Evening star., 1943-06-04
Prizes Spur Oxon Run Victory Gardeners

Members of the Oxon Run Victory
Garden Club-100 gardens in ALL
are chopping weeds with renewed
Wgor in their community garden on
the Southeast border of the District
in hopes of winning some of the
1000 divided into 100 or more prizes
of War bonds and stamps offered by
The Evening Star and other donors
for the best Victory gardens in the
Metropolitan Area.
The Oxon Run gardens, in the rich
bottom land of a little Maryland
stream that winds briefly within the
District line on it's way to the Poto-
mac, are some Of the most advanced
in the city. Potato plants are in
blossom and are knee high. Gar
deners have been eating peas for
several days and are preparing to
pull up their first peas and replant.
However, their advanced start
gives them no advantage over other
entries in the contest, as gardens
will be judged on appearance, va.
riety, cultural practices and pest
control, rather than on volume OF
production during the season.
Owner Donates Land.
The Oxon Run gardens were start
ed when William M. Carrigan, 4814
Middlesex lane, Bethesda, owner of
the property, responded to The Stars
appeal for land for Victory gardens.
He offered this truck garden prop
erty, asking that experienced gar
deners be assigned to it as it was
capable of producing much food.
Frederick I. Bartlett, dentist at
1908 Good Hope road Sc, was ap-
pointed garden leader for the prof.
ect in March. He organized walk
ing groups to inspect the land on
Sunday mornings and divide it into
plots.
Today the little valley is horn
of plenty. 1t makes a surprising
picture, for it is hard to believe that
this bit of rural scenery is within
the city's limits
1t lies east Of Alabama avenue
and beyond a dense copse of woods.
One has to walk through narrow
path between the trees to reach it.
Then the valley opens up, check
erboard of varying shades of green,
dark potato plants and light corn
and peas. Nothing spoils the rural
horizon beyond. A farmhouse and
barn on the hill ahead are the
only buildings in sight.
JnSnection PARTY Calls.
M. P. Flagg, a telegrapher for
the Federal Reserve Board, who is
vice president and treasurer of the
club and who lives at 11l7 Oates
street NE, stopped his hoeing to
greet an inspection party COM
prised of j. Morton Franklin, Dis
trict Victory Garden supervisor, Mrs.
Frederick Brooke, treasurer of the
Victory Garden Committee. and The
Star reporter. He was joined by
Sergt. j. w. Powder, U. S. A., large
and muscular, who left a hand cul-
tivator which he had been pushing
along as if horse ahead were help
ing.
Sergt. Powder drives the car of
Gen. George c. Marshall, Chief of
Staff. The sergeant is a neighbor
of Mr.. Flagg.
Mr.. Flagg's mother was busy pulling
weeds, as was Sergt. Powders wife.
Don D. Cole, Navy Yard machinist,
was busy spraying beans and pota-
toes. Sent out of the city on three
week trip recently. he regretted the
assignment-bugs had eaten his
bean plants. He lives at 28l1 Knox
Terrace S. E.
Charles H. Tohla of the United
States Marine Band and his young
wife (they live at 2l08 Thirty y-second
street S.E) were busy trimming
their garden. We're after one of
those prizes," she said. A score of
other gardeners arrived later and
soon the valley was a scene of agri-
cultural industry.
Mr.. Franklin explained that 1t
would be we'll to replant beans whose
strength had been sapped by corn
maggots at the seed, a common
trouble this past cold spring, or
any crop damaged by insects, in
getting a garden ready for inspec-
ton by the prize jury.
The prizes offered are $100 War
bond for the best garden in the Met
ropolitan Area, donated by the
Washington Gas Light Co., eight
district prizes for the four sections
of the city and four suburban dis
tricts of $25 War bond donated
by The Evening Star; second prizes
of $40 in stamps for the eight dis
tricts given by the American Asso-
ciation of Nurserymen as part of its
donation; defense area prizes of $40
and IS in stamps largely donated
by the RKO Keith Theater, 20 best
vegetable prizes of IS each donated
by the Times-Herald and canning
prizes of $25, $40 and IS.
Any one can enter Victory gar
den in Washington or the sur
rounding counties. All you have to
do is to fill out the coupon on this
page. Mail it to the Garden Editor
of The Star and your garden will
be entered. You will have several
weeks to improve your garden for