The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1943-07-08
Man With Hoe
Is In the Spotlight
Victory Gardeners BY Thous-
ands Already Have Reaped
One Cr0p-Blisters

man with the hoe is busy everywhere
throughout the land-planting a vic
tory garden to help solve the food
problem.
Where there were thousands Of
home gardens in peacelime, there
will be hundreds of thousands this
year, and already the advance Of the
garden battalion has resulted in reg
ular runs on stores selling seeds,
spades, spading forks. rakes, hoes,
rolling cultivators and pressure spray
era-as we'll as supplies for preserv-
ing,
From Maine to California, from
the Pacific Northwest to Florida, the
soil Of back yards and vacant lots is
being turned to the sun, in many
cases by folks who up to this time
couldn't tell a grubbng hoe from a
troWel.
Plenty of Points
Every spadeful is ration
point" is the battle hymn Of many,
and even the people who were old
hands at plotting pretty flower gar
dens and dsdaining the sweet pea
for spinach, the rhododendron for the
radish. the tulip for the turnip.
Professional men whose major ex-
ercise up to now has been running
for the $40 out of Merryvale Heights,
are getting their manicured hands
toughened by spading up the land
where once the croquet wickets re-
posed.
Apartment house dwellers in urban
communities, lacking garden lands in
their own neighborhoods, are travel
ing back to the soil, toby bus, after
supper.
Encouragement Plentiful
Victory gardeners are getting en-
cou agement from Federal, State and
civic governments, schools and uni
versities, chambers Of commerce, gar
den clubs, State oranges, business
firms and newspapers.
Food and agricultural experts ev-
erywhere declare the amateur efforts
will give food production tremen-
dous boost But they caution against
wasting seed and tools and letting
April's ardor cool in weedy, buggy
July.
The Department Of Agriculture has
fairly blanlleted the land with three
and half million gardening pamph
lets. Colleges and universities have
been delegating experts on soil prep
aration to speak at community gar
den meetings. These sessions, held in
schoclhouses or town meeting places
at night bid fair to offer heavy COM
petition to contract bridge sessions in
the family circle.
Working with spades has become
more important than bidding in them.
Public Land Made Available
In Columbia, S. c., Philadelphia,
Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and St. Paul,
to mention only few, public land is
being made available for community
gardens. and the New York State
Legislature has passed d measure
which would permit citizens to scratch
around in the municipal top soil.
Several acres of cabbages and pota-
toes have been planted on property Of
the city dump in Columbia, and the
crop is to help feed municipal pris-
oners.
Hoe-wielders in Washington, D. c.,
even have their eyes on the famous
mall, but official protectors of the
greensward maintain at would take
an act of Congress-" However, Boy
Scouts are now pulling weeds in thn-
ty-five acres of Anacostia Park that
have been allotted.
Municipalities Help
In Chicago, the park district is
ready to pillow vacant areas for gard
eners; city tractors and city help are
being used in Elizabeth City, N. c.,
to speed things along; and in the
State Of Washington, some county
lots are being leased for 81 a year,
while the city of Spokane is offering
S. worth of free water above the
amount used last year.
Some factories in New Jersey have
provided land for their workers to
plant gardens. Several mid-Western
railroads have offered their employees
use of the idle lands along rights-of-
way. In Phoenix, Ariz., large de-
partment store has a twenty-one-acre
project for its help so that they can
rush from the ready-to-wear depart
ment and the necktie counter to tend
cows, chickens and rabbits.
Golf Course Used
Golfers on a course near Charles
ton, w. Va, will hereafter have to
correct their slices and hooks-be-
cause vegetables have been planted in
three and half acres of the course.
In Arlington, Va, one group of
neighbors has Clipped in on COM
munity fencing job to keep the dogs
out Of the onion rows, once they're
underway.
Grocers of Lexington, KY, got a
local ordinance passed enabling them
to close their shops on Wednesdays