The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, May 05, 1912, SECTION SIX, Page 4, Image 70

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    TIIE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTXAND, . MAY 5, 1912.
AlfliMAirataii
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Garden
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fewBack "tends Arc Beirg Hade Productive
8000 Children Are Cultivating Mcdel Gardens and Strain
ing Every Energy to Raise Good Produce Afore Than
6000 Backyard Gardens Stand as Monument to Multi
tudes of Busy Young Minds and Hands Leisure Hours
After School Are Devoted to Scientific Farming.
tyj I After School Are Devoted to Scientific Farming.
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TO nior liy after-achool hours
for Portland yoanKsters. No
mora dlaordorl? back yards. , No
tnora wsad patches. No mora Id 1
Saturdays. Tho hook worm has been
backed off the Portland portion of the
map. The Indian sign has been placed
on everything out of harmony with sci
entific farming- Ideas and methods In
Portland's backyards, for the school
children have Joined the back-to-the-frm
movement.
More than (000 model vegetable rr
riena In back yards Indicate the extent
the new fannies: feature of the pub
lic school curriculum has raptured the
youngsters. Hundreds of busy young
minds are straining every energy to
think up new Ideas for making vege
tables grow and hundreds of small
hands are busy during all leisure time
raking, hoeing and cultivating gar
dens. Every available Inch of ground
Is either tinder bondage to the ambl
tloua youngsters or Is on the list for use
In the near future.
Never has Portland seen such agri
cultural thrift and never have the pros
pects been better for this city making
a big agricultural showing at the
tats and county fairs. Not until har
vest time wends Its way around on the
cycle of time will there be a lull In the
proceedings, because the youths are not
only In the field to learn farming, but
they are out to win a series of prises
wolch have been offered by various
commercial and Industrial organiza
tions. The farm movement was started
about two years ago. but not until the
present season was any great progress
made. When the rainy season termi
nated this year the youngsters were
all ready to begin work. The chilly
Winter months had been spent In se
lecting garden sites and reading up on
cultivating and planting methods.
Agricultural books were scanned and
studied, seeds were selected and gar-lt-ns
were marked off ready for the
spring activities.
Truslrlic the Bark Tarda.
When old Sol bade farewell to the
chilly North and proceeded back to
Ma Spring and Summer sone nearer
rortland a month or so ago there was
a wild scramble In back yards. As If
by maglo the yards were transformed
into rolling garden tracts with up
raised beds of smooth, well-cultivated
01L Long, straight trenches marked
the places where seeds were to be
coaxed by young energetlo minds and
hands to bring forth prlxe-wlnnlng
vegetables, fertiliser was placed wher
ever It was considered necessary. Be
tween the beds were found neat path
ways, over which the young farmers
could walk during the months required
to tske car of the plants. Where Irri
gation was considered necessary com
plete systems of ditches were provided,
and arrangements all made for the
turning In of the water.
Busy eyes have scanned the pretty
gardens dally since the planting was
completed, busy hands have made short
work of Intruding weeds. Youthful In
genuity has seen to it that every plant
In the rows has grown stout and
healthy. Weaklings have been up
rooted and the overcrowding of plants
baa not been tolerated. It la probable
that there are no better kept farming
tracts In all Oregon than the too or
more In Portland yards.
Activities have not been confined to
the yards at home. All the farming
knowledge gleaned from study by the,
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various members of each school has , truci. noma of them not having a sun- cii cn.iurt-n 10 caring for these gar- . the tracts. All the younarsters Join In
been combined In-school garden tracts. I able place, but the majority of the I dens. This work is dono under the I the work with a will. There are no
These are cared for by all the pupils of I school yards are now model farms. I supervision of older people, so that I drones.
the school. Not every school has such a 1 X short time each day la devoted by nothing can happen to injurs any oz 1 xua Xarm movement baa two valu
able benefits for the children. Study
of the economic conditions of the coun
try in recent year's has brought out
the unquestionable fact that the coun
try, and especially the . West, needs
good farmers. There has been a de
crease In - the farming population In
recent years. In 1870, It has been
shown, 49 per cent of the country's
population was on farms, while In 1910
the number was reduced to 29 per cent.
The growing city population and the
rapidly growing number of "non pro
ducers" In the country has brought
about conditions which students de
clare must be overcome. One of the
methods Is to start the work with the
rising generation so that the men of
the future will know how to farm
even If they do not follow that In
dustry. It Is figured that the process
will In the near future have a great
effect on the unsettled parts of Oregon
where magic soil awaits only the touch
of the scientific farming wand to make
it blossom forth with great rewards
of grains and produce.
Prises Stimulate Careful Work.
