New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-30
With One Acre Intensive Farms
New Jersey Could Feed y. S.
Crops from Small Plots of Brdgetons Amateur Granger
Are Object Lessons for Nation in Solving
Food Problem in War
By HENRY ROEMER

Down II little corner OF SOuLnNeeN-
ern New Jersey, where the Cohsnsey
River meanders along through acres OF
fertile land before it joins the Della
ware, they have solved the food prob
lem in a way 70 Danish the Malthusian
nightmare for two or three generations
nore. There a little community OF
amateur farmers, tilling an acre or two
of ground apiece. is providing an object
lesson in agricultural preparedness for
the rest Of the United States.
These men believe they can prove
that New Jersey, If developed agricuIt-
urally to its fullest extent, could fur
iish the entire country with ample food
PRODUCTS, exclusive Of meat and grain.
They have undoubtedly proved that II
every acre Of unused land in the East
ern States were similarly developed
there would be no food shortage.
Unheralded, unobserved save D. a
Few. this agricultural experiment has
been going on quietly for more than
two years down in Cumberland County
New Jersey. The agricultural and food
problems which the United States
would face in war time have gwen
added Importance TO the work, and for
more than two years thousands Of dol
lars worth Of food products have been
taken out Of the soil Of city building
lots.
Bridgeton, y. j., city Of $4,000, IS
the centre of the activities of the one
acre farmers OF Cumberland County. II
lies in the midst of broad expanse OF
rolling countryside, where agriculture
is the chief pursuit. But not until the
amateur farmers in Bridgeton began
their experiments in intensive cultiva-
tion OF small tracts under irrigation
were any remarkable results achieved.
Building lots were their first farms"
But their success with these has en-
couraged larger ventures. and now
farms of forty or fifty acres Just out.
side of Bridgeton are being cultivated
Dy similar methoCS.
Success of Small Farms
The remarkable success OF these one
acre farms has not been due 10 any dis
tinctive quality Of the land The soil
is fertile bat not extraordinarily so IL
Is, apparently, about the same as that
of Northern New Jersey or Long Isl.
and. The real secret of these small
farmers success has beer irrigation
and a high degree Of fertilization. Ton
after ton of fertilizer has been dumped
iron thei- acres, while water sprayed
from irrigation pipes above has pre-
vented the heavy layers Of fertilizer
from burning up" the soil. The result
mas been bumper crops, that have more
than doubled the output OF similar I'M
irrigated land.
The principle upon which the anna
teur farmers Of Bridgeton have worked
has been 70 make two things grow
where but one grew before. Instead OF
setting onions in rows two and half
feet apart and cultivating them with
horse. they make their rows but ten
inches apart. with only three inches be-
tween the individual plants IN the row
Then they cultivate b. hand. This
with irrigation. results in an increase
of more than 100 per cent IN the yield
per acre. The same general principle
Of cultivation is applied TO other prod
ucts.
This il system. the Bridgeton far
mers declare, which may be applied
successfully to small tracts anywhere
even in New York City. II Is, they say.
the ideal way OF cultivating bits OF
ground IN congested centres OF popu-
latlon.
Lesson for Entire Nation
The government Of the United States
could do nothing more effective toward
agricultural preparedness than 10 take
immediate steps to develop throughout
the country the cultivation OF small
plots on a scientific basis. as We have
been doing il here" declared John ;.
Ware, secretary and treasurer OF the
Cumberland Trust Company Of Bridge
ION and pionecr OF the one-acre farm
movement there. There are thousands
Of men and youths throughout the
countrv and the women could help
lot. too-who would be glad TO take up
the work Of cultivating one-acre plots
under irrigation, If they knew just how
to 20 about H.
government merely issue statements
advising such work ] believe the De
partment Of Agriculture should send
out hundreds of demonstrators 70 va
rious parts of the country, TO help new
amateur truck farmers 20 get started
One Of these demonstrators could cover
considerable territory whole county,
for instance supervise the scien,
+ifc development OF scores OF small
truck gardens.
an case Of war such a system would
be Of inestimable value. IL would solVe
the food problem that will otherwise
nrove a serious menace. A great war
would drain the country OF Us man
hood, but under proper supervision the
work OF cultivating these small truck
farms could be carried on by youths
ara women. Even in normal times we
mall amateur farmers here in Bridge
ron use schoolboys, and sometimes
women. 70 help in our planting ana
harvesting. The Bridgeton schools close
AT o'clock during our busy seasons 70
let the pupils work in the fields:
ct is Just as important Tor the
United states 70 have a great army OF
trained agriculturists as u IS 70 nave
an army trained in the handling OF
Guns and swords. And when the army
az agriculturists can be composed
largely Of persons unified for active
military service its value n time OF
war is immeasurzbly enhanced.
Agricultural Preparedness Plan
aWs believe that here in Bridgeton
We have formed the nucleus OF suen
An army. which the government might
we'll take as the starting point Of its
campaign for agricultural prepared
ness"
They do not theoriEe in Cumberlan
County. They take you out and snow
you. They point 10 such concrete faets
as this; One man, cultivating one
acre OF ground in the heart Of city
49, -..-.. rInnrna net rrnnt