Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1917-09-16
.C0L0RED POPULATION
IN BACk-LOT GARDENING
jackson Ward Dotted With Littlo
Patches That Produce Astonish.
ing Quantities OF Vegetables.
WHITE FOLKS BEATEN IN CROPS
Large Plots Cultivated Wherever
They Could Be Obtained-Colorcd
"West-Endcrs" Spread Themselves.
Vegetables to Eat and Sell. =

Vegetables to Eat and Sell.
From information l have received.
! am OF the opinion that tho colored
people Of Richmond grew more vege-
tables in the back lots this year than
did the white people: that. is more in
proportion to the back-lot ground they
had at their command" Thus spoke
prominent Richmond banker. An IT,
vestiCation proves that the banker mad
formed the correct opinion.
The negro Is naturally 4 good gar
dener. and It is his nature to dig In
the sround when he has tho chance.
The back-lot garden is no new thing
10 him. Every colored man who owns
home In Richmond, and every one
who rents house in which to live
Will plant something in the ground,
even II he has only n few feet at his
disposal. II he has = Eood-sizcd back
lot, as many OF them who live on
the outer edges OF the city have. they
are certain to grow few vegetables
every year. This was his rule long be-
tore the war was ever dreamed of, and
so it was not necessary for the gov
eminent officials to admonish Eim to
dig VI the little mite of city land he
had control of and grow thereon 4 few
vegetables for himself and family.
However. tho appeals of the govern
ment and other food conscrvators found
ready response from the Richmond col
ored men and women. Every one of
them who had access TO a little plot of
ground and had been III the habit of
growing a few vegetables. have this
year done their level best 10 make two
potatoes grow where only one grew
before: many have increased their land
holdings by renting parts of vacant
lots near to their homes; many have
done away with flowers in their yards
and put onions. bects. potatoes and
what-not in their place. and yet others
have rented Elots of ground out in the
suburbs far away from their city homes
and worked them for all they were
worth. going out in early morning be-
fore business hours and at dewey even
ing after business hours to work them.
TINY GARDENS SCATTERED
ALL OVER JACKSON WARD
AS general thing. the colored peo.
pie of old Jackson Ward live on con-
tracted premises, and many. OF them
have not foot of ground they could
put in vegetables. no matter how FASH
.onable tho fad had become. Tcosc
who had only few feet of spare back
yard did not. as so many white people
did. say it WAS no use to cultivate so
small space: but went to work and
grew as much as they could. The re-
suit is. the ward" has, all the past
summer. been dotted with little patches.
some of them no larger than an ord:n-
AIRY Office table, and II Is astonishing
the quantity OF vegetables some of
them nave grown OH such little bits of
GROUND AS that.
Some of the colored people In the
heart of the city had control of more
back lot ground. and they utilized
every inch Of it. Dozens of them could
be named who raised in such spaces
sufficiency of vegetables for their fam
lily consumption. and had some to sell
or to give to their less fortunate enigh-
bors. Melvin Coleman. who lives on North
Fifth Street, put every inch OF his
back lot in vegetables and raised more
than his family needed. Frank -Au-
gustas. on East Clay Street. had as
fine a garden for its size as is to be
found anywhere within twenty miles
around Richmond. in which he grew
wonderful variety Of vegetables.
Christopher williams, of Washington
Park. made back lot garden that any
Virginia farmer might we'll have been
proud Of A hundred or more other
worthy colored men could be named
who have done as we'll In the crowded
sections of the city.
VEGETABLE MAKING IN
THE COLORED "wEST END"
Out in that part Of the city that used
to be called Sidney is large negro
settlement. Somewhere from 1000 to
5000 live there, and 1t is now known as
the colored peoples West End" Out
there they have larger lots. great
many OF them being owLed by the coll
ored people. 1t Is safe to say every
owner of lot had good garden this
year and nine-tenths of the renters
also dug up their back lots and made
vegetables. Others rented vacant lots,
and many Of the vegetables sold op the
market during the summer were grown
in the colored West End" Out in that
locality Frank Davis. ST. Elmore Funn,
Elias Thornton and Zoe Woodbridge
were leaders. who not only made mag.
niticent gardens themselves. but en-
eouraEed and advised their neighbors
to do likewise. Their advice was heed
ed with the results recounted above.
Across Shockoe Creek and around
Cemetery Hill. in Barton Heights. Is a
large settlement OF worthy colored PEG.
pie To whom the back lot garden was
no now thtng-they have them every
year--but this year they heard the food
conservation cry and redoubIed their
enorts. Every one who was in the
habit OF making his own vegetables
determined to make more than enough
'his year. and others who had been
| more or less indifferent heretofore,
utilized what grounu they had and bor-
To~ed or rented more and the deniZens
or Shockoc Valley and Cemetery Hill
nave been considerable sellers of
fresh vegetables all the season. In the
eastern section of the city and in South
Richmond the colored gardeners have
done as we'll on the back lots as their
brethren In other parts of the city.
The banker was right IN proportion to
the ground the Richmond darkies had
10 work. they have probably beaten
inc white folks IN wartime gardening.
SIX Mills 10 he Douplsd.
| HIGH POINT. n. c.. September l5.-
Stehli Silks Corporation will double
| the capacity of their factory IN ,h,,