New-York tribune., 1912-03-04
NY News Of ntgrgSt 81
u to ,W9mgn = ~
horticulture an Hid
to Economic .SolpofiOn

Whenever I am taken about Long Island,
the Jersey side or Westchester for long
ride, I sigh to see so much good eartl
growing up In weeds.
All the more because l know Of hungry
mouths the produce might fill. There I:
even more waste labor than land. II the
boys who grow into young Apaches in the
Streets their sole playground, had the out
let of gardening for their surplus energies.
there would be a vast bettefment in their
outlook and in that OF the nation. More
over. this waste of land and labor goes on
right in the city itself. In plain sight Of
my windows there is a block, vacant city
owned. bought for a schoolsite, but lying
idle this five years. Children play in il fit
, fully, vagrants defile 1t. vagranter winds
fleck it with flotsam and jetsam Of the
streets about it. When first | knew it. it
was beauty spot-seat OF a red-brick
mansion that simply radiated thrift and
comfort. BY the produce of the old-time
flower beds | know the land is warm and
full Of heart. Such gardens as it might
harbor-for the help and the training of
/ the swarming noisy children,
l never pass ii without thinking some
what enviously OF the vacant lot farmers
in other parts. Those farmers are but
demonstrating the worth OF something I
advocated a dozen years ago. Writing then
in home magazine. l advised that chill
dren be given gardens. no natter how
small, instructed and encourage ged 70 tend
them and paid for their produce II it went
into family consumption. also, | preached
school gardening--to begin with the plant
ing of seed. especially nuts and acorns,
these to be tended in pots until of planting
out size. then set out in school grounds or
parks and named for their donors. No
danger of crowding the tree space-out of
a hundred paintings there would hardly
come one sapling. But however abortive
in the end the plantings would have been
worth while. in that they had shown some
thing of life-processes 10 young eyes.
Harking back-if Minneapolis has 5000
vacant acres contiguous, any big city must
have double as much. And any populous
suburb can certainly show land enough for
gardens 10 supply it's indwellers. Hero IS
something for the clubwomen-what can
they do better than TO save such waste .
Here, also. groanlng housewives and
anxious hearted housemothers may find a
ray of hope. The most churlish corpora
ton will hardly object to use Of its land
seedsmen rightly approached will be beau
tifully liberal. Seed for a whole suburb.
bought at once. can be had at a saving OF
two-thirds this not merely in price. but
through exchange. You may not want a
pint OF peas for planting, having no room
for so many. but buy the pint and halve II
with your next neighbor. 1t is the same
with almost everything-beet and radish
seed by the ounce are cheaper. and ounces
go far. Even packets may be divided 20
advantage, especially Of flower seed. You
may have space for only a s.nsle packet,
yet like variety. Buy one sort. let your
next neighbor buy another. your next
friend buy third-and there you are all
three.
In the matter OF tools. try the same CO.
operative plan. No small gardener needs a
complete garden outlt-you can use only
one at a time-while you are raking the
next person may be hoeing or using the
trowel, the planter or the garden line.
Much good may come OF such exchang-
ing II is apt 10 breed a sense OF COM
radery. a realization Of human solidarity,
no less OF how very human all OF US are.
Artificial distinctions melt and run like
waxin sunshine before the forces Of nature.
II ever we shall come truly TO understand
one another the knottiest' problems Of
civilization will be in the way OF solving
themselves,