THAYER ] 



CHILDREN'S G.4RDEXS 



65 



neighbors were interesting and helpful, and the boy or girl whose 

 garden was a little in advance of the others was indeed envied. 



When the time for the fair drew near, in order to know defi- 

 nitely what each child would contribute, postal cards were sent to 

 every family whose children had been successful in their work, 

 directing how to cut the flowers, prepare the vegetables, and that 

 they be brought to the school-house at an early hour on the morn- 

 ing of the opening of the fair. Wagons had been secured to 



A corner of the exhibit at the agricultural fair More than thirty kinds of vegetables and all 



common varieties of flowers. 



carry the exhibit to the fair-grounds. Every child who exhibited 

 was given an exhibitor's ticket, allowing free admission each day. 

 This privilege alone more than repaid the children for the hours 

 of labor spent in the garden work, for no child ever could stay 

 long enough at an agricultural fair, and a large percentage of the 

 children had never before attended one. 



The judges awarded the Downing St. school the first premium 

 of $7.00 for the best collection from any one school. Thirteen 

 other premiums were won by individual children of the school 

 — six first premiums, four second and three third — amounting to 

 $6.00 more. There were more than thirty kinds of vegetables 



