The record., 1917-11-22
''BACK TO SOIL"
IN KANSAS CITY
Vacant Lot Gardening Plan
Meets With F0ady Response,
SCOPE OF the CAMPAIGN

It Is Expected That the Propaganda
Will Result In Placing More Than a
Thousand Familieo on Carbon Plots
Before thc Planting Season Is over
Owners Coasto Land.
That ogre. hi:,h cost CT living, is due
for Il terrific jet if tie present plans
of the real estate board OF Kansas City
Mo-, in the vacant let gardening cam
paign are carried through to compile
tion. says Ward c. Clifford in the Towl
Development Magazine.
There is every reason to Lclieve that
this propaganda, which now has the
greatest premise Of success, VIII result
in placing more than 1000 families ca
garden plots Eefore the planting sea-
son is over Already more than 200
have been assigned to vacant property.
aud the coed work is going On.
With the help Of the newspapers Il
degree of enthusiasm has been aroused
that is bringing out tie gardeners il
great numbers and also has aroused
property owners to the real merit OF
the propaganda which has resulted III
generous donations of land for garden
ing purposes.
Land which heretofore has been tn2
repository for cans, trash and ashnz
CIR has been permitted to grow up il
weeds this year has been turned TN
Ger the plSWr and q little later vii:
shoot forth the first Indications of VIA.
Ii is Hoped viii be Il bountifUl harvest.
The thing that has made the campaign
this year genuine success is the iD-
iluence of strong civic organization
behind the movement to back up the
demand Of the gardeners for the use
of the vacant property. And with all
the success the plan is not nearly SO
'nIprchcnsive- as one that can lie
worked out for future years. Such
gampaiGn E@S great possibilities.
Not only has the real estate board
been brought fayorably before the pub.
re. but the fanla of the camnaicn
mas spread 30 other cities and has been
chronicled in out of town papers. Mo-
ton pictures have been taken OF the
starting Of the work and will be taken
later on rs the gardens develop.
Ehe T,al estate board in this cam
paign took entirely upon its own shouf
ders the burden OF acting as a clearing
house for Tie gardeners and the prop
erty owners. 1t was the mission ct
the board TO put these two i'll COM
munication with each other with the
ultimate object of placing the gardener
On the vacant lot.
The present high cost Of living. OF
course, helped to bring out the gar
deners. 1t is one of the things that
have given added incentive to success
ful gardening. and many offered to pay
rent for the lots, but il no case would
the board handle lots on this basis.
\ call fC" donations OF property IL
be used for gardening purposes was is
sued through the press and circular
letter sent 10 each mGmber of the reaI
estate board. This request brought g
surprisingly prompt and bountiful re-
sponsc Vacant lots in all parts Of tit
city were listed, and the only require
ments made by the property owners
was that il case Of sale or improve
ment of the property the garden2n-
privilege might be revoked.
Tie real estate board committee i;
charge of TIE propaganda made a gen
cral rule in connection with all lots do
mated for gardening purposes that a
least one line Of flowers should Dt
planted alcuG the lot line fronting tht
street. This regulation applied to al
lots except boulevard llots where !
was required that ten feet of blue gras
must be cultivated from the propert!
line back. st the point where th
blue grass ends the customary row o
flowers Wa, required.
Il is easy TO see what a large scop
the campaign is taking. The actua
assignment being made by the rca
estate board represent only smal
per cent o. the real gardening tha
is being stimulated by the propa
ganda. Back yards liz all parts Q
the city suddenly are being cleane
~. Many persons have obtained pr
TatcIy fbe privilege to garden yacaD
lots and ha:a started work on then
and of huI:dreds Of these the boar
las 10 recO"I because the assignment
were not cleared through the boar
Office, altlp,gh the garden was stin
ulated by ,na publicity attending IL
real estate boards work.