foreman] SCHOOL GARDENING IN THE PHILIPPINES 359 



and tasted better corn food than they thought possible to prepare. 

 The actual food supply of the people was greatly increased and the 

 people were made economically more prosperous. While we may 

 not wish to claim credit, still it is a remarkable coincidence that 

 during the period of this campaign which was conducted as a 

 feature of the gardening program, the acreage increased in three 

 years 38%, the amount of production 61% and the average yield 

 81%. In 19 14 the corn crop was worth $4,700,000 more than in 

 191 2 when the campaign began. Strange as it may seem during 

 the same period the rice importations decreased 62%. Thus the 

 country was economically better off by $4,700,000 a sum greater 

 than that spent for public schools, and this in a country where the 

 government expenditures amount to but twenty million dollars. 

 A tree planting campaign is another feature of the garden work 

 for which pupils receive credit as a part of the requirements for 

 promotion. The schools maintain several hundred small plant 

 nurseries where ornamental trees, fruit trees and trees of special 

 economic value are propagated to be later planted along the public 

 roads, in the parks and at the homes of the pupils. Miles of public 

 roads and thousands of plazas or parks are now shaded by the trees 

 planted and cared for by school pupils as a part of their prescribed 

 school work. During the past year 8,571 fruit trees and 36,625 

 other trees and plants were distributed from the school nurseries. 

 Besides this general work special fruit tree campaigns are conducted 

 in the various provinces. The province of Iloilo last year con- 

 ducted a mango planting campaign during which some 5,000 trees 

 were planted and were thriving at the end of the year. In practise 

 the plan followed is one of closely supervised home extension work. 

 The pupil's work is constantly under the direction and supervision 

 of a teacher. Each tree well selected, planted and properly cared 

 for by the boy at his home represents a proportionate part of the 

 industrial requirement, and school credit for this work is given by 

 the teacher. Results are now evidenced by the increased supply 

 of bananas and papayas in localities where they were formerly 

 scarce and of inferior quality. This increased production makes 

 good wholesome food available at prices within the reach of the 

 poorer people who are the ones most in need of more and better 

 food. The movement will have still greater economic importance 

 when the thousands of slower maturing trees being planted each 

 year come into bearing. 



