Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-03
The bet, oft Potato Plan.

From tho Philadelphia Press.
The success of Mayor Pingree's plar
of permitting the poor people In Detroit
to cultivate the vacant lots in that city
encouraged its adoption in other cities
New York. st. Louis, Toledo, Buffalo
Pittsburg. Duluth and probably Chicago
will make q trial of the scheme and
or whether its success In Detroit was
due to local conditions. If 1t is found
practic able elsewhere it will undoubted-
ly do much to aid the poor to help them.
selves by bringing into use parcels OF land
that are Low lying idle.
The scheme is not wholly charitable
one. It presupposes disposition on the
part of poor people to do the work them.
Selves the land being furnished free OF
charge and prepared for planting. and in
some cases the seed being supplied. The
experience of Detroit Is valuable to those
about to make a similar experiment A
committee was appointed last year to take
charge Of the scheme, offers of the use OF
vacant lots and plots of land were solicited
and notice was given in the newspapers
where applicants for cultfvating parcels
were offered by the owners, and 5000
families applied for the use of parcels.
Only about one-thifd could be accommo-
dated. but when the land was plowed.
narrowed and staked off into parcels of
one-uuarter or one-half arce each room
was found for 945 families. In assigning
plots the committee took care to give each
family a parcel as near home as possible,
that plots two miles from home were glad
ly accepted.
The preparation Of the ground, the cost
of seed for those not able to furnish 1t
amounted altogether to $1,000, or about
$3.4J per plot. Two mounted policemen
were detailed to watch the land and one
man was detailed to advise the cultivators
int in ho
About nine-tenths Of the patches were well
taken care of and the pilfering was SO
small as to be hardly noticeable, although
the plots were unfenced and the boundaries
between the cultivators were in many
cases hardly distinguishable. One draw
back to the scheme was the late date at
which 1t was put in operation, the middle
of June having arrived before step was
taken toward putting the idea into prac-
tce. Another drawback was severe
drouth, which continued nine weeks and
discouraged many, of the cultivators and
diminished the size of the crop raised.
But. Notwithstanding these draw backs, the
aggregate value of the crops produced is
estimated at $4,000 or $4,000. the average
yield of potatoes to each family being
Is 1-3 bushels.
This is brief summary of the incep-
ton, method and result of this scheme,
which has attracted much attention
throughout the country. One of the facts
demonstrated to the satisfaction of the
Is that the great majority of the unemploy-
ed poor are willing to work and aid them
selves il given the opportunity. Mayor
Pingree estimates the number at 81 r.
per cent of the total unemployed. It must
be remembered, however, that the severe
business depression has thrown out of
employment a much better class of work
men than are usually found among the
idle, indicating that this scheme will work
better in emergencies than as a regular
source Of relief. But the facts that so
many were found eager to assist them
selves and that they did the work well and
without compulsion are encouraging.
But perhaps the most noticeable result
of the scheme Is that 1t has drawn the at
tention Of many poor people in the city
to the desirableness Of country life. They
naturally argue that since they were able
to do so well on a quarter or half an acre
they can make a comfortable living on a
few acres. Mr.. F. B. Dickerson, superin-
tendent of the poor in Detroit, asserts that
over 100 poor families formerly living in
that city have sought and found homes in
the country as a result of last years potato
planting scheme. This result alone would
justify ! trial of the plan elsewhere and
it's continuance in Detroit. If it served
only as a school to teach the unemployed
poor in cities how much better their lot
would be in the country the scheme would
pay. And when taken In connection with
the temporary relief 1t gives to deserving
persons further trials OF this potato plant
ing-scheme become doubly desirable