New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-21

tended. and thiry-four families are now getting
,resh wholesome vegetables where they would have
,een lucky TO secure stale and inferior vegetables
before. .
G. + McGee who has truck gardens half mile
south of the Pennsylvania ave. station OF the Kings
County Elevated road Is superintendent OF the hte
body Of amateur gardeners. The potato patches are
only a stones throw northeast OF his house on the
land of the German American improvement Com
nany and right where he keep his eye on them
Il may be found necessary. however. to employ
Waterman ter because II was the experience last
year that beginning at the middle OF July. poachers
from East New York came down and helped them
selves at night.
The garden pots lie mostly in low ground, and the
rains could have hardly been ordered better than
they were this year The result IL that everything
Is green and thriving Tribune reporter visited
the patches and shown around by Mr.. MCGEE.
Two men at work in their gardens. one man
was hceing his potatoes and another picking the
last of his crop OF beans. The latter was German,
who ekes out an existence for himself and family In
Classon-ave, near the Waahout Market.
THE GARDENS A GREAT HELP.
DO you find 1t dlfcut to get work." asked the
reporter Of the bean-picker
Yes" he replied its hard to get anything TO do.
except odd jobs
lis this gardening any help TO you?
Sure it's good thing. he said, smiling In
credulously at the question.
What are you going to plant In the place OF
those beans that you pulling up by the roots?"
Beans again. My boys can't get enough Of
them
Then 1t turned out that he had two small sons
who had steady work. and whose small salaries
helped keep the wolf from the door.
This will keep all winter" he said. pointing
to his potato patch.
The man with the hoe came up and handed tho
he said he found 1t possible get work only part
Of the time. and the truck garden was great help
TO him. The potatoes doing finely" he added.
Then Mr. MCGEE gave two elevated road tickets
TO him TO go TO his home and TO return. and he
started away.
The Brooklyn Elevated Company furnishes
free tickets those culti,ating lots In to
a question. this said that he thought he would
try 1t again next year
Only three o. last years gardeners came back
again this year, but next year larger proportion
expected TO return. as the first year was a
good deal Of a failure.
THE BEST CULTIVATED LOTS.
Perhaps the two best cultivated lots are at the
southwest corner They are worked by East New
York men, who live convenient to their lots. One
of them a German, has kept his lot almost abso-
lutely free from weeds. His lot has strips of
beans, turnips Just planted TO replace peas and
sweet corn. and the remaining half in potatoes
The other man, who Is not new TO the business,
has potatoes. sweet corn. In three stages OF
growth; tomatoes. onions. radshes, beans egg
plant. cucumbers and sweet potatoes. This man
pleased Mr. McGee so much with his quality Of
work that he employed him a hand.
The potatoes have been infested with bugs but
the superintendent furnishes paris green with
which to get rid Of the destroyers
Il consider this experiment a success. so far as
rpal' Mr. Mc(.a
1T is helping people who have had nothing except
odd ,obs to do like sweeping carpets for three or
four years The health of many Of these people
has been improved greatly since coming out here
once n day or once q week. the case may be.
Al first they were pale and sickly; now they are
tanned and healthy.
THE only possible criticism is that the Bureau Of
Charities makes nothing out OF It. II the Bureau
would pay these men 10 cents hour for their
work and then dispose OF the product. both sides
could make some money. AS far a mere charity
goes 1t is a success. however"