A School Fair 



The Results of the Efforts of the School in Teaching 

 Pupils the Art of Gardening. 



A. G. Pennel. 

 Supervisor of Agriculture, Bloomfield Public Schools, Bloomfield, N. J. 



At the outset, I wish to state that I believe the best results from 

 the teaching of Elementary Agriculture in our grade schools, 

 are to be obtained from the pupil's home-directed garden, rather 

 from that of the school garden, and that the school garden should 

 merely be used as the laboratory in conjunction with the work 

 in the classroom. In the congested districts of the large cities 

 should be the one exception. It is with the products of the pupil's 

 home gardens, that this article has to deal. 



That spirit of competition to excel one's fellows and which has 

 really been the force behind all human progress is well taken 

 advantage of in an exhibit of products from a home garden. 

 When these are exhibited in our Public Schools by pupils of these 

 schools, who have been instructed in the art of gardening, it 

 may very properly be called "A School Fair." 



What are the advantages it has to offer? The spirit of competition 

 encourages the growing of vegetables and flowers in home gardens, 

 and to promote the improvement of the appearance of home 

 grounds and to better the conditions of the community at large. 

 It provides a meeting place, where pupils from, the different 

 schools may assemble and discuss the results of their labor and 

 also to view many varieties of both vegetables and flowers, which 

 they may never have had the opportunity to see, for the number 

 they are able to grow in their own garden is necessarily limited. 



Whole-hearted cooperation between parents and the school is 

 always necessary, if the school is to perform its best service and a 

 school fair may be one means of accomplishing it. 



It provides the child with pleasant, useful and healthful work 

 during the summer months, for he now has an aim — a blue ribbon 

 perhaps — but nevertheless an aim. He knows to obtain that prize 

 means work. To shirk means failure; he alone is responsible. 



A fair means extra work for the garden teacher, but I am frank 

 to call this an advantage for it stimulates us to extra effort, 



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