New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-07-01
TILLING THE VACANT LOTS.
SUCCESS. OF THE EXPERIMENT CARRIED
ON THIS YEAR.
ONLY HINT. HOWEVER As TO WHAT MIGHT
BE DONE-NEARLY ALL THE MEN TO WHOM
PLOTS WERE ASSIGNED HAVE DONE
wErL,-THEIR INTEREST N THE
WORK-THE CROPs GROwN.

|
IN charge. when speaking o. the men VINO. under
his direction have been engaged IN gardening on
vacant lots the frontier OF Brooklyn. Ar Nc
Gee IS not an entlusas the subject o! vacant-os
farming and his practical experience scarcely ats
! him perhaps to appreciate the phanthropc side
/ o. his work and the ungrudging pra.se which no
gives to the men who have been planting and hoe
!ag and gathering under his oversight Is therefore,
| ali the noteworthy.
As matter OF literal fact. not all OF the men
have done good" for OF the thirty-sx 10 whom
lots were assigned two have tainted by the wlysde.
az Il were and IN three other cases Atue
more care and muscle would have Product b~tteT
results As whole however the experiment tns
year has been a decided success. and the result 70
entirely satisfactory those members OK the COM
mi;tee who have taken the deepest interest IN ne
work and familiar with the results thus ss
reached
! Last year the work OF cu;vating vacant lots -
| Brooklyn could only BE- regarded guided sue
cess II was carried under special dicicuitiaa
The beginning made late In the season. ana
there were no precedents to follow. Only small
number Of men found wiling 20 engage In the
| work-the number OF lots being only nine'een-and
| some OF these not worthy OF the aid which
they received the form OF tools and seed TO say
nothing Of the free OF land prepared for cu.u.
walton
THE PRIME MOVER IN THE WORK
! In view o. the little really accomplished. Il -
4 scarcely mat Hi''hD''r VI tN N'-
mtee Of the opinion last spring that y would
| be unwse carry the experiment longer. and
that the best thing 10 do with the balance on hano
OF the money collected last year would ~ TO return
II to the subscribers or to secure their consent to
! the use o, IL for other charitable enterprises.
| Mainly through the .Yorts OF Rev. William
! Nichols the newly appointed general secretary Of
| the Brooklyn Bureau OF Charities. Il ~as DECIDED 70
go on with the work for this season and all that
has been done has been under special direction
80 rrfD h. IN IL
ter last year. and Re continues to take warm IN
terest In H. Although too much occupied 10 give
any personal attention 20 H. II he We're not no" IN
| Europe he has promised Il generous financial sup
port In OF necessity. Thus FAR II has not been
necessary TO make any appeal sor funds 70 carry
on the work About s. 800 was subscribed last year.
| only half Of which used ami the probabilities
| that the remainder will DE- sufficient TO meet
the calls for the present season
Mr. Nichols visited the vacant-lot farms yester-
day for the time in three four weeks, and
TO the writer. who had the privilege OF accompany
ing him, ne expressed great qualification IN what
has been accomplished thus far He said that 10
would be glad have all who feel any interes, IN
this work and especially those who were sceprcal
regarding It's g TO the eastern part II
the city ami with their own eyes what had ben
done.
HOW TO REACH THE FARMS"
The easiest way 70 reach the vacan,-lot ".arrnS'
is 10 take the Kings County Elevated Railroad -
| the Pennsylvania-ave. station. walk Of five
blocks TO the southwark brings 20 Livonia-ave.
south OF which and running three blocks 20 ne
eastward across New-Jersey ave. and Vermont-s.
lies the land under cultivation. The time from ne
CITY Hall to this section Of the Twenty-sixh Ward
is about thirty five minutes. and the journey viii
well repay any one who il even slightly Interested
in this modern form OF philanthropy which is In
| literal serse a nature.
| Unfortunately. the committee was not able -
carry out the plans formed the beginning % the
season in full. North OF Avonia-ave. and be
tween It and Dumont-ave.. are the vacant lrs
paced at the disposal % the committee last year
! by the German American Improvement Company
! which Owls large tract Of real estate IN this
neighborhood For the company was
! unwilling allow the use OF them again al nougn
! having been broken up and ferti.zei. they
were especially desirable FOR the purposes .. mo
committee.
The only reason given for the changed attitude u
the company was that this land not far from
some houses built on other lots formerly owned ~
x, and that the occupants OF these houses objected
TO the proximity Of the class Of men that would 10
engaged on the miniature farms. In reality. sonls
OF the occupants 81 the houses in question would -
CAD to see the vacant space near them turned into
vegetable gardens rather than allowed 10 lie ihls
and abound with weeds. In consequence OF tho
strange policy adop;e,i by the company. the lots
cultivated year agc now producing a mo
crop Of weeds that VII soon De veritaole jungle.
while along the sidewalk IN Pennsy lvaniaaye. bur.
docks flourish such extent that X is aim ~
inpossibl, for two persons 10 walk abreast
OF course non. Of these Objectionable grow-ihs
would have been permitted had the Committee on
the Tilage OF Vacant Lots been permitted 10 make
use Of this land. II The company had made the ex-
pe-ted concession. 4 the committees Infection
TO cultivate considerable land on ~ own account,
requiring rhe men to whom lots assigned to 10
a certain amount % work in return FOR the sse-is,
ia. of tools etc granted them. That portion u
the plan had 70 be abandoned for the present year.
Next year Il is hoped and expected that the officals
I Of the company will be IN a moro favorable frame
| OF mind.
FIVE ACRES UNDER CULTIVATION.
To the committee gwen the privilege OF using
as much land the south OF LAvonia-ave. a. II
| chose to cultivate. About five urtef
cultivation the remainder o, the land TO the south,
| ward not being good for farming purposes. mas
much the rop soil has been removed in rome
PAGES The pots assigned TO individuals are about
feet length BY % feet In width. Each man. or
family. thus has about one-eighth Of an acre The
farms" a whole. present attractive apr ear.
| ance Here and there are evidences OF neglect,
marked BY the growth OF weeds or 10y the scax,y
growth o. vegetables. and In some places the raw.
| ages OF poiato-bugs are evident because OF tho
neglect OF the 'prCpr.ctors' 10 make Of the
paris green which they could have for the asking
| The principal crop grown t. of course. potatosA
| In addition peas beans. cabhages. Tomatoes. cur.
| rots bee;s and cucumbers abound. 4 few OF ths
farmers have planted corn. on some OF which the
| have already set" but green corn Is rather
precarious thing raise a vacant lot. owing 70
| the with which the can BE- '.ftsI' on .
dark night II has been great season for thts
| and fine mess been carried
away from this outskirt OF the city. In cases
II is surprising quantities OF ieft The
vines the owners being too lazy or too Indifferent
| TO pick them.
The beans all seem to be in a hour,sh.ng state
though they have. 40, yet come 70 the bearing
stage The time for the digging OF POTATOES has
| not arrived but some OF the farmers have already
| made experiments to determine what size the taberS
have altar ned. Lettuce has not been grown TO any
extent. and the luscious squash has not commanded
the Of these amateurs in the o. agri-
culture. The Sape Is the potato. and several "a M
uies In Brooklyn are likely have potatoes enough
| 10 last them thrtugh the winter 4 they are hua.