Vol. III. No. .59. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



235 



^k2-- 



HOW TO MAKE SCHOOL GARDENS: A manual 

 for teachers and p«iiils. By H. D. Henienway, B.S., Director 

 of Hartford Scliool of Horticulture, yew Yorh : DoubleJay, 

 Paye & Co., lOOJ. 



This little manual is designed to be of service to those 

 teachers, anxious to take part in the school garden move- 

 ment, who may not have had the advantage of agricultural 

 training. 



It is suggested that in laying out a school garden tlie 

 aesthetic side should not be lost sight of, but that tliis should 

 not, on the other hand, be the controlling element. A wise 

 teacher will let the aesthetic and the agricultural elements 

 harmonize. This is the key-note to this book. We hope 

 that the establishment of school gardens in the West Indies 

 will be along the same lines. We have seen school gardens 

 which were really notliing but flower gardens. Something 

 more than this is wanted : they should be uiiiiiature experi- 

 ment plots designed to instruct the children and draw out 

 their powers of oliservation. 



Full directions are given l>y !Mr. Hemenway as to the 

 laying out of the garden and the [jreparation and fertilization 

 of the land before planting. 



Then follow notes on lessons in garden work, instructions 

 being given for planting various vegetables and flowers. 



Lessons in greenhouse work deal with such matters as 

 planting seeds, potting plants, striking cutting.s, etc. Other 

 lessons deal with grafting and budding. 



Although this book deals with the cultivation of 

 temperate plants, there is much in it to recommend its 

 intelligent adoption as a guide by teachers in these islands, 

 who will be able to learn from it the best kind of instruction 

 to give. 



SCHOOL < GARDENS IN EUROPE.- Special 

 Consular Reports issued by the Bureau of Foreign Commerce, 

 Department of State. Washington : Government Printing 

 Office, 1900. 



This consists of ' reports from Consuls of the United 

 8tates in answer to instructions from the Department of 

 •State ' to prepare reports upon ' the founding, progress, and 

 practical working of school gardens in your respective 

 •districts.' 



Reports are published from Belgium, France, Germany, 

 and Switzerland. Each contains interesting information 

 relating to the nature of the instruction provided, prcjgraiumes 

 of the courses of instruction, etc. 



Excellent photographic illustrations of classes of 

 children engaged in work in the gardens and in the school 

 rooms add to the value of these reports. 



In several cases, grants are given by the Government 

 towards the establishment and maintenance of these gardens. 

 In Switzerland a piize of $-50 was offered for the best compo- 

 sition on the subject, and the Consul at Aaran furnishes a 

 translation of that which received the prize, which is particu- 

 larly interesting. 



EDUCATIONAL 



Agricultural School, Dominica. 



Mr. A. J. Brooks, the OfKcer-in-charge, reports as 

 follows ; — 



Since the opening of the school in 1900, eighteen boys 

 have completed their course of instruction and left the school. 



All these boj-s are now engaged in agricultural work in 

 this island. 



Eleven are working on estates as overseers, five are 

 working land owned by themselves or relation.s, two are 

 retained by the Imperial Department at the Botanic Station 

 and Agricultural School. 



School Gardens in G-renada. 



The following is taken from the annual report of 

 the Inspector of Schools in Grenada just issued : — 



It is with satisfaction that I note the completion of 

 thirteen scliool gardens during the year. These have all been 

 laid out and enclosed from government funds under govern- 

 ment .supervision. The total cost was about £170, the 

 average size of each being between |- and |- acre. A scheme 

 of cash payments in lump sum in connexion with the annual 

 examinations was submitted to the Board of Education, but 

 nothing has since been hejird of it. At the annual examina- 

 tions held October to December 1 903, only two schools had 

 really commenced operations, viz., the St. Paul's Anglican 

 and the St. Paul's Roman Catholic .schools. Each had made 

 a fairly good start. The gardens have all been established 

 in prominent places, so as to become object-lessons to the 

 people of the labouring classes. Blackie's Readers are being 

 more and more extensively used, and the theoretical work 

 done during the year has stood the test of fairly searching 

 examination by the Inspectors. Substantial progress may 

 be expected at the next round of examinations. 



If the object-lessons were taught .systematically, and the 

 introduction of plant life into the course brought about, the 

 lack of sympathy for the teaching of agriculture that has 

 been so marked would gradually be removed, beginning at 

 the lowest standards itf the school. 



CAREFUL PREPARATION OF PRODUCTS. 



An article in the I adla-Riihher World ior June 1, 

 gives .some figures to illustrate the bearing of the 

 jDurity of rubber on its market value. After speaking 

 of the high prices obtained by Ceylon planters for 

 rubber from Hevea, compared with the prices obtained 

 for Mexican rubber from da-itilloa, the writer of the 

 article goes on: — 



Para rubber, imjiorted at 61 per B). with 1-3 per cent, 

 of shrinkage in cleaning, really costs the manufacturer 

 ilpriTi. At the .same time Mexican rubber imported at 

 only 75e., with .30 per cent, shrinkage, really costs at 

 the factory $r07 per lt>. The chief explanation of the 

 high prices obtained by the Ceylon planters is that they do 

 not ship dirt to market ; the percentage of shrinkage in 

 their product is almost nil. Hence when some Ceylon 

 rubber sold recently in London at .''?1'29| per lb., while 

 Central American rubber brought only 81c., this difference 

 alone formed no reason for discouraging the planters 

 of Castilloa, which yields the Central sorts. The latter 

 rubber might have brought §1 or more, if prepared as 

 carefully as the Ceylon rubber. 



