Semi Weekly Herald

MUNICIPAL FARM IS
COLUMBUS EXPERIMENT

COLUMBUS, O., July 2. -- There's a well worn phrase which goes "working both sides against the middle."

It aptly describes what Columbus, O., is about to do. And this new plan of the city of Columbus, by the way, ought to be intensely interesting to every city in the country as one of the answers to that bugbear of a question, "How to reduce the high cost of living?"

Columbus, O., is going to raise hogs. Now Columbus doesn't believe its raising of hogs will enable its housewives to make their house money and pin money go twice as far as it used to. It does believe, however, that its plan to raise hogs is along the line of jabbing the H. C. of L. in a fatal spot.

Columbus owns a large farm south of the city limits. Until recently this farm was leased to a tenant but the recent floods wiped out the farmer and the city had to relieve him of the terms of the lease. It was then that the plan was suggested to the officials of the department of public service that the city try its hand at running its own farm. It was early determined that hog raising would be the best thing to go into at this time and a large herd of hogs was contracted for. They were expected to arrive here some time today or tomorrow.

Now Columbus, which is always doing something progressive, has one of the best systems of free municipal garbage collection service in the country, according to experts. Heretofore, this garbage has been disposed of in various ways. From now on it will be taken to the city farm to fatten the city hogs. That's where one of the ends against the middle comes in.

Thirty-five or forty of the best behaved prisoners at the city jails have been chosen to take the place of the farm hands. Under the charge of a deputy who has experience in farming, these prisoners have been put to work building new sheds, barns and fences. When they finished this construction they were set at placing eighty-seven acres of the farm under cultivation. It was realized that the garbage alone wouldn't be enough to fatten the hogs for market, and fifty-two acres of land were planted in corn. It was also decided that merely the care of the hogs wouldn't keep the thirty-five or forty privileged prisoners busy. Therefore they have put in twelve acres of potatoes, three acres of pears, eight of alfalfa, ten of clover and two of tomatoes. From the vegetables planted, officials believe they will be able to supply all the work house prisoners and the inmates of somewhat similar institutions. All of which will greatly reduce the cost to the municipal government of maintaining its institutions. This is the other end against the middle.

There are two other good features of this city farm. The city prisoners who are sent out there to work will benefit greatly and officials believe it will do wonders in starting them right again. None who has been chosen has demurred against leaving the cells and prison yards to work and live in the open. In fact, there's quite a "waiting list" of those who want to be given a chance out of doors. The other feature of the farm is a municipal pasture on which the horses of the city are sent at stated periods to rest up. This rest period, say the city fathers, will greatly increase their efficiency and make them last longer.