Another purpose of .the garden move
ment Is to get the children to study
Nature. To center the minds of the
youngsters on Nature and her methods
means that attention is detracted from
less Important and less instructive and
ennobling subjects. The prizes offered
give incentive to caretul work and
study, which- means much to the
youngsters in the way of mental train
ing as well as education along practical
farming lines. Leisure hours which
heretofore have been devoted to more
or less frivolous amusement are being
abandoned for the nature studies and
In. the change the child is not deprived
of fresh outdoor air or healthful exer
cise. To many families the gardens will
mean much from a financial stand
point. The garden stuff can bo used
to great advantage when Nature and
the children finish their work. No
estimate has been placed upon the value
of the prospective crop in the city, but
it probably will run into thousands of
dollars. Many of the children have
planned to sell part of their produce to-
secure money to Duy seeas and tools
for next season.
The results of the planting Is one of
the main subjects of discussion among
the children. All are telling of their
experiences and expressing pleasure
over the way their plants are growing.
It Is with eagerness that the young
plants are watched as they plow their
way through the earth and begin to
climb to maturity.
For the promotion of the farming:
movement a general committee has
been appointed by various commercial
organizations of the city and garden
headquarters have been established in
the Selling building. Here the work
of the children Is noted and sug
gestions are made for the benefit of
the youngsters and their gardens. This
committee also has charge of the prize
contest. The committee comprises
representatives from the Rotary Club,
the Retail Merchants' Association, the
Ad Club, the Progressive Business
Men's Club, the Livestock Exchange,
the Realty Board, the Y. M. C. A., the
Bankers' Association, the Commercial
Club, the Retail Grocers' Association,
and the Live Wires. The general com
mittee comprises Marshall N. Dana,
chairman; James J. Sayer, secretary;
B. T. Voorhorst, assistant secretary,
and Emery Olmstead. treasurer. An
advisory committee comprising the
principals and teachers of the various
schools has been organized. .
Produce to Be Displayed.
The children will be given an oppor
tunity to display their vegetables at
the Rose Festival at the Armory. Dur
ing the last days of the show the
vegetables will be given ample space
for exhibition purposes and prizes will ;
be awarded the best vegetables of var
ious kinds. The winners will send
their produce to the county fa,lr and
the winners there will go to the State
Fair.
Three prizes have been offered for
the best exhibit made from any .school
garden. The first prize is 25, the
second $15. and the third $10. For the
school having the greatest percentage
of contestants among the enrolled
students a challenge cup valued at $25
has been offered. This must be won
by the same school twice before It
becomes the property of that school.
A prize of $25 has been offered to
the school making the best general
exhibit. Individual prizes will be
awarded according to the ages of the
pupils. For the best general display
by any pupil under 13 years of age
the first prize wll be $7.50; the second.
$5, and the third, $3. For the best
general display by any pupil over 13
years of age, prizes of $7.50, $5 and $3
will be given. The number of varie
ties of vegetables shown, as well as
the general arrangement of the ex
hibit, will be considered in the mak
ing of awards.
A first, second and third prize will
be awarded for each of the following:
Beans Best 13 green pods; best 12
wax pods; best single plant with pods
on.
Garden Beet Largest speolmen;
best four specimens.
Early Cabbage Largest specimen
head; best three heads.
Loose Leaf Lettuce Best six plants.
Head Lettuce Largest specimen
head; best three heads.
Carrot Largest specimen; best six
specimens.
Green Onions Best six bunches of
five each.
Peas Best 24 pods; best vine with
pods.
Early Potatoes Best 12 tubers.
Turnip-shaped Radish Best three
bunches of four each.
Long Variety Radish Best three
bunches of four each.
Turnip Largest specimen; best six
specimens.
It is planned to make the farm
movement in schools state wide. A
state organization already exists for
this purpose and is dolnsr good work.
Produce from various school districts
outside Portland will be represented
at the various county fairs and the
state fair next Fall. It Is thought by
next year the movement will assume
even larger proportions than at pres
ent. The children are enthusiastic In
the work, and it is thought to be but
a short time before Portland schools
will begin to turn out Important and
valuable crops of scientific farmers.
Romance of Senator Gore.
Although his wife supplies the placa
of eyes to Senator Gore, "the blind ora
tor of Oklahoma," she laughingly dis
claims all merit. "Why," she says
naively, "he waits on me and does in
numerable little things which many
men neglect. People asked me when
we were married if I was not very
sorry for him. Such a thing as pity
never entered my thoughts. We met
first at a picnic, which was partly po
litical. I heard him speak, and he fair
ly wiped up the earth with his oppo
nent. I was a girl of 18 and was Just
carried away with admiration for his
splendid Intellect, but I never dreamed
of his being my future husband."
On the evening of that eventful day
Gore wrote to his mother: "I have met
the girl that is going to be my future
wife If I can win her." And his mother
never doubted that he would do so.
Four years later the wedding took
place; and it has often been remarked
that no happier family exists than that
of the Geres. National Magazine.