Newspaper Articles

“Women Workers Outnumber Men — Raise Vegetables While Husbands Work Elsewhere

More Gardeners Than Land — Brotherhood Vacant Lot Association Hasn’t Enough Ground to Supply the Demand — Interesting Phases of Scheme

On a tract of land of some eight acres at Emerson and Curlew streets, where scenes of rural life would hardly be expected, people are working like farmers in the early morning before the shops and factories are opened, and later, in the cool of the day, when the places of commercial industry are closed.

This is one of the places worked by the Brotherhood Vacant Lot Gardening Association. For about two weeks, the plow has been going over the ground, drawn by four strong horses. Paul B. Crapsey, the superintendent, has been on hand at 5 o’clock in the morning, driving the plow, with the help of two paid men who understand farming.

This work is the same as that conducted last year on the land about the old State Industrial School.  Mathias Kondolf has given use of this land to the association and John W. Strand has furnished a plot that will provide about twenty gardens, fronting on Lyell avenue.  With those two tracts and another off Portland avenue, the association estimates that it will have enough land for some 150 gardens, and yet the association cannot meet the applications.  Already 200 have applied for plots.

It is generally known that the plan of the Vacant Lot Gardening Association originated with Dr. Algernon S. Crapsey, leader of the Brotherhood, who, with his associates in the enterprise, believe that a sure way to help persons of small means who have families is to give them a place where they can raise much of their food.  The prosperous man who has land lying idle helps the poorer man who has none by giving the use of the land.

There is a peculiar feature in the applications for gardens this year.  Eighty per cent of those who apply are women. This is not a case of the women doing all the work and the men staying at home idle.  For a majority of instances, the husbands are employed at such low wages that they have a struggle to provide for the families. While they are employed through the day, the wife goes to the garden and there, with her children, cares for the garden.  It is a common sight to see father, mother and children all there in the evening.

The quantities raised on some of the plots last year represented a great addition to the workers’ incomes.  In come of the gardens, planted for two or three crops, as much as $600 worth of vegetables were grown. One main raised enough potatoes and other vegetables for his family’s use through the winter and sold enough to buy all the shoes and all the coal.

Referring to the great percentage of women working in the gardens, Mr. Crapsey says he believed it to be the first time in the lives of most of them that they had an opportunity to help with the family’s income and take care of their children at the same time.  They do their house work in the forenoon and go to the gardens in the afternoon. They are not worried about their children being in a busy street. The little people play together and sometimes are able to help with the gardens.

Another feature of the vacant-lot gardening scheme is its effect on the tuberculosis cases, for there are a few among the workers. On man suffering from the disease was depressed because he could not support his family.  He had to sit about his home. Since the gardens have been in operation, he goes to them works for one hour, then rests for a half hour, and works another hour. In this way he is doing something which means for for his family. And health I improving.

For the late gardens, as they are called, to be planted in June, there will be a steam plow, the Oliver plow works having offered to turn up the ground free of cost to demonstrate its machines.”

“Vacant Lot Garden Plan is Successful in Aiding City Folk

After Three Years in Rochester, N.Y., the Rev. Dr. Crapsey Sees Rich Fruition of Idea He Originated

—— LAND LOANED FREE

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The work started three years ago when tracts of land were given out to many people for cultivation by Dr. Algernon S. Crapsey, president of the Rochester Vacant Lot Association, who, with other philanthropic men of Rochester, saw a way of utilizing the waste land by a plan that would benefit many city families has proved successful.

To the city families, it means food and for little children, fresh vegetables that they could never have in any other way.  Many families raised potatoes enough for the long winter season, and one man made a neat little sum of money from a garden of cabbages.

This season found more business men interesting themselves, and at present there are over 100 men and women with flourishing gardens under cultivation, and at early sunrise may be seen men and women working, for in many cases the women have taken the tracts of land, or the wives of men who are at work all day do much of the practical gardening.

Hardly a day passes but what Dr. Crapsey or his son, Paul B. Crapsey, can be found in the gardens, always interested and active in the work.  Dr. Crapsey takes pride in pointing out the fine gardens of the Italians, which are at one end of the tract.

The women as well as the men take great pride in their vegetables and although the past few weeks there has been little rain to help things along, yet everything is green and flourishing and the land stretches away from the old stone walls which surround the deserted buildings dotted over with busy workers.

