CIVIC GARDENING, WHICH DEVELOPS THE
CITY PEOPLE: BY HARLEAN JAMES


ARDEN loveliness has not been a characteristic of most
American cities, and until recently Baltimore was no
exception to the rule. Although nearly two hundred
years had passed since its founding, its citizens seemed
to have expressed whatever civic enthusiasm they had
in architectural rather than horticultural channels,


              building houses of brick and monuments of stone, and
forgetting for the most part the possibilities that lie in sheltering
trees, in graceful flowers and restful greenery. There were, of course,
a few hidden gardens, occasional blooming windows and a good many
vine-covered walls, and in the old days there had been street trees,
some of which still survived. But the telephone, the trolley and the
pavement had waged successful war against Nature, so that with the
exception of the public parks and boulevards, Baltimore had few
blossoms to brighten its streets and alleys, and little foliage to miti-
gate the summer sun.
   There were miles of brick homes set flush with the street; miles
of forlorn backyards, separated by high board fences facing sadly on
cobblestone alleys. The wealthy residents closed their houses and
boarded up their windows for the summer, and those who remained
in town were apparently too discouraged by the heat to think of
backyard gardens. The cleanliness of a cement or brick pavement
was usually the most that was achieved for the rear of a dwelling.
   Four years ago, however, in the spring of nineteen hundred and
ten, a few public-spirited citizens, tired of seeing their city and its
homes in such a dreary, flowerless condition, decided to start a gar-
dening crusade. Two women and one man who had planted and
grown gardens in the midst of barren backyards, formed a com-
mittee to beautify Baltimore. With the help of a social worker who
volunteered her services, and with the hearty cooperation of the
Baltimore Evening Sun, which conducted a garden and window-box
contest, the work was launched. A column headed "Beautify
Baltimore" was printed every day, giving accounts and often photo-
graphs of the different gardens whose transformation marked the
progress of the work.
   In addition to the Backyard and Window-box contest, the Com-
mittee that year conducted a Vacant-Lot Garden in South Baltimore,
where twenty families grew their own vegetables. It is a curious
fact, however, that when the vacant-lot project was first presented
to the neighborhood, not only was it almost impossible to persuade
the families to plant gardens, but there immediately developed the
most determined opposition to the plan. The land, which lay between


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