Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1918-01-08
Benefits Obtained Through Their
Cultivation in Communities IN "a,
rious Paris Of lie Country

! Gil Of Defense Will shorty send q
circular letter to manufacturers AMI
other employers Of labor in Virginia
calling their attention TO some Tc-
suits achieved by mill owners N
North and South Carolina in the way
4 of reducing the cost Of living 10
their employees through the develop
ment of home and back yard garden".
This sounds like proper sprlnG
or sammer story, but according TO
statistics authoritatively collected nJ
the office Of Farm Management u
the United States Department OF
Agriculture, JUST received by the Hlr-
ginia Council. winter gardens are
helpful, too, especially if, in c"nne"-
ton with the garden !. COW and some
{ chickens are kept.
The Councils letter will emphasize
the following in addition TO other
facts:
The gardens are small III size,
averaging ABOUT one fourth o. an
acre, but they supply the family with
vegetables for six months in The
year, and longer in case of w!nte.
cardens. IN one town one-;hi:d Of the
gardens averaged sis worth of vege-
tables per garden. al 1919 iocai
prices. The good gardens were only
one-tenth Of an acre larger and cost
only 81 more TO cultivate than nc
poor gardens. Careful planning ana
attention brought the best rcsul-s.
These gardens were for home Coz
sumption principally, although tas
vegetables sold readily when piac2u
on the local market.
Every family with even yer?
small ward can do as we'll as these
cotton-mill families have done IN
backyard food prediction. t-w
homes are found where the conditions
and opportunities are no. As iaVos
able. and very often they are beticS'
In the cotton mill towns wiiere
these Investigations were cGndu-te>'
4bare ere rows and rows OF cottages
occupied at low rent By those w:ot
work in the fa,tories. Each nous"
has small patch of land for tront
ward and tiny tract IN the rear.
AZ these industrial sections grow !t
became apparent that home eart;;aS
wonjd better the economic conaia,iS
oT the community. Accordingly selne
Mills employed demonstratien agents
and conducted experiment farms 70
encourage .hcir employees to nave,
bc,,a rardcr% TIE space 9rc19d eacf-
cottaoc was prorideA 9r!ma'Ey fori
rardenine purposes, and IN Ad2'''''
some employers set ASIDE fass"'e
ircmediately adicininr the MIL Vlt!ages
for free pasturing of the employees
,on,c Another ri(l ornar e've the
sorv;css Of purob~ed dairy bull toi
h;s EMPLOYEES who owned their cows
Tn another vi,,age the mill owner Oh
+ored nr;zes for the best garden.
IN r:re different mill villages IN
Nor+b and South Carolina. recoEcs
warc taken OF 54s gardens, l56 poll
1ry folks. "a COWS. and 62 h0Es' an
stances Of poor management rs We.
az 0. the good were included I"
these eases, and the resait IS con-
o;a,roa :, Fair average. The average
valne az vegetables raised IN "e
Gardens was S29.s7. Prices, OF course
would be higher at the present tirne
The average si2e OF the CAREERS ""S
one.fonr,h CT an acre. The aVefas
cssh cost ncr garden was Sa.54, 0,
-.hich s1.5l WAS tor labor ana seec
and 80 so for fertilizer. Iha laoo'
expended was limited practically 20
4he cost Of having the garden plowed
and furrowed.
OF IA families who had garden
yareine between 800 and 400 square
ward, in size, SO produced on an av-
eraoe nearlv $50 waHta Of vegetables.
considerably more rna& hey paid fo~
rent per year It was s"una that the
hes. success on limited area IN
-olved careful planning 80 SIS 70 have
as mnoh space as possible for earn
c)ass Of vegetables. ThH prop2r snc-
ression Of vegetables mrst D" known
late vecatahles nav b" pi""'"d be
tween rows of ;early vegetables a
Ewing The late vegetables !" sroN
While tha earlc one are matn'ihS
Iraividnal attention and knoWt"Se
cI s-a~'I"ninr N-e essential u success
Brlletins giving the necessary oe
tailed gardening info"n'a'l'n ma
Ne secured h,c,n II. United State