The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-02


/ Last Year and Food Provided for
Hundreds of Hungry Families.
/ To what good account vacant city lots
and other unused spaces can be turned is
the subject of a report of the Philadelphia
! Vacant Lots Association which has just
been published The report says in part:
. The association was organized during
I a period Of industrial depression. when
thousands Of abIe-bodied men in PhfIa-
deIphia could not get regular employment.
/ The practically Of the plan for partial
relief, combined with aids to seIf-heIp on
/ strictly business and non-pauperizing
basis, was evident It's appeal for funds
met with ready response. Twenty-seven
acres OF land were loaned. s., 49,. IS in
/ money was contributed. and the first year
! ninety-six families had an opportunity to
/ earn nearly 5000 in vegetables of various
kinds.
Greater success attended our efforts
. the second season. Forty acres of land
and $2.255.76 were placed at the disposal
. Of the association; crops to the value Of
$500 We're raised by 40 families.
/ IN 1893 the third season, over seventy
! two acres of land were cultivated. Two
! hundred and forty-nine families, invoIv-
ing the welfare Of !, 4g5 persons, reaped
/ the benefits of expert training in truck
! farming and produced a crop valued at
Sli,5u, yielding an average of nearly $50
per family. To accomplish this s. 650.33
was expended. Thus every dollar con-
trlbuted yielded in the hands OF those for
whom II was intended nearly s..
The fourth season, 1850. shows increas-
: Cd results, and on 4 large scale Indus
f trial conditions have changed Able-bOd-
led men and WOmea can usually find work.
But modern industry has little use for
hra- nh OF oh Il. g-4s~f 4
Cieut. The opinion, therefore, that there
7 IS need for work rather than aImsgiving
for a large number of aged persons and
thoSe otherwise lncapacltated for regular
/ employment under modern conditions. is
justified The Association has q y,errna-
! nent field OF usefulness in bad and good
! times alike, in ministeTiug TO the needs of
4 the aged, the weak, and partially dis
abied- Facant-lOt farming offers relief on
honorable terms appreciated and wisely
ut!lzed by such persons. In many cases
| II has pointed the way back to indepand-
ence by a training that has led such peo-
pie to torsake the cities for which they
are uhht-to take up small farms in the
country where they can succeed. The re
port Of the superintendent shows that in
the year $50 acres Of land We're cultivated
" $50 families, comprising 2. 3Ss persons
The association expended s.. 962. IS. and the
value OF the crops was S2f, $50
1t is interesting to note that the aver
age expended on each family has decrea=-
ed as the work has increased In the first
year the cost per family was about SIC:
IN the second, SIC; in the third, SIO64 and
Ia the fourth, $S&5. The average value OF
the crop for each family has varied ac-
COrdInS 10 the season. but has never heer
less than Sol. and in two of these years il
Was over $50 reference is made Ia the
report Of the superintendent to the intro
auction or Belgian hare breeding in cor
iectlon with our little gardens. 1t prom
LSsS large returns, and VIII enable enter
pT1slng gardeners to supply their families
WIN wholesome meat as well as Vegeta-
bies-
10 ct
most prosperous that America has known
But the fact that nearly 800 families made
application to cultivate gardens is proof
That IN the best times a large nunabeg. Of
unemployed are always with us. These
are the old or partially disabled not
strong enough to do a full DAYS labor
They are, however, able to support a fam
lily when given work that does not over
tax their strength. 1t is well known that
IN modern industrial establishments
where the highest skill and greatest in
genuity receive the highest consideration.
those with less ability. and deficient in
strength CT knowledge. find themselves
unable to cope with their more active
bFolnerS- Ihey are then no longer want
ed This class will grow larger and Iarg-
er as productive energies continue along
present lines.
The aggregate yield from the farms
based on carefully kept records of each
garden foot up TO 81. $50. The cost Of This
mas been less than $4,000. Therefore each
dollar contributed has been transformed
INTO IS worth of Vegetab les in the hands
Of the gardeners. The yield per garden
however, is not 50 large as during either
Of the preceding years; this can be attrf-
buted wholly TO the excessively hot sum
.rCT- At one time It looked as If the en-
tire Cr0D would be destroyed Put when
the small expenditure by he association
t. secure this result is considered il he
comes more and more satisfactory each
year The value of the crop Is only a
small part of the benefits received Tho
others cannot be computed in dollars and
cents, but were no doubt fully as great