The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-12
MAKES THE TENEMENTS BLOOM
THE PLANT AND FLOW Err Gum
Is BRIGHTENING NEW iORk.
How II Can lie Done Nv EN- Though the BACK
Yards Are Tagged and Earth and
sunlight Are Scarce Good Women I'm
Country Homes VINO Help the NOrk.


lack yards and conservatories on the tene
,acnt escapes is the aim II the Plant, Fruit
nnd Flower Guild which has its head
quarters at 20 Fifth avenue. Mrs. Johr
wood stewart who ha4 charge OF the active
vor, II the society, has been in Egypt
his winter, and Miss Ada Fairfield is pre-.
pairing FOR the summer campaign Mise
Fairfield is an enthusiast
II is ptiful. said she TO see the con-
liant struggle in the tenement house re-
glons 20 have bit Of green and blossom
IN the house With the exception per-
hap. of the Hebrews almost nll the immi-
grants now settling in New York are from
country districts. especially the Slavon
and Italians, and they miss the growing
plants greatly.
The most persistent and successful
window gardeners in the tenement dis
'-ct@ are the Italian women Pots over
flowing with uXuriant greenery almost
Always decorate their fire escapes and
window Lodges Their ideas are utilita rian.
however not aesthetic The pots are full
Of soup greens many Of them herbs Of
kind not to he found in the market here
except rs imported dried from Italy The
Italian woman sometimes has a thrifty
Doy If tomato plants. bearers OF the most
rerered fruit OF the earth TO the Italian
And have seen corn growing in an Italian
woman'- window box. though whether for
ornament or profit cannot say
The Jews seem o ca re least OF any people
in New York for growing things. and the
Germans and Irish the most The Ger
man. love for a garden. and his deter
L., -,
possible arc well known On the upper
Fast Side there is n German bakery oc-
cuped by goodhea rted thrifty people
Every spring that German baker goes to
the expense Of having load of earth hauled
from Long Island 10 spread on his garden
Because Of the absence Of sunlight and
the presence Of the unnatural heat from
the furnaces the garden never thrives
But he tries 1t year after year with un-
stated care When it fails, the couple
buy palms and rubber plants and potted
flowers and put them about 10 make it
ook like a garden. anyway
In West Forty-seventh street between
Tenth and Eleventh avenues there ara five
families living up on the rocks They get
up by staircase from the street They
have four inches Of soil on those rocks. and
they have fourishing gardens Of whatever
will grow in four inches Of soil They
have an arbor covered with vines ham
mock and the men. being all mechanics.
have fixed up fountain fed by hose
These, however, are successful eAper,-
ments 1t Is different when the people have
nothing but a tagged area 10 utilize. Vet
these very people are crazy Tor growing
things Repeatedly | have known them.
when they lived near place wher,, horses
were kept and oats scattered about. 10
plant oats in the back yard. simply to have
the ground Uncovered with something green
We had some club work in a little house
in Wes Forty-ffth street our kittens
died and the children buried them in the
hack yard and planted oats around the
graves. The children used to como from
all around to see where the kittens were
buried. j. was the only place in that
neighborhood where there was dirt enough
to bury kitten
One of our greatest difficulties ia in
these tagged areas Children cannot take
MP the tagging to plant gardens This
Is where we expect the Tenement House
Department 10 help US BY a recent court
decision landlords must gra ually remove I
the old outhouses from the yards The
landlord cannot leave hole there He must
iii It with earth. This would make plot /
~ earth containing perhaps twenty-five /
8 luare feet. Tenement House Commits /
sioner Grain has told us that he will co.
operate with us in any way he can. We hope
10 arrange the matter so that wherever
tho inspectors know Of one Of these being
removed be viii notify us and we can seize
upon fireplace as garden
Tho problem is TO find ont whai will grow
IN such place. The dry, stored heat Of
stone walls and the network of pipes under
meath are slow death 10 most plants We
would like to plant permanent things ike
shrubs, trees and vines, bat the first two
are the hardes; Of all The poplar and
The ailantus are the only trees that will
grow in he conges;ed districts Of New
York
Did Won know that the man in charge
N The Harvard campus has a map of the
roots Of every tree on the groundsl When
anything ia the matter with tree they look
'' the map and locate the pipe that is leaking
md injuring root.
We can't he ~ scientific az that 80 We
must try 70 plant such things e. will -four
ever gas We think that phox and
comics will grow, especially if cut back
M the fall. and perhaps hollyhocks. sun
Sewers. golden glow and wild cucumber
me. We hope 10 discover Others Per
aps after a few years we can write book
m species Of North American fora adapted
% the tenement regions Of Manhattan
The people love geraniums, and buy
hem for themselves in great quantities
very spring from the geranium carts
'hch go through the tenement districts.
20 tempting with their masses OF scarlet.
he trouble is. the little plants have been
orced TO produce that one blossom. and
herr IL almost no way 10 make them do
veil afterward. A great quantity OF slips
nd cuttings have been promised TO US from
nvate greenhouses this spring. and We
op' TO create boom in geranium culture
II Is possible TO have a good garden in
'ew York under apparently the most ,
lhcult conditions, il one knows how !
Il the University Settlement the back '
1ndows overlooked yard which was full
thu desolatiou Of tin cans and tenement
ouse rubbish. The Settlement residents {
on-ulted with the people who lived there, c
47nned garden. furnished seeds. tools !
fuf a