Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-20
WAR ON THE GARDENS
Flower Plots of New York Poor
to Be Abandoned.
NO MORE BEAUTIFUL YARDS
Tenement House Department Said to
Be Opposed to Them.
VALE BLOSSOMS IN THE sLUMs
Commission on Tenements to Insist on
Paved Yards-Action of Plant,
Flower and Fruit Guild.

NEW YORK, February 20.--At the an
nual meeting yesterday afternoon of the
New York city branch of the National
Plant. Flower and Fruit Guild at the home
of the honorary president, Mrs. James
Roosevelt. 2CO Madison avenue the patrons
of the society who attended were told that
in spite of the fact that the guild has la
bored increasingly since its organization
fourteen years ago to establish gardens in
the back yards of the tenement house dis
tricts there is a strong probability that the
tenement house commission will insist
within a short time that these gardens be
done away with.
Miss A. L. Fairfield. secretary of the ma
tional guild, who led the patrons of the
society on a Summing tour through the
tenement districts on both sides of the city
by means of lantern slides, told of her ex-
perience with the tenement house commits
sion after pictures of number of back
yards before and after they had been turn
ed into flower beds were exhibited One of
these gardens, which was so damned full
of tame and wild flowers of all sorts grow
ing luxuriously that the narrow walk in the
center of it was almost buried. was in the
heart of the Strykers lane district, near
47th street and 10th avenue.
Love of Flowers.
strange as IL may seem, SAID MISS
Fairfield, 1.-The love of flowers is almost a
passion with all the members of this fam
lily. Even the boys spend all their spare
money for flower seeds instead of shooting
craps with their playmates. Unless we can
make the tenement house commission I'M
derstand how much these flower gardens
mean to all who live within sight of them,
the flowers are likely to be torn up by the
roots in order that the back yards may be
paved.
When Commissioner Grain was in office
he supported us in all our efforts to bright
en- the tenement house districts, but We
have been told at Commissioner Buffers
office that we will have to give them more
evidence than they have at present that the
tenement house district jewellers care more
for flowers than for stone pavement.
We can only show them tiftyfive yards
turned into flower gardens and prove that
the love of flowers which is spreading
through the congested districts by our eff
forts is causing the making of more gardens
all the time
At the business meeting of the New York
city branch, which has been identical with
the National Plant Flower and Fruit Guild
since it was organized. it was decided that
the national organization will extend its
work to Boston, Philadelphia and other
large cities where the distribution of cut
flowers. ported plants. fruit and jelly to
hospitals has had little attention, and the
local branch will take sole charge of the
work in this city This plan made 1t neceS-
sary to elect new officers for the local or
ganization. Mrs. John Wood Stewart, who
has been president of the New York city
branch, retired to give her time to the
national organization. Mrs. John Sherman
Hoyt, who has been one of the most liberal
supporters of the guild, was chosen presi-
dent. and other officers were named as fol-
lows:
Good Work Done.
Vice presidents Mrs. Levi P. Morton and
Mrs John Wood Stewart; secretary, Miss
E. Cohesion Wick, and treasurer, Miss Mary
r. Cross. DR.. Russell A. Hibbs becomes
a member of the societys advisory board
and takes charge of its hospital work.
The officers of the national organization
are Mrs. Winter Sargent, president: Miss
A. l.. Fairfield. secretary, and Mrs. John r.
DreXel treasurer.
The secretary's report showed that during
the wear there were distributed 80, 1t6
punches of summer flowers, 34515 punches
of flowers from social functions. 900 pack
ages of seeds for window boxes and gar
dens 1.4S4 bulbs. 400 rooted plants. ], 49,
potted plants 759 glasses of jelly and 3.lO0
geraniums to children in schools and in
situations. The society also placed 500 VIM
dow boxes in tenement houses.