The Washington times., 1917-03-08

Approximately one-fourth of the
land area in the District, or 10000
acres, is available for gardening and
trucking, according to an estimate
made by District Assessor Richards
1or The Times today.
The District of Columbia today con-
sists of sixty y-nine square miles. eight
of which are water and sixty-one land
This makes a total land acreage of
$1,000 and GIG of water.
Assessor Richards said today one
fourth of the land is closely built-up
territory This means the deduotion
of $500 acres from the total of 80 200.
About $3.50 acres are taken up by
parks. This makes q total of 1880
acres entirely unavailable for garden
ing purposes.
Ten Thousand Acres Available.
OF the remaining 23S5O acres, con-
sisting of sparsely settled territory.
unimproyed property and woodland. it
is estimated by Assessor Richards
that about 10000 acres could be used
for agricultural purposes. To this
might be added a very small percent
age of the property in the closely
built-up sections, where a number OF
sizable back yards are to be found
Investigation today disclosed the
fact that a large number of Wash
ingtonians, particularly housewives.
have been cultivating little patches of
ground in their backyards for years,
and intend enlarging their activities
. in this respect to a larger scale this
year, in view of the high prices of
foodstuffs.
Truck Gardens Planned.
Other home owners have announced
their inteHtion of starting little truck
gardens in their back yards, and even
their front yards. They pointed out
that a potato plant is not entirely un-
attractive, especially when covered
with white blossoms. and that the
sight of growing sweet corn would
not be entirely new in the residential
sections.
In previous years corn has been
planted in front yards as a Joke. to
give a rural touch to a lawn. but this
year the stalks will have a deeper
significance.
Considerable sport and fun has been
made of the home gardening plan.
Cartoonists all over the country have
found a congenial subject. Many of
the metropolitan papers are printing
cartoons in which hens are shown sit
ting on nests in pianos in parlors
with tomato plants instead of flowers
and palms in jardiniers.
The artists have planted potatoes on
the roofs of houses. and husbands are
shown on the roofs tilIing the soil.
Clothes trees and hatracks are
shown with lima bean vines entwining
them. while Yatercress and cabbage
are depicted as growing in bathtubs
and window boxes.
In Washington, when the funmak-
ers are asked, what do you think
of the home gardening plan and the
utilization Of vacant property for
agricultural purposes" their reply is
the same, just as il they had re-
hearsed it together!
"It would look fine to see the
vacant property along Sixteenth
street turned into gardens"
No Joke About IL.
Just why they should single out
Sixteenth street unless it is known as
The Avenue of the Presidents, is un-
explained. But anyhow, they all
laugh very heartily at their joke.
As a matter of fact, there is no
joke to il. Their supposed wit is not
only wasted, but their efforts to be
funny show a woeful lack OF infor-
nation on what has been done on
Sixteenth street for several years.
The fact is that for two years or
more one Of the prize gardens OF
Washington was to be found on Six
teenth street, between l. and VI
streets northwest. To be specific. it
has been right next to the National
Geographic Society's headquarters
and Hubbard Memorial Hall. There
is every reason for believing the gar
will no found there again this
year.
In fact, the man who made the
garden is now gearing up the hand
plow, sharpening the HOG. mending
the rake, sorting out seed and fire.
quentIy consulting a piece of paper
containing a diagram OF the vege-
table patches.
The garden was started by George
II. Rice, superintendent and engineer
of the National Geographic Society
building. The society purchased three
building lots, approximately a quar-
ter of an acre of ground. on Sixteenth
street, so as to have the land ready
when additional buildings should be
erected.
Rice is a farmer from Loudoun
county, Va, and he just cannot keep
away from the soil and wrestling
vegetables from il. As soon as the
society obtained title to the property
he plunged the plow into the land
and began cultivating II.
Here's What He Harvested.
Today he enumerated the following
as the crops he harvested last sum-
mer and fall: Four hundred head of
lettuce, 100 ears OF corn. seventy five
quarts of lima beans, nve bushels of
snap beans, 100 heads of cabbage, fif
teen bushels of tomatoes, a large
quantity OF beets, parsnips. radishes,
canteIoupes. cucumbers, and other
Vegetables.
The superintendent-en -engineer-farmer
said today he and his family lived all
summer and fall on the garden truck
raised on the quarter OF an acre,
large quantity of vegetables was
given away, and still enough remained
for canning, preserving, and picking
purposes to make him and his family
immune from the ravages OF the
high cost of living this winter.
- HAIIak fOT Sixteenth street.