The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-01
FUN AND PROFIT IN
VACANT LOT GARDEN
City Farmers on Lexington
Avenue Get Coed Crop
Despite Sparrows.
BIRDS MOCK sCARECROW
Mrs. Rodemann, Originator of
Scheme, Enthusiastic
Over Work.

all. nesting down among the apartment
houses In Lexington avenue at Ninetleth
street wherein vegetables are raised and
the garden is much the same as other
gardens, except that the sparrows have
built nests in the scarecrow.
Tho pa~ky little tribe has been a
constant annoyance TO a dozen men and
women who are cultivating 20x3o
plot each on a half acre corner of, the
Rhinelander estate. But for the spar
rows Unsuitable appetite for green's and
seeds a much greater quantity of gar
len truck would have been gathered by
Ire gardeners for their summer table
cad fall canning, It was said by enc
of the gardeners, Mrs. August II. Rode
mann, 162 East Ninety-flrst street, yes
terday
But 1t is not only for vegetables the
gardeners garden; It Is also for the health
to be derived from the open air exer-
else, and some of the parents are teach
ing their children to observe the seeds
from termination to fruition.
The garden with its well ordered rows
is a medley of green against the gray
stones and red brick of the neighbor-
hood, a refreshing spot above the roar
ing subway where trains are dashing
by on the double deck tracks every
minute or so. And here early In the
morning and late at night-for the gar
deners are all employed during the day
or night in other ways--one may see
men and women and children spading
and hoeing and training vines upon
sticks.
Among the gardeners there Is a chauf-
feur, a janitor, a night Waterman, a
school teacher, a bookkeeper, a stenog-
rapher, a musician, brewery wagon
driver and ap official of the Street
Cleaning Department. The night watch
man leaves his place at daylight and
repairs to his garden plot. Others. too.
who live close by, often come for an
hours work before going to their regu-
lar duties in the morning. The others
manage to snatch few minutes before
dinner in the evening to work In their
plots and often return after the meal
and work then. Some have worked by
moonlight and some have even worked
by the DINNER street light sputtering
on the corner. Most Of these gardeners
have worked 30 constantly that they
know their gardens so well they could
work In the dark and never snip a vine
or injure a rooted thing.
Reduces Living Cost.
And this work has resulted in mate
rally reducing the high cost of living
about IS per gardener thus far this
summer. to say nothing of the vegetables
that have been canned against the win
ter. Garden truck that has been served
on the table II bought from the most
reasonably pricing green grocer would
have cost a little more than this. the
gardeners figured. This estimate was
reached after all expenses. such as the
money paid for tools, a spade, shovel.
hoe, rake. fork. trowel and chemical
spray, had been deducted from the mar
ket value OF the vegetables. The saving
was about uniform. And this in spite
of an extremely dry season at the start
and the extremely wet one that has pre-
vailed for the last forty days.
Mrs. Rodemann, whose husband. a
flute player in the Damrosch Symphony
Orchestra, is the local supervisor of the
garden, and whose son, Helmar. is the
head chemist, said yesterday that she
had got the best stringless beans she had
ever eaten out of their garden.
All Of her family, including her daugb-
ter Miss Henrietta, have worked In the
garden. They have derived much pleas
ure and been materially benefited in
health by the work, Mrs. Rodemann said.
| In fact, she said, 1t was to get her chill
dren and her husband as well as herself
| into the open air that she started the
| idea of a neighborhood garden. 1t be-
came popular Immediately and now there
| is a waiting list Other vacant lots in
| the neighborhood can be used next year.
she said, for there are many others who
wish TO garden too. Mrs. Rodemann
and all the rest Of the gardeners wish to
acknowledge the kindness OF the Rhine
! lander estate In giving them the plot
| and having II ploughed for them at the
| beginning of the season.
BESIDE the beans we have raised yell
low bantam corn, kohlrabi, Swiss chard
| spinach. red and green cabbage. red
| beets, carrots, peas and lettuce, radishes
| Brussels sprouts. soup celery, parsley
and turnips," Mrs. Rodemann said. I'VE
| tried to raise potatoes and peppers, but
| the sparrows picked off the petals of the
| peppers as soon as they blossomed and
began TO go into seed; the soil is moi
| Just right for Irish potatoes. so they
won't grow IN II. Helmar explained
that the ground is sour. with too much
acid In It. so they intend to sprinkle lime
on 1t this fall and 'sweeten' II.
Birds Like scarecrow.
| THE rain ruined our tomatoes, but
we expect TO keep on gardening, for we
have had such success with other things
maybe we'll have better luck. and
weather, next season. II the sparrow
would lust let our gardens alone we
could raise much more and an ever
greater variety, But they won't The
scarecrow," she laughed, has furnished
them place to build their nests"
''Yes, and they roost in II. too, moth,
err" Helmar interrupted. Investigation
revealed a nest In the left coat pocket
and the old felt haiti must be old and
disreputable or some one would clint
the fence and exchange-proveS an ad
mirable shelter for the birds roosting or
the cross arm serving for the shoulders
The pants are gone, owing to their hav
ing been good ones. Screens and wir,
have been stretched over the growing
things. but nothing seems TO keep thu
sparrows from eating the tender leaves
the gardeners say.
I've canned eight quarts OF tn,
stringless beans" Mrs. Rodemann re
sumed, land whole lot of kohlrabi, anC
three quarts of Swiss chard, vegetable
similar to spinach. 1t Is = splendiC
garden plant; one can pick II every twt
weeks. As you see II grows back rapid.
vegetables. We feel more than repai,
for our trouble, which has really been
pleasure; my children are learning gar
dening and are interested In seelni
things grow, a healthy interest, and be
sides, they are in the open, which alon
10 good for them.
"And all of this, mind you, in add
ton to our summer vegetables with SOM
mt I'm against the coming OF the winter