GARDEN PLOTS

Dominion, Volume 26, Issue 28, 27 October 1932, Page 7

GARDEN PLOTS

Nearly Thousand Allotments UNEMPLOYED EFFORT Nearly 1000 prepared allotments will be planted in vegetables by unemployed men by the end of October, according to a statement made by the director of parks and reserves, Mr. J. G. McKenzie, yesterday. A great number of these allotments were already in the hands of married unemployed, who had sown the seed distributed under an arrangement with the control committee, and the rest would be allotted and sown within the week. As the weather had been suitable to seed-sowing, and the ground, after the recent rain, was ready to do its best, there should be a very good crop of vegetables ready by Christmas and for some weeks afterward, said Mr. McKenzie.

The plots prepared on the Town Belt formed only a portion of the total area under cultivation under the scheme. Under the.arrangement made with the Unemployed Board many of the unemployed with garden plots of their own had to secure seed for planting. These plots were subject to supervision by the district overseers,, as it is compulsory for. the owners to attend to their gardens, and so help to reduce the food bills.. The garden plot scheme, is the. outcome of a proposal made by the Hon. J. G. Coates, Minister of Employment, on the eve of his departure for Ottawa, aud is an experiment in compulsory self-help, the result of which will be interesting to note.