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Show J ' BACK' TO THE IAXI. f" One of the most) Interesting plans for social bot- l (,t : torment that has jboen xlevelopod in tho lust few - ' - years is Philadelphia's Association for tho Culti vation of Vacant Lots. Its object is practical and J immediate relief fiom the high cost of food pro ducts. Tho working methods of this association, as noted in the report of a committee appointed by congress to Investigate liing conditions, are as follows. Land (vacant lots) are secured from generous gen-erous owners free of cost, to bo used for gardening until wanted by them for other uses. The association associa-tion then clears tho land, plows and harrows It; divides it into plots of one-eighth and one-quarter acre in size and furnishes a sufficient quantity of seeds to Insure a good start. Tho family to whom a garden is assigned, plant, cultivate and harvest tho crops, using what they noed and selling tho L " surplus. They pay toward tho expanses of cultl- jL vation, fertilization, seeds, etc., tho sum of ono dollar the first season, two dollars tho second and J so on up to five dollars. Nothing is charged for . the uso of tho land. ' In some seasons over 400 families have boon sup- plied with fresh vegetables of their own eultlva- 1 tion, and there have been some of these one-fourth j acre gardens which produced as much as $100 worth of vogotobles during the season. y How many pooplo know that a one-eighth acre " garden, oaiofully tondod, will supply a family of seven with all tho vegetables thoy can use during ( ' a season? An article In a current magazlno states that this is, and bolsters tho assertion with figures. Tho writor of tho article boldly slates: "We suc- , ceedod In raising a bountiful supply for ourselves, , - with, plenty toft over to give to our friends and f neighbors." J$bt only a financial bonof it Js .gained frpm gor- daning, but, particularly In the case of the city "" dweller, a markedly creator degree of health. Tho outrof-doors, tho exorcise, the Interest, lune proved Invaluable. . .- TSuropo is somewhat older than our own rich, wasteful young country, jind can teach us many things In intensive cultivation .of the land that will bo profitable. Some of tho most productive gai-dens gai-dens in the world aro In tho city of Paris, cultivated culti-vated on small lots that in America are generally given over to rubbish "tho careless culture of tho ripe tomato can." By skillful fertilization and ad-anced ad-anced gardening mothods those city lots are made to produce quite astonishing quantities of vegetables. vege-tables. This plan of vacant lot cultivation has proved so altogether good that other cities have taken It up. .Pittsburg made its initial effort in this direction direc-tion year beforo last with encouraging results, and the next year greatly improved on its beginning. .The Oakland board of trade was tho pioneer organization organ-ization promoting tho gardening idea, and a widening widen-ing Interest in tho scheme is being evinced. |