Evening star., 1936-03-21
By Gene A. Day.

N
for 10000 Washingtonians, who
delight in growing delectable
~ vegetables for their home tables
in their own backyard, or on special
tracts of land provided by Uncle Sam
for the historic club gardens OF the
District, which have persisted sue
cessfully since the chaotic emergency
days of the World War.
Ever since Jack Frost, natures in
imitable strong-man and despoller,
packed his portmanteau and departed
this latitude for regions of frigidity.
the crunch Of spade and hoe, attack
ing mellow and fertile soil, has sig
nailed the advent of the 1895 garden
ing campaign. close to where the Po-
tomac flows toward tidewater. Gov
ernment clerks as well as their supe-
riors, Army and naval officers, profess
sional men and business men, and
even a scant smattering of Congress
men have complained Of backaches,
blistered hands and tired muscles.
after week end sessions on rear lawns
where the big battle. to SOW now In
order to reap later, is operating in
high gear.
Rightfully, the District is outstand-
ing in gardening achievements among
municipalities of its size. George
Washington, source Of this city's name.
was the New Worlds first scientific
gardener, farmer and forester. Here
is seated the headquarters Of the
United States Department of Agricul-
ture, than which there is no better
farming and gardening research estao-
lishment around the world.
The profuse display Of garden seeds
in retail stores from Rockville to Ana
costa, from Hyattsville to Cabin John.
proves that our modern city folks and
suburbanites are gardeners at heart
and by hand. Because stores, nova
days, do not stock goods which Will
not sell. Plows are creaking, harness
leather is straining, gardeners are per-
spring; that miracle Of nature which
metamorphoses tiny seeds into big
beets, radishes, punches OF spinach
and carrots is of from scratch to an
other start.
MR.. w. r. BEATTIE, foster father
A'A of club gardening in the Dis
trict, and kindly regarded by all who
know him, has busy season ahead.
Even though you do not know Mr.
Beattie personally, you surely will rec
ognize his voice, for he is the garden
ing expert Of the Bureau Of Plant In
dustry, whose practical suggestions
have been brought so regularly to
your home by radio on the wings OF
the ether. He has long served as the
efficient coach, tutor, teacher and
leader of Uncle Sans local club gar
dening activities. Indications point to
the cultivation of some 900 club gar
dens this Spring, under his supervi-
sion, while there will be at least 5000
home gardens Of the backyard variety
in action. Mr.. Beattie officiates az
adviser and counselor for any and all
Of those amateur green vegetable
growers, who request his aid.
DR.. L. H. Flint Of the Bureau OF
Plant Industry-B. P. I. as it is called
in Federal farming circles-is an eff1-
cient gardening compatriot OF Mr..
Beattie's, but one who is not so IA
miliarly known among Washington
gardeners. Yet he Is q specialist
whom they should meet, If possible.
because DR.. Flint is the scientific chap
who has put the short cut into green
produce growing here abouts. In for
NAL language, he is best described as
the paper mulch expert Of the United
States Department of Agriculture.
Paper-mulch gardening in the Dis
trict is synonymous with less labor,
fewer backaches, but better and ear
lier crops. It Is the latest edition OF
paper magic at its best. And even
though you are not a practical gar
dener it is something worth reading
about during this era, when techni-
cal agriculture has come into its heri-
tage and is more popular than ever
before in history. That is your writer's
best alibi for this feature piece.
Despite that science says artificial
rain making is impossible, both anna
teur and professional gardeners now
have a simple hatchery Of synthetic
weather at their disposal which in
sures rapid growth and practically
guaranteed vegetable crops. Grow
ers from here to Nyasaland can now
have close-to-record vegetable patch
es with minimum labor outlay and
without special regard to wind or
weather, drought or blistering sun
shine.
This new and reliable source OF
soil moisture storage, favorable tenn
peratures, insulation against heat and