In the cool evenings many men and women and little children take pleasure in sitting under trees which surround the gardens and planning what can be done to make their little plots of land more productive.  Each tract of land is 65 by 120, so each person has room for a variety of vegetables, although many have preferred to devote the whole of the land to potatoes.”

“Eighty Families To Be Supplied — With Vegetables Grown on Vacant Lot Farms

For Winter Consumption — Fifteen Hundred Bushels of Potatoes and 5,000 Cabbages – Vacant Lot Commissions of All Cities to Meet for Organization

This year’s harvest of the farms worked under the direction of the Vacant Lot Gardening Commission is abundant, and the embryo farmers have taken during the summer plentifully of vegetables and garden stuff such as lettuce, onions and radishes.  String beans have been taken for the past two months, the pea crop is exhausted, and ripe corn has been plentiful the past month. The summer squash is flourishing, and the tomatoes and cucumbers are ripening.

But the big crop is potatoes, and while many potatoes have been taken for daily use, it is estimate by Superintendent Paul Crapsey that there will be 1,500 bushels for the farmers to store away. The potatoes will be left in the ground until they get their full growth to insure the largest possible yield.

This 1,500 bushels of potatoes has an estimated market value of $1,500.  There will be plenty of potatoes to last through the winter for the eighty farmers who have worked the ground under the commission’s direction this summer, and in addition there is about 5,000 heads of cabbage for winter use.

The Rescue Mission has operated five of the garden farms with men who have been out of work and staying at the lodging house in Front street.  The yield will give the Mission, besides potatoes for the mission restaurant during the winter, many bushels to be disposed of in its charitable work.  There will be a sizable crop of winter beans.

Profited by Experience.

This year’s crops greatly exceeded those of last year, which was the first year, the workers having profited by experience and having had, in spite of the dry weather, much more favorable weather for their crops.  Then, too, there is a better equipment for the tilling of the soil and the care of the crops. Farmer Crapsey now has in the big tool house, a dise-harrow, a spike-tooth harrow, a spring-tooth cultivator, a wheel hoe, and other implements that with care will last for years.

The purchase of those implements and the cost of the planting has been a heavy tax on the commission, and it is hoped that friends will come to the rescue with $200, which will not only see the season close free of debt, but will leave enough money to have the ground at the old Industrial School, where the larger gardens are, put in condition to yield even better results next season.

One of the interesting cases among the farmers is that of a man who, while hale and hearty enough to the eye, has passed the age in which a many may obtain profitable employment.  He has faithfully tended his garden this season, even to the point of a little amateur irrigation, and expects it to yield him vegetables to support his wife and five children during the winter.  All the farmers are well kept and give evidence of the patient care that has been bestowed upon them.

Convention in October.

So great has the interest become in various cities in the vacant-lot gardening plan, that a convention of those interested has been called to meet in Buffalo the week of October 18th.  Rochester will be prominent in the business the meeting. Philadelphia has the largest and most successful of all vacant lot farms, and Buffalo ranks second. The cities to be represented are Philadelphia, Springfield, Mass., Cleveland, Detroit, Buffalo and Rochester. New Orleans, which has no vacant-lot gardens, will be represented with the idea of establishing such gardens next season.  It is expected that national commission on vacant-lot farms will be organized.

Some of the best known of the social workers of the country will be at this gathering, among them Bolton Hall who has for years been conduction a “back to nature” crusade, with the idea of break up the slums of the large cities.  James H. Drakes, of Philadelphia, who was heard before the Brotherhood last season; Laura Dainty Pehlham, of Hull House, Chicago, and Superintendent Powell, of the Buffalo vacant lot farms.

Rochester Man’s Suggestion.

The suggestion for the meeting and the organization of a commission, came from Superintendent Paul Crapsey, of Rochester, and is the subject of considerable complimentary discussion in a recent edition of the Buffalo news.  The purpose of the meeting is to enable every person interested to profit by the experience of all the others. In this way many expensive mistakes, Mr. Crapsey believes, will be avoided.

“A good many cities,” Mr. Crapsey said yesterday, “have taken up the idea of vacant lot gardening, and each has worked alone.  All, I don’t doubt, have made the same mistakes — mistakes that cost money and time and are discouraging. Our idea is to get together and co-operate, to the end of getting the best results.”

Dr. Algernon S. Crapsey, Paul Crapsey and W. Trueman, of this are members of the committee on organization.

The proposed commission will be a center of communication between all vacant-lot gardening commissions, by maintaining a correspondence bureau.

The headquarters of the Rochester Vacant Lot Gardening Commission are at No. 25 Exchange street.”

“First Allotment of Garden Plots — Interest Increasing in Free Farm Proposition

Two Sections Ready for Work — First Drawing of Plots for Small Gardening is Held – Second to Take Place Today – Families will Live in Tents On Community Property

Prospects of success are brights for the Vacant Lot Gardening Commission. The first allotment of plots was made yesterday at No. 26 School by Dr. A. S. Crapsey and Colonel Samuel P. Moulthrop.  Another drawing for the quarter-acre plots will be made to-day for the North street section, and the first drawing for the Portland avenue plots will be made to-morrow.

Those who have not been in touch with the progress of those new movement are not aware of the enthusiasm that has been aroused among the Polish people and Italians in the two sections are now ready for use.  As a matter of fact, the enthusiasm has developed in the last few days, having been given its first expression Sunday, when Miss Florence Cross arranged a “personally conducted” tour of the district which is destined to become a veritable wonderland of practical gardening.

The commission in the past fortnight has made a radical change in its plan of vacant-lot gardening.  In its inception it was thought a number of vacant lots in various quarters of the city could be cultivated to advantage by men out of work or with small incomes.  It was found, however, that better results could be obtained by acquiring larger plots of land and dividing them into small sections, one for the use of each man. In this way economy in labor and investment has been effected.  Two sections, one in North street and on in Portland avenue, have been plowed and made ready for planting. The former is for the use of the people in the Polish quarter, the latter is near the Italian section and will be used by people living there.

Carefully Worked Out.

Every detail of the movement has been carefully studied and it is evident from the interest manifest there will be a demand for quarter-acre plots much greater than the promoters are able at present to supply.  It has been said that when vegetables begin to grow in the various little garden things will be stolen. Provision has been made against this possibility, however, and there are several reasons why such a practice is hardly probable, in the opinion of Dr. Crapsey.

On the North street property a tent is to be occupied by a woman whose family consists of three boys.  She and her family will have one of the plots and will make the tent their home. They will keep a lively dog.  Facilities for water are provided by an adjacent house whose occupant also has one of the quarter-acre plots. The same plan will be adopted at the Italian garden.  In addition it is expected to provide one or two tents for the use of women who wish to bring their children to the garden during the day while they work there.

Dr. Crapsey said yesterday in regard to this matter that when the people realize that the property is held by them and that what is raised upon it means just so much toward their support, others will respect their rights and they will themselves appreciate the value of property in a new sense. Though the plots are not large, the amount of produce that can be raised from them is surprising to one not familiar with gardening.

Twelve Plots Allotted.

At the drawing yesterday twelve families obtained property rights in the North street section.  This plot will accommodate about twenty, which number is expected to be given plots today. The land has not been worked in about fifteen years and the sod has been turned under, making the soil so rich that no fertilization has been necessary.  By the provisions of the agreement between the commission and each occupant of a plot, if the ground is neglected it is at once taken away and given to someone else.

About thirty people will find room at the Portland avenue section.  The plots are staken off and numbered. When the drawing takes place the numbers are placed in a box, shaken up, and taken out one at a time.  In this way no favoritism can be shown for positions in the section. There is another section on the West Side which will be ready soon. Dr. Crapsey said yesterday that about 100 people will be given plots this year, although he had no doubt that fully 500 would apply. Seeds are furnished and, when necessary, gardening implants are lent for the season.

More Money Required.

Everywhere the movement is meeting with approval.  A small sum has been expended, about $250, and $300 more is needed.  Money has been coming in freely, said Dr. Crapsey, but further subscriptions will be accepted.  The general superintendent, A. A. Bennett, has demonstrated his ability and plans to make the most out of each property.  A foreman will be chosen from the people occupying each section who will give assistance to those who are learning how to raise food where there was no food before.

At present the commission meets once a week.  Dr. A. S. Crapsey is chairman and William Trueman is vicechairman.  The other members of the commission are: Secretary, A. W. Wood; treasurer, John H. Gregory; Alfred Hines, Rev. Don S. Colt, Colonel Samuel P. Moulthrop, Nathaniel Gold and Valentine Hollan.”