South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1918-05-03
Railroad Garden,
BY WOODS HUTCHINSON, NJ. D.

The prophecy of Scripture is to
be fulfilled this summer and the
desert will rejoice and blossom as
the rose" If the plans of the hotel
dining car and railway division of
the food administration do not miss
hre. The particular patch of desert
| is the waste strips along the sides or
the railroad tracks across the con-
tinent and the blossomipg is 10 be
not with literal roses but with luXur-
liant borders OF Early Rose and
Peach Blow potatoes.
Some thirty. at least, of the great
trunk lines. viii run their trains
along the cinder and stone paved
paths OF fourishing vegeta bic gar
dens this season and their example
seems likely TO be highly contag-
ious and spread widely throughout
the network of traffic arteries all
over the country.
Not that these attractive soft
green ribbon strips stretching along
side OF the trains will add hugely
10 the actual acreage of the whole
country under civilization, although
some OF the wider rights of way
i'm fertile regions run up into several
acreage plots per mile-post. But
that every peck OF potatoes. every
head OF cabbage grown represents
many more individuals and families
in the actual increase of foOd-pro-
duction and means hours of health
full exercise in the open air for some
one. While the green streams of
gardens gliding past is TO daily mil
lions OF travellers not only a rest
and pleasure TO the eye but d vivid
and appealing reminder of the- ur-
gent need of saving both food and
transportation by increasing the
amount grown r. .. r. Gree on
bOard) the back door as our now
most famous railroad man puts It.
But even though the acreage be
small. the actual amount Of extra
food is by no means trifiins. when il
goes straight into the cellars or or
to the plates of working families.
One railroad alone last year for
instance, the Buffalo, Rochester a.
Pittsburgh, by giving free use Of un-
used strips and pieces OF ground
ABOUT its tracks and properties,
created" fifteen hundred gardens
with a harvest of $4,000 bushels OF
potatoes and other vegetables TO a
value OF over $4,000.
Another company, the well-known
%" CChicago, Burlington x Quincy
carried the war food idea still fur
Their By appointing a special agricul-
turaIist. with stan of experts to
advise and assist i'm every way not
merely it's employees but also the
farmers along its lines. Suitable
crops were suggested for each spe-
ciaI kind of land, particularly
stretches believed 10 be barren and
worthless. and one catch crop for
dry. waste lands, advised by them,
the pinto bean. scored such a sue
cess that nearly 5000 carloads Of
il were harvested last season. And
the valuable yield came from dry.
barren grazing lands considered al
most valuelesS.
Both these roads and others which
took no the work encouraged and
assisted their employees in every
way. supplying free seeds and expert
advice and providing sprays feru-
Iizers. tools. etc. either free or at
lowest wholesale cost price. Ar
rangements are also made 10 secure
tractors which go round the differ
ent neighborhoOds in succession and
10 all the blowing and narrowing re-
ouired for gardens in each locality
AT one sweep or visit as nearly as
possible,
These railroad gardens are not
wholly a new movement but spe-
ciaI war-emergency development
and speeding up OF a process which
has been going on for some time.
Certain OF the western roads have
for years past been Offering special
Inducements TO both their employees
for gardens on the right of way and
20 farmers 70 cultivate more care
fully and intensively the lands own
ed by the railroad company lying
along either side OF their lines. Both
for the purpose of increasing pro-
ductiveness and developing the
region and also as means OF d.
minishing the risks Of fires from fly
ing sparks from the engines This
Is a serious risk along our railroads
everywhere and track gardens are a
valuable IRE guard as we'll as an in
surance policy against famine and
food shortage
Taken as a part OF the great war