The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1933-04-06


work, ambition, social life and self
respect.
But aside from colonization schemes
there is still another and more practi-
cal angle to the situation. Last sum-
mer more than thirty States in the
Union carried out agriculture pro-
grams of subsistence gardening, de-
signed to help the unemployed feed
themselves. In West Virginia, for in
stance, an extension service of the
state Department of Agriculture dis
tributed several hundred thousand
pieces of special literature on garden
ing and food preservation. Articles on
raising and saving food were printed
in daily and weekly newspapers Of the
State. Hundreds of meetings were
held where, by charts and lantern
slides, thousands of persons were
shown how to combat bean beetle,
and taught many other facts helpful
to them in raising something to eat
and saving a portion of what they
raised.
Working in close cooperation with
other agencies and organizations, six
men and three women extension work.
ers are now devoting practically all of
their time to preparing for future SUBJ
sistence gardening and food preser-
walton programs in West Virginia.
Typical of the specific results OBJ
tanned by these united efforts in in
dustrial counties of the State during
the past summer are the following:
Fayette county has 5000 gardens
with industrial concerns. Their val
ues ran from S. to 5000, with $35 as
an average. In this county fifteen
hundred unemployed workers were
furnished seed and in some cases po-
tatoes for their gardens. These 5000
gardens produced crops with total
value of $37,500, and in addition to
feeding their owners during the sum-
mer gave enough surplus to allow
them to can and store 10000 quarts
of fruits and vegetables; 5000 glasses
of jellies; 5000 quarts of sauerkraut;
1,5O0 quarts of picked beans; 1900
bushels of beans; 5000 bushels of po-
tatoes; $4,000 pounds of cabbage and
500 quarts of carrots, it all having
total value of $1,000.
In Monongalia County twenty-five
garden clubs in mining communities
now represent family membership of
1000. Last summer help was given in
this county in securing land for $500
gardens, as we'll as 1,400 seed pack
ages, thousands of tomato and cab
bage plants, ten tons of fertilizer, over
$500 pounds of spray material and
thirty-one pressure sprayers.
These two counties, one in the nor
thern and the other in the southern
part of West Virginia, are typical of
the work being carried on in each one
of the ffty-fve counties in the State.
Not only does the value of foodstuffs
raised and saved by these garden
clubs run into thousands of dollars,
but the participation by men and wo-
men in the activities of the clubs has
been an important factor in keeping
up their morale during the period of
unemployment, State extension work.
ers say.
"Raise Something, Save Something,
Give Something" is the slogan of this
new agriculture campaign in West
Virginia. Community surveys have
shown that about half of the
$4,000 farmers in the State have been
accustomed to wages from public
works or other jobs off the farm. 1t
is safe to assume that to the families
with reduced incomes, the increased
gardening and preserving will make a
great difference in their living. If this
increase is even so small at $40 per
rural family it is estimated that the
campaign has already meant $4,000
worth of foodstuffs to the farmers of
West Virginia.
"Give Something" was added to the
slogan of "Raise Something, Save
Something" when it was found that
there was a surplus in some sections
of the State and shortage in others.
For instance, 1000 Marion county
farmers who raised more products
than they could sell or preserve for
the winter have been dividing with
less fortunate folks. This is not only
true of garden products, but also Of
meat, milk, eggs, etc. Many West
Virginia farmers have given city rela-
tives and industrial workers land and,
in some cases, buildings to live in.
AS an example of what can be done
with a small piece of land when neces-
sity demands it, the following is of
interest: On Mill creek, in Randolph
county, Ralph Russell succeeded in
orro1u;np 621 hushe1s of notatoeS on