A LITTLE LAND 266 



AND A LIVING 



the land. He used large quantities of dynamite 

 to blow out rocks and stumps. Where, as in many 

 places, the soil was too thin to support vegeta- 

 tion, he had earth hauled. He fertilized thor- 

 oughly with stable manure (got free for the haul- 

 ing from livery stables) , and also with a compost 

 made from the contents of vaults mixed with 

 earth sods and stable sweepings, and thoroughly 

 rotted. Lettuce, onions, carrots, beans, peas, 

 chives, beets, potatoes, turnips, parsnips, cucum- 

 bers, cabbage, squash and celery figured in the 

 crops he raised, to say nothing of the fields of 

 hay and forage raised for the horses and cattle. 



Besides the saving to the city in cost of food 

 stuffs, the male prisoners who worked in the sun- 

 shine throve so well that this, with the change in 

 their diet made possible by the farm products, 

 entirely banished scurvy and other diseases which 

 had been prevalent hitherto. The plan of giving 

 each prisoner a plot to cultivate for his own use 

 has not been tried, partly because it had not oc- 

 curred to the governor, and partly because the 

 prisoners have such short terms that the one who 

 planted would seldom reap. But the results have 



