The Savannah morning news., 1904-07-18
GARDENING AT
FORT SCREVEN
BEGUN MoDEsTLY THIS YEAR.
EACH OF COMPANIES HAS ADDED
TO ITS Bib OF FARE.

Very Large Tomatoes Raised i'm
Truck Patch superintendent by
Lieut.. Peace. of Company Five,
which Holds Record for season.
How Menu viii Be Varied During
This Week-Next Year Much LarG-
err Area viii BE titled, with
Greatly Increased Results.
Three gardens, averaging perhaps
an acre each, have been cultivated this
season by the companies stationed at
Fort Screven, and already many lus-
luscious dishes not on the government
bill Of fare have been prepared from
the fruit of the soil. Tomatoes, okra,
cantaloupes, squashes. beans, onions
and corn are among the vegetables
raised.
There has been considerable rivalry
among the officers of the companies
over the gardens and their products,
but it is generally conceded at the post
that First Lieutenant w. G. Peace of
Company Five holds the belt as being
the most efficient gardener. One of
the achievements of the garden of his
company was the production Of a to-
mato weighing a pound and half,
and many others Of very large size.
While the land around the officers
quarters at the fort is largely sandy,
there are few spots where there Is
sufficient soil to grow vegetables; in
fact much more than is now under
cultivation. But that is a story for
next year, when Lieut. Peace prom
Uses. if he is still at Fort Screven, to
do some further and larger stunts in
the gardening line.
While the vegetables raised in the
different gardens vary somewhat. they
all have okra and tomatoes. Almost
every day enough okra can be taken
from the gardens to furnish soup for
an entire company of eighty men.
Daily Change of Fare.
Taking. for example. the company
of which Lieut.. Peace is an officer,
for this week the garden will be drawn
on daily. Yesterday the soldiers had
string beans, to-day they will have
Canteloupes, tomorrow Okra soup Will
be on the bill, on Wednesday string
beans, Thursday squash Friday toma-
toes and on Saturday any other vege-
table which happens to be ready
Each company has a gardner detail
ed to cultivate the ground, the soldier
being relieved from other duties during
the season. One of the officers in the
company is in charge of the truck
farm. In the Fifth. Lieut.. Peace di-
reefs the work, while Capt Doores has
charge of the farm work in the One
Hundred and Sixteenth, and in the
Fourteenth Lieut.. Orr does the honors
While to those who have a wide
market to select from daily the varia-
ton of the bill Of fare is easy. with
the soldiers it is different Uncle Sam
is inclined to furnish a steady but
plentiful. diet of staples, and leaves
the men to devise ways and means for
variations and additions.
BY working the garden idea an easy
way has been found to secure fresh
vegetables, and those of the very
finest growth. All that is necessary
is for the cook to visit the truck farm
before dinner. and return laden with
vegetables, finer and fresher than
could have been secured in the open
market.
The men. too, get all of the benefit
from the gardens that much being
added to their bill of fare without any
expense. The officers who direct the
work, and the gardner who cultivates
the grounds, receive nothing but the
thanks and good will of the men tor
their efforts i'm behalf of the table.
Larger Gardens Next Season.
Next season it is proposed to plant
several acres in vegetables, and the
good results attained this season will
be multiplied several fold.
The garden tracts are between the
houses of the officers and men and the
railroad tracks, though they are hid
den from sight of the casual passerby
by the trees and intervening improve
ments.
While ii cannot be said that truck
farming at Fort Screven has assumed
formidable proportions as yet, the rec
ord made this season has convinced the
officers of the possibilities. i'm this d.
rectton and shown how the table of the
men can be varied by additional dishes
of delightful vegetables. This will, of
course, tend TO make Fort Screven a
popular post, and win tend to make
the men better pleased with army life
In general and their own station in
particular.
When the season closes this year II
is probable that about fifty bushels of
tomatoes will have been gathered.
with several hundred cantaloupes Okra
will have added many a pleasant dish
of soup TO the dinner of the men. while
the table will have been supplemented
many times by vegetables as fine as the
best markets afford.