Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-13
DEFENSE COUNCIL OPENS
GARDENING CAMPAIGN
Shows How High Cost of Living Can
BE Handed Solar-PlcXus
IS Blow.
KEEP CHICKENS AND COWS
Bulletins on Winter Gardening Show
What Can Be Done, Even at This
Season of the Year, While Look
ing Forward to Spring Planting.

ing Forward to Spring Planting.
The State Council OF Defense Will
shortly send a circular letter to manu-
lecturers and other employers OF labor
in Virginia calling their attention TO
some results achieved by mill owners
in North and South Carolina in the
way OF reducing the cost OF living TO
their employees through tho develop
ment of home and back yard gardens
This sounds like proper spring or
summer story. but. according TO sta
iistics au;horitativcly collected by the
Office OF farm management OF the
United States Department OF hgricu!-
ture just received by the Virginia
council. winter gardens are helpful too
especially il. in connection with the
garden. u COW and some chickens are
kept.
The councils letter will emphasize
The following i'll addition to other
facts:
The gardens arc small in size. aver
aging about onc-fourth of an acre. but
they supply the family with vegetables
for six months in the year. and longer
in the case of winter gardens. In one
town onc-third OF tho gardens aver
aged saS worth of vegetables per gar
den-at 1915 local prices. Tho good
gardens were only ouc-tcnth of an
acre larger. and cost only 81 more TO
cultivate than the poor gardens. Care
full planning and attention brought the
best results. These gardens were for
home consumption principally, al
though the vegetables sold readily when
placed on the local market.
Livery family with even very
small yard can do as we'll as these cot
ton mill families have done in back
ward food production. Few homes arc
found where the conditions and oppor-
tuniticS arc not as favorable. and very
often they arc better,
HOME GARDENS nErrER
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
In the cotton mill towns where
these Investigations were conducted
occupied at low rent by those who work
in the factories. Each house has q
small patch of land for n front yard
and tiny tract III the rear. AS these
industrial sections grew. it became
apparent that home gardens would bet
Ter the economic conditions OF the com
munity. Accordingly, some mills ON
Sloyed demonstration agents and con-
Quoted experiment farms to encourage
their employees to have home gardens
Tho space around each cottage was
provided primarily for gardening pur-
poses, and in addition, some employers
set aside pasture Immediately adj
joining the mill village for free pas
turing OF the employees COWS An
other mill owner gave the services
OF pure bred bull TO his employees
who owned their cows. In another VIII
laGe tho mill owners offered prizes for
tho best garden.
I'm nine different mill villages In
North aud South Carolina. records were
taken of 54S gardens. lGj poultry nochs
scvcnty-four COWS and siXty-two hogs
instances OF poor management as we'll
rs of good wcrc Included in these
cases. and the result is considered a
fhir average. The average value of
Vegetables raised in the gardens was
S2:.S1. Prices, OF course, would be
: higher at the present time. The aver
aSc size OF tho gardens was one fourth
OF an acre. The average caSh cos, pcr
garden was $3.5i. OF which Sl5l was
FOR labor. Sl.1l for seed and 81 cents
for fertilizer. The labor expended was
limited practically to tho cost of hav-
ing the garden plowcd and furrowcd.
CAREFUL PLANNING:
ron LiAITED AREA
OF l4i families who had Garden.
ranging between 500 and 400 SQUARE
yards in size thirty-nyc produced on
AN average nearly $50 worth OF vccc-
tables considerably moro than they
paid for rent per year. It was found
that the best success on q limited area
involved careful planning. so as to
raNe as much space as possible for
each .ctGss of Vegetables. The proper
succession y. of .HGgctabics must he
known; - l;'se vegetables may be
planted between rows Of carly vcse-
fables allowing the late Vegetables ia
grow while the early ones arc ma,ur.
ing. Individual attention and knov.l.
edge OF gardening arc essential TO
success.
Bulletins giving tho necessary de.
tailed gardening information may bo
secured from tho United states pcpart
mcnt OF Agriculture, or from state cx
pertinent stations.
One OF the best winter garden crops
found in these communities wv, col
iards. a variety OF kule. These wcrc
grown on about one-fourth Of tho gar
dcns Visited in tho cotton mill towns
Turnips. sown after the other ycce
tables arc removed, were also grown
Tor winter greens.
Little fruit was raised in these com
niunitics This is explained largely nv
NC continual changing OF tenants.
nc person who has doubts Of remain.
ing on Il place for moro than Il wear or
so VIII not set out and attend To fyuit
which will not Yield for four or five
years. and the benefits OF which vii.
go 10 some one else. This condition
presents an opportunity for mill own
crs TO initiate a plan for the planting
oil iru<t trees in the factory Villages
ADVANTAGES or KE,:rING
FLOCK OF POULTRY
II wss found that large number
OF families in these towns keen small
hooks OF poultry, usually OF mix.d
breeds. and with poultry houses az a
temporary ana Inexpensive ,ypc .rho
average size OF the focks WAS between
thirteen and fourteen fowls. with an
average egg Weld OF Cirnt\.-ei, ,I,..,.,
Tho total average expenditures no.,
hock Tor eggs, fowls. wire and f.cJ
was CS.:2. and the average return
was f30.i2 per nock. or a ne. ayerapr
O! about 81 per fowl. Labor cost ana
interest ON investment IS not charged
against the hock IN these figures. The
labor was performed by The family
and the interest on the investment was
negative.
- LIN mnsl re 80 H. LII ---.