Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-10-27

All iAtC-cseiiiS experiment. 10 uciH6 VII
ciuded on ground belonging to the Ma
tional Geographic Society, 10Th street
near NJ, which serves to show, in the
opinion of those who have observed it,
that many of the vacant lots of the
city can be put to practical and more
esthetic use than the growing of I'M
slightly weeds.
The experiment in question is practical
farming and vegetable gardening on
city lot and it's protector was G. H
Rice, an engineer and gardener in the
employ of the National Geographic So
ciety. He has raised sugar corn. lima
beans, sweet potatoes, caulif1ower. cab
bage and other vegetables In such guam
titles on the land as to net him hand
some profit, and the argument is adj
xanced that If the other vacant lots OF
the city were put to similar purpose
enough produce might be raised on many
q them to pay the taxes on the iano' 10
say nothing of the improvement in the
appearance Of weed-covered lots.
- Worth So Square Foot.
No such taxpaying result was pos
sible in this experiment, inasmuch as
the National Geographic Society paia
IS a foot for the land. The ground
was bought some time ago by the or
sanization, for additional buildings
when .needed.-and. it is. expected that
some, day a handsome auditorium VIII
he erected there, so that members Of
the National Geographic Society may
hear the societys lectures in their own
home. Gilbert H. Grosvenor. director
of the National Geographic Society and
GenDranhic Mag
azine. said today that Mr.. Rice's ex-
pertinent had been made with the con-
sent Of the organization. which granted
the employe the free use OF the iano'
and that many of the ofhcers OF tne
organization think the details as
worked out show that the vacant city
lots Of the capital can be cultivated
enough to yield the amount OF taxes
on Abe property and at the same time
beautify many of the unslShtiy places
along the city streets.
Mr. Rice, who lives in small dwell
Ing on the Geographic Society vacant
property. began gardening May ~. Inc
plot is approximately 100 by loo feet;
When 1t was purchased it was graded
with cinders and ashes. as 1t was not
known at that time that Mr.. Rice was
to make experiments with farming ana
gardening.
Soil From an Excavation.
apartment house and hotel which Is
being built at 18th and 1 streets per-
mission was granted by the society for
the contractors erecting that building
to dump their surplus soil and earth on
top of the cinders and ashes on the
Geogra phic Society's land. This fur
nished the soil in which the vegetable
gardening was done. 2s8 loads of earth
being hauled to the spot. giving prac-
ttcally four inches of earth top of
the ashes and cinders-
II had an EXPENSE of only sl2, Mr..
Rice said today. of which 50 was for
pillow and tools which will be useful
next year. The sum of SO was used
for manure for fertilizer Many of the
seeds ] used were presented to me.
and / afterward paid for them. prac-
ticauy, by making presents Of vege-
tables | raised on the ground. All the
work was done by hand. except the
blowing. of course. and in my spare
time. in the late afternoons and even
ings. | saved at least SIS a Slonth,
in cash. on my vegetable bills. making
for July. August, September and Octo-
Der total of about $50. to say moth
ing of quantities and quantities Of
vegeta bles which my family has canned
or otherwise put up for winter use"
Story of the Harvest.
Mr.. Rice raised the following lvege-
tables: 900 ears sugar corn, 10 quarts
lima beans. $50 heads of cabbage. %
heads of caulifower. IS dozen sweet
peppers, 8 bushels string beans, s
bushels beets, 10 bushels sweet po-
tatoes. 1000 heads of lettuce. l bushel
early turnips. half peck radishes,
bushels parsnips. l bushel peas. 10
bushels tomatoes, 10 dozen canta~
loupes. 10 dozen cucumbers and %
dozen squash.
The gardener is country-bre and has
q knowledge of the work but he said
today that there is no reason why
others without experience could not
learn to cultivate the city lots. He
added that all the vegetables raised
were of the best possible quality The
little farm is perhaps the most valua
BILE garden in the city, by reason OF
the price paid for the land, and to OBJ
servers who pass along 18th street IL
Is evident that the cultivation of the
land is quite Improvement over
what might have been a vacant 10,
nlled with weeds.