The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-04-17
THE POTATO PLAN.
Dotrolt's Way OF Aiding Worthy
Poor Might DO Tried
.INTHIS CITY, rs WELL lS IN OTHERS

Raising Crops on City lots and Idlo
Suburban Gr0mnds-Ilnndsomo i,e.
suits From iIolplns People to
Gardan-Ll,tlo Expense aud Trou.
blo-othor Cities IN tho Country
Adopting tho Plan aud Muuicipall.
tlos In Europe Studying It..
Washington Star.
No single feature OF work In aid Of
the destitute in largo cities ha, attracted
more attention in recent years than
what is known as tho Detroit plan,"
which, from tho single experiment
made last year, hal como to be accepted
as a demonstrated success. All tho
largo citlos In this country and Europe
AFRO now actively interested in tho
methods and details OF tho effort made
III Detroit. and arc planning for sim liar
operations during tho coming summer.
Tho idea originated with IIazon s. Pin.
gree, mayor OF Detroit, who announced
IN tho early part OF Juno Inst year that
II owners OF suburban lotA in that city
would give tho u,o OF their lands, tho
city authoritic, would take charge Of
tho scheme OF allotting small parcels OF
tlllablo land to deserving heads Of
families, supply them with seed, plough
tho ground and s%uperintond all the
operations OF farming these lands from
seed time to harvest.
The idea vas taken up and discussed
by the newspapers OF tho country, and
u good dcal Of cold water thrown upon
1t. Even in Detroit, wherc Mayor Pin.
grec is n highly popular citizen, a great
many were found who sncered ut the
enterprise. and predicted only failure
aud disappointment for it.
II D T. DISCOURAGED.
These people said that In tho first
place the poor oil the great city were tho
last kind OF people to look TO for dill
gent and intelligent labor in farming
and gardening operations, while tho
land to be cultivated by them was
wholly unsuited to farming. Ono OF tho
leading papers Of Michigan, speaking OF
the Plngtee plan, said: ''The amateur
plowman will find the soil, unstirred
by cultivation for years, some oil it filled
up with clay from ~cellara, sewers, etc,
is hard rs 4 rock. The fertilizers de-.
pended upon are old tin cans aud boots
and shoes. dumped upon tho vacant
lots, and tho prospects are that there
will DO plenty OF work for the unem.
ployed-if that is what they arc after
TO grow a mighty small CROP"
The results were entirely contradic-
tory OF these dull, gray predictions.
Mayor Pingree appointed n committee
OF leading citizons, with Capt Cornelius
Gardner, OF the United States army. as
cnairmau, and opportunity was given
lot inc and laborers to put into
operation a scheme OF %self-suppor. Tor
the poor OF Detroit which in a single
year has become famous the world
over, and is now the subject OF careful,
practical consideration in every large
city in Europe ind thi, country. Mayor
Pingree has had letters from the author.
tiles in Berlin, Vienna, Munich, Lon.
don and Paris, within tho past three
months. askingfor details in regard to
the Q experiment.. and hardly a city OF
any size in this country but has alao
made application for similar data.
Large editions Of the reports made By
the agricultural commission OF tho city
OF Detroit have been printed, and many
thousands circulated all over the world.
HOW IT STARTED.
Whom tho announcement was made
last June that those OF the laboring
classes in Detroit who needed provi-
sion for tho ensuing winter would 70.
ceive an allo.mentoi land for gardening
purposes. over 5000 applications for
for land were made to the city poor
commission. Owners OF tho real estate
volunteered the use OF vacant lots in the
northeast and nortiiweit quarters oil the
city thanking Woodward avenue, and IL
1t had not been for tho ~lateness OF the
season and the inadequate supply OF
tools and seed, all who applied for land
would have received allotments and had
tho chance TO make trial OF their op.
po%rtunities in agriculture. AS 1t was,
9t5 families wero provided for. The
poor authoritie, Investigated every case
and allowed none but worthy men and
women to have land. Among tho mum.
Der who received allotments were over
thirty widows. some OF whom had chill,
dren able TO assist in the gardening.
Most OF these people, who in this way
availed themselves OF tho opportunity
for s%elf-suppors, were foreigners. Many
were Germans, some were Scandinavi.
ans. and u considerable proportion
"Polackers," as tho natives Of Poland
are called in western citios.
The aggregate OF land accepted and
parcolled oil was $50 acres. The com
mit,ec invited contributions to raise n
fund sufficient to purchase plows and
harrows and hire horses to pillow this
extensive acreage OF city lots. and So.
600 was promptly forthcoming from the
pub~lic.spiriicd citizens OF Detroit. The
committee bought seed potatoes, bean,
and an ample quantity OF tho various
seeds necessary to produce good, keep
ing winter crops.
GETTING UNDER iIEADwAY.
Tho pIowlng was done rs rapidly and
promptly as possible. md tho on'i-e