The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1904-05-19
GARDENING In TOWNS
THE CULTIVATION or VACANT tors
AND WASTE LAND.

was the title OF lecture delivered II
Washington recently by Il. g. Powell
superintendent OF the Philadelphia Va
cant Lots association. Mr.. Powell sait
that flower gardening and the growing
h OF vegetables by children and oldel
persons, thus utilizing waste and va
cant city land. have become one OF thu
most hopeful movements looking to
ward social betterment and uplift, says
the Washington Star. He said thai
last year In Philadelphia 700 families
working on 180 acres Of vacant lots
raised $4,000 worth OF vegetables, and
that Detroit, Toledo and other cities
and towns have undertaken similar
schemes, conceded to be OF the greatest
advantage from an industrial as well
as an educational point OF view.
MFR. Powell's scheme is to obtain the
use of every vacant lot In the city and
make farmers and gardeners out Of the
city's poor. A little pamphlet which
he distributed recently bears the sig
nifscant caption, Self Help For Those
who Can't Work In Usual Business"
He believes the project boon to old
men and women who have Outliveti
their usefulness lin their respective
trades or Industrial callings and for
inyallds and cripples who but for the
gardens would be dependent upon the
city's charity. The scheme might be
adopted by towns and villages and is
a splendid way to beautify them.
"The small beginning made seven
years ago In Philadelphia in the culti-
walton of vacant lot gardens as q
means OF aiding the unemployed, ,"said
Mr.. Powell, ''has passed beyond the
fad or experimental stage. II has be-
come quite an important factor in that
great city's life, especially important
to the more than 5000 families whose
members have sought and obtained
employment through its good Offices.
The belief that II h better 70 show
men how and where they can find
pleasant and profitable employment
and II necessary properly direct their
energies while engaged therein than
It Is to give aims. even through per-
.fectIy conducted channels, haE become
90 thoroughly established as to require
no argument In its favor.
ssThe vacant lot gardening has al
rendy become most important branch
OF the public schools In many sections
Of this country. The last annual gath
ering OF the American Park and Out
door association devoted one full ses-
sion to the discussion OF school gar
dens and their Importance as part Of
our industrial school work. Mr.. D. J..
Crosby, in charge OF experiment sta
tions, department Of agriculture, says
that school gardens DO for the children
out Of doors what the chemical lab
orat0ry, the carpenter shop nnd the
kitchen laboratory do indoors.
'sThe incalcuiable benefits OF fresh
air ana moderate exercise TO the physic-
aI health Of every one are well known.
How Immensely important 1t must be
to shop and mill workersi How ele-
waiting to the moral health. which de-
pends 30 much upon physical condi-
tions. no ons can tell. but sure II II that
men have come to work these gardens
In the spring who had become poor.
partly or wholly through drink. and by
the end OF the season have Ieftlus 30
Der and Industrious citizens.
"What made this great ehangef In
stead Of hanging around they have had
pleasant ana profitable employment
wherein they were their own bosses.
Parents bring little ones along TO help
weed and pick vegetables. Through
this healthfulness Of the work. which
IL in no sense toll. the pale, hollow
checked little ones become ruddy,
bright eyed. laughing Joys. filled with
vigor and happiness before the season
is over. The country week becomes a
summers outing while the play
ground becomes also workshop. 10
compare this natural relief with other
ways Of helping the unemployed may
be rather odious TO those employed In
the other ways, especially to city gov
eFnments that are spending millions Of
poor funds every year. while poverty
and squalor are growing deeper and
wider every day. For each dollar con
tributed to vacant lot cultivation In
1908 the benefleiaries for whom Il was
spent had. by adding to 1t theirlown Ia
Dor. which otherwise woald have been
forever wasted. fully So worth Of prod
uce. For each dollar paid in poSr
rates to q city the beneficiarles seldom
set over 80 cents of actual aid. This
10 of vast Importance to taxpayers
and city officials charged with munici.
pal responsibilities.
Some may be rather skeptieal, ,as to
the statements made. especially In re-
gard to the large returns for the small
expenditures but you should consider
that our market Ii next door to the
gardens and that the gardener does
his own marketing. His produce IL
fresh and OF the highest quality, and
he gets the highest retail price. He
gets his fertilizers for next to nothing,
as there are thousands Of tons of good
manure and street sweepings annually
thrown into the city dumps which can
be had merely for the asking.
10 landowners we say, Lend Us
your idle land, subject to immediate
dispossession, and we will offer ample
self help 20 ell who can't work in usu-
al employment We viii make Of II
something even better than park or
playground for the poor. or rather we
will show them how to make not only
parks and Fairgrounds for themselves,
but productive gardens as we'll, out Of
what is now only idle ground and in
many eases rubbish heaps overgrown
with noxious weeds and vines. We
win help to make the town beautiful
while making 4his lille land and these
idle people useful"
When you get q catalogue from a biz
mail order house just look it over and
and see what fhay will nav Won for vo,,,