Patterson] CHILDREN'S HOME GARDENS 41 



'The visits were made after school hours when the children 

 were at home. If the garden were one in which most of the pro- 

 ducts would soon be used, it was suggested that the child replant 

 with something else in order to have a succession of products." 



' The parents and children seemed much interested everywhere 

 I went. There were only two places that the mother did not 

 come out to speak to me and listen to the suggestions I had to 

 offer." 



"One little girl had planted her garden on some waste land at 

 the end of the family garden. Last year there had been no 

 garden on this place; instead it had been overgrown with weeds. 

 In spite of this the child's garden looked fairly well and she said 

 with pride: 'I do not suppose that any one has tried to raise 

 a garden here before'." 



' ' I feel that the visiting of the gardens has been one of the most 

 helpful phases of the course. The interest taken by the parents 

 and the enthusiasm of the children have made me feel that nature- 

 study and home gardening are greatly worth while." 



' The visiting of home gardens as a part of the Home and School 

 Garden course, I, at first, looked upon as a very unpleasant task. 

 My success with this phase of the work seemed doubtful. Would 

 the parents welcome such a visitor, and would the children be 

 pleased to have a representative of the school garden class inspect 

 their work, were the questions that made the work look formidable 

 to me. In preparation for the visits I met the children in the 

 schoolroom in order to get acquainted with them and explain the 

 purpose of my visits which were to occur the next week. The 

 children met me half way and seemed pleased that I was to visit 

 them. After this interview my misgivings were somewhat 

 relieved. 



"With my first visit all my fears vanished. As soon as I arrived 

 at the first home I was given a smile of welcome and the little 

 gardener moved toward his garden with an air ot pride and a 

 sense of ownership seen only in interested children. The boy 

 talked intelligently about his garden which was well arranged and 

 in good condition. 



"In conclusion, I wish to say that visiting home gardens is not 

 a task but a pleasure trip, in which the student feels the compan- 

 ionship of live boys and girls who are intensely interested in the 

 work thev are dom?. ' ' 



