VACANT LOT GARDENING 21 



gardens. In 19ia there were six thousand home gardens super- 

 vised .by those in charge of the school garden system in Phila- 

 delphia. This plan of supervising the vacation gardening of 

 the school children is found in a number of cities. 



Speaking of the back yard gardens in Baltimore, The Sun, 

 of that city, says : " Some are veritable beauty spots created 

 in places that were once eyespres. In the weary stretch of 

 brick and stone, when you come upon such a bower of trees 

 and flowers and greenery it looks like an oasis — as refreshing 

 as a flowing well in a dry and thirsty land. And the move- 

 ment is only well begun. The yards that have been improved 

 are such a pleasure to their possessors that the wonder is all 

 the neighbors do not follow their example. There is nothing 

 that will give richer returns for such a small investment of 

 time and money." 



Health of the City. — ITot only is gardening a healthful 

 occupation for the individual doing the work, but the effect 

 of vacant lot gardening is to make the whole city more health- 

 ful. Garbage heaps are breeding places for flies. Disease is 

 spread from places of accumulated filth by myriads of insects 

 which breed there. 



Mosquitoes breed in tin cans and pools filled with rain- 

 water. Malaria and other diseases are spread by mosquitoes. 



Cleaning up vacant lots by the burying of garbage,- the 

 removal of tin cans and the filling of low places prevents dis- 

 eases common during the summer season (Figs. 8 and 9). 



Vacant lot gardening has resulted in the reduction of 

 malaria, typhoid fever, and dysentery. If the facts could be 

 known, it has doubtless provided a cheek for tuberculosis and 

 other germ diseases. 



Thus money and effort spent in the cleaning up of vacant 

 tracts and the establishment of gardens not only results in 

 benefit to those actually engaged in the work, but has advan- 

 tages of a more -universal nature (Fig. 10). It is better to 

 spend money in the prevention of disease than in the cure of 



