. There was rule that each ap-
plicant should accept the plot he should
draw by lot, irrespective of it's soil or To-
cation. This was the only arrangement
possible to secure the commission against
any charge of favoritism and to avoid the
demands for gardens near the places of
residence
Property owners on the three sides of
the city had been generous with their va
can't lands, making it convenient to
keep the residents of the three sections
within reasonable distance of their crops.
The one who lived at the end of Michigan
avenue was sent across the commons and
suburban mo i,iac tn Beech Hurst nossi-