vanbl-kk.n] a GRAXD RAPIDS SCHOOL GARDEN 



99 



We tried to teach them to have a succession of things grow- 

 ing and when one was exhausted to plant another. One boy 

 sold a bushel of beans and one girl a bushel of lettuce after 

 supplying their mothers and neighbors all summer. This spring 

 we want to give a garden plot to each child wishing one. xA.bout 

 100 of our children each want one and as we have as large a 

 space in use now as our school property will permit, I have 

 secured the use of a vacant lot across the road from the school- 

 house. It has already been plowed by a neighbor wdio donated 

 his services. In the spring it will be fenced in and laid out by 

 the children as before, and we hope to obtain better results after 

 our experience last summer. 



PRIZES. 



The fall after we were established in our new building, 

 we received the tirst prize for the best school garden in (irand 

 Rapids at the West Michigan fair. 

 One of the officers of the fair noticing 

 the exhibit urged me to enter the 

 flowers in competition with other 

 amateur florists in the horticultural 

 building and referred me to the man 

 in charge of this exhibit. I went to 

 him. found him greatly interested and 

 was urged l^y him to enter the flowers, 

 late as it was. Although I had never 

 seen him before, he loaned me the 

 entry money and the day given to 



teachers to visit the fair was spent in ])reparing for this competi- 

 tion. We secured five dollars at the horticultural building in addi- 

 tion to a three dollar prize for the best school garden. We also 

 had a prize of three dollars given by one of the literary clubs for 

 raising the best bouquet of bachelor's buttons. This gave us a bet- 

 ter financial basis upon which to work and enabled us to purchase 

 a better collection of seeds and plants for the following spring. 



With our prize money we purchased half a dozen ramblers, 

 peonies, phlox, shasta daisies, pyrethrum, etc. Some of our 

 patrons were market gardeners and they sent us tomato, cab- 

 bage and pepper plants which thrived splendidly. One of the 

 members of the Board of Education ofifered a prize of fifteen 

 dollars to the school having the best general garden, which prize 

 we were fortunate enough to secure last fall. This, in addition 

 to eleven dollars won at the fair and the five dollar prize for 



In Bloom, :\1arch, H)l2 



