A RURAL SCHOOL-GARDEN 



By RUTH B. FISHER 



The school-garden for students in the Normal School at John- 

 son, Vt., is situated on a hillside, as this is the best land near the 

 main building. The garden consists of about thirty beds, 4 by 8 

 ft., for individual work; a rectangular strip in the rear for tall 

 crops; and a rhomboidal side plot for vines and general experi- 

 ments. Each bed contains vegetables and flowers, selected for 

 crops to be gathered in spring and fall as the gardeners are away 

 during July and August, best arrangement and color scheme. 

 Johnson is not only northerly but also mountainous and hence 

 the summer season is short. Heavy frosts occur as late as June. 

 Still, radishes, lettuce and onion sets are started by the second 

 week in May and gathered by the middle of the following month. 

 A succession of crops is planned by putting plants which will give 

 results in the fall harvest into the places occupied by the spring 

 produce. A typical bed may consist of two rows of radishes, one 

 of lettuce, one of onions; and these be followed by a tomato 

 plant, two hills of potatoes, one row of beets, and a block of asters 

 surrounded by alyssum. The beds are nearly all different. 

 Records of the varieties, time of growth, cost of seeds and plants, 

 and value of produce are kept. Some records show the cost to be 

 about twelve cents and the value of products at least a dollar. 



In the rectangular strip and side plot are placed such plants 

 as pole beans, corn, squashes, sweet peas, cosmos; so arranged as 

 to aid in the general appearance of the garden. One year the rear 

 path was bordered by sunflowers and the front path by pansies. 

 Different groups of students are assigned to the care of these 

 plants. 



The work is designed somewhat as a recreation, therefore the 

 record keeping has been reduced to the minimum. Still we have 

 had some serious objects in view. Among these have been: best 

 flowers and vegetables suited to a northerly climate, comparison 

 and selection of varieties, study of plant diseases and insects, soil 

 conditions and fertilizers. Some of the special experiments have 

 been : nitrate of soda for half of the plants, nitrogen cultures for 

 beans and clovers, formalin for potatoes. 



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