The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-24
JUNIOR ARMY OF
.ACRICULTURISTS
is Modified
Principal Cortright Musters
In His Army of the Hoe
and Wheel Plow.

Bridgeport's Junior Agricultural
army is being modified. Drill has
been held on at least one plot, and
like veterans. Carrying hoes, instead
of muskets. and pushing wheel p1ows,
instead of machine guns, the boys and
girls Of the public schools of the city
were called out Monday for their first
demonstration IN school gardening.
Principal E. E. .Cortright, of Shell
ton Grammar school, who has been
placed in charge of the school garden
work of the city by the board of edu-
cation, had been assisted in his ar
rangements by three students, or
graduates of agricultural colleges.
Plots of ground had been secured as
near to each school as it was found
possible, and teams have been busily
preparing these with pillow and har-
row for the coming of the youngsters
to plant, under the direction of the
field men, OF supervisors. Twenty six
schools will each have aEplot, ranging
in size from building lot 50x100 to
three-quarters of an acre.
The work has been mapped out by
Mr.. Cortright in semi military way,
the boys and girls serving in groups
of eight each, with a leader. Instead
of marking the plots off into indi-
Idua1 gardens, and utilizing much OF
the space for paths, the plot will be
laid out into as many large divisions
as the principal of the school decided
to attempt in the line of vegetables
Each plot viii then be placed under
the charge of a group Of boys or girls
with leader, who will be held re-
sponsible for it's care. Only staple
crops will be produced-those thai
can be either harvested green, or al
| lowed to dry, but not waste. The list
includes .beets, beans, corn, carrots
turnips. tomatoes, cabbage, parsnips
and potatoes.
! One school only will try a double
cropping scheme, planting three
Guartesr of it's plot with early peas
following this crop with turnips, car.
rots and beets. This is the Pre-vo.
cational school, and will have the per
sonal charge of Mr.. Pratt and Mr.
Sullivan. The experiment will b.
watched with a great deal of inter
est
There will be practically an acre O
beans, three-quarters of an acre O.
/ beets, carrots, turnips each, while tn,
pupils will take care of an acre ant
a half of potatoes, and one-third o
an acre of corn. The gardens will &C
commodate $500 tomato plants ant
1,500 cabbage plants. The tota
amount of land under cultivation b,
the school children is about l..
acres. This is certainly some size,
!. undertaking, and an enormous con
tribucion to the food supply of tn
city.
The planting will proceed as rapid
| ly as the weather will permit. TIL
seeds have all been ordered, and man
of them are delivered. Mr.. Cortrigh
will map out a definite method O
supervision for each of the gardens
using the three agricultural men VIII
have been brought to Bridgeport b
the Fairfield County Resource com
mittee, with whom the board of edu
cation is cooperating. so that boy
and girls, after the schools close Wi
! be called out one forenoon and on
afternoon a week, at least, for tn
care of their garden. Healthful com
petition will be arranged between tn
groups of the same garden, and a rec
ord kept of the amount of productio
} for each vegetable on the total Ian
used for that vegetable in the schoc
4 gardens.