156 SEVENTH REPORT. 



EXPERIENCES IN SCHOOL-GARDENING. 



J. B. DANDENO. 



In the early eighties the writer commenced teaching in a country school 

 about ten miles from the city of Giielph, Ontario, and continued in the 

 same school for three years. This connti'y school was in a district where 

 the quality of both farms and farmers was of a very high grade. The 

 farmers were prosperous and progressive, and they took much interest in 

 their school and all things which might concern it; consequently, it was 

 easy to carry out such plans as might tend toward the betterment of the 

 condition of the younger children. It is necessary to mention something 

 of the nature of the surroundings in this school section, in order to make 

 clear the conditions bearing upon the school-garden, about Avhich it is 

 proposed here to speak. From my. considerable experience, and my obser- 

 vations in various places since then, I may say that the school district 

 referred to, its surroundings and building, were far superior to any I 

 have seen since in Michigan, even at the present time, excepting perhaps 

 in the large towns and cities. This might be said of about any school in 

 South Wellington, the county in which said school was situated. 



In these schools the average yearly attendance was about 37 to 40 — 

 that in the winter being somewhat higher than that in summer, because 

 of the fact that the older pupils were required at home during the sum- 

 mer season to do various kinds of manual labor. Some ten or fifteen 

 years before this time — in the early seventies — the attendance in many 

 of the same schools reached, in the winter season, one hundred and over. 

 I have a personal experience of such an instance in my boyhood days. 

 Today in the same schools, as far as I can learn, the attendance is about 

 twenty to twenty-five. If this ])rogression is kept up it is not dififlcult to 

 figure out the time when the attendance might approach the zero mark. 

 At first sight this might appear to have but little to do with the proposi- 

 tion, but it really furnishes a basis for the right understanding of the 

 whole situation. 



The school building in which my experience was gained was of stone 

 and fairly well adapted to good school Avork. The grounds were about 

 three-fourths of an acre, and situated on a good site. It was well fenced 

 with a high board fence on all sides. The turf was what might be called 

 natural sod. Water was supplied from a well in the school yard, though 

 it required the constant engineering skill of the teacher to keep the pump 

 in good order. The same mav be said of the fences and other details of 

 outbuildings and walks. 



I propose to describe this work of plant culture under two headings : 

 (1) House plants, (2) Garden plants. 



I commence with house plants because these suggested the other. 



HOUSE PLANTS. 



A few of the more common house platits had been, in summer time, kept in the school 

 previous to my