The Portland daily press., 1895-06-22

arranging that some one of the circle
shall always be upon the ground to guard
against trespassers and petty pillagers
Secretary McGregor usually allows q
week to-lapse before the assignment of
lots and the distribution of seeds. This
| time passed. he sends procession of wag-
ons to the field next on the list They
are heaped with sliced potatoes, cut by q
rule to give each piece two eyes. The
wagons pass along the edge of the farm,
each farmer being at his stake to sign
receipt for the potatoes. He is compelled
to plant two and one-half bushels, enough
for wo-thirds of his possession. The next
day he gets quart of beans, which are
to be planted around the PATCH to act as
dividing fence against his neighbor
Cabbage plants, turnip seed, bects, squash
and rutabagas are sent out as fast as the
planter are ready.
1t was found that many of the people
had no idea about gardening. 1t is not an
exaggeration to state that many families
acted as if cabbages and tllrnps grew on
bushes OF imagined that potatoes grew on
trailing vines This caused the posting
of big signs like this:
A foreman will show you how to plant
You WILL be given enough potatoes to
plant about two thirds of your lot. You
must bring with you knife and hoe
Before being planted each potato must be
cut i'll pieces SO that each piece will have
two eyes. The potatoes should be planted
about six inches deep and the pieces ten
inches apart. Sow a row of beans entirely
around your lot a foot from the line
Your lot will then be marked out in case
the stakes are lost. When the potatoes
are up you must keep the weeds down
and you must keep the bugs picked off or
your crop will be a failure. If you let the
bugs eat up the vines you will get no po-
tatoes
You are required to plant two-thirds of
your lot with potatoes, in the rest of it
have any ground not planted by July Is
the committee will give you some tunip
seed to scatter in.
| e The postal card handed you you will
please mail to the committee after you
have everything out of the ground in the
fall. Write on it what you have har-
vested. The committee needs this infor-
nation in order to make report of the
experiment and to prove to the people and
the council that the money is we'll spent
Be sure and Go not forget to send this in
formation. The information of what you
! raise is for the committee only and not
for publication.
spoonfuls in pail of water-sprinkle on
vines with a bunch of grass The paris
green is poison, so be careful with it in
your house. If possible the committee
will furnish a small quantity of paris
green to each applicant at the office
The committee will award 90 prizes of
S. each to the % persons whose-lot are
planted the best, best taken care of and
have the best appearance as to crops. De-
cision to be made on or about Sept. l.
If you do not work your lot inside of "a
eours your lot will be forfeited to another
person.
Do not pull up any stakes on or near
your land.
1t was possible for the commission to
send to the mayor its first report on the
seasons work yesterday. This commu-
nication shows that 2, 500 applications for
garden room were made to the poor
board. The Investigations disclosed sew
eral hundred without any claims to as
sistance, being either unable by age or
infirmity to work the ground or failing
to prove citizenship. The 1850 families
who have been acceptable have filled the
requirements and instructions to the let
ter. All the seed has been planted, and
the entire cost of the 600-acre potato
patch to date has been So, 900, leaving a
sufficient balance to carry the office, po-
lice and patrol service until the harvest.
1t is argued from this basis, with the fig
ures of last year showing how the COM
mittee earned S14, 0OO worth of potatoes
by an expenditure of IS, 800, that nearly
$50, 900 worth will be gathered in Septem-
Der, in addition to the large quantity Of
stuff to supply timetables during the sum
mer.
1t is recommended that the garden plan
be adopted by the city as a permanent in
stitution, with an annual appropriation
for the department The city reports
40, 600 Polanders and Germans who have
severe trouble to make a living on wages
at 81 per day, and the commission argues
that the comparatively insignificant
amount invested in this scheme is of
more practical use than any other fund
in the annual budget It supplies /, $50
godsend to the frugal and hard working.
1t loosens the strain on the poor board
and nets for the municipality splendid re-
turns on what formerly was actually paid
out in cash. 1t earns the city in actual
cash receipts nearly 1000 per cent. on the
investment, aside from the sentimental
benefits.
Captain Cornelius Gardner, of the
army, was the first lieutenant for Mayor
Pingree in his charity idea, which is not
charity. He, too, was laughed at by the
agriculturists year ago, who predicted a
dismal failure for the citizen farmers on
'city sand wastes, fertilized by tin cans
and other goat food :"
Judson Grenell. as treasurer, and Ar
thur O'Connor, as secretary, were ridi-
culed as utopians and sentimentalists,
and the other members of the first COM
mission were pointed out by wise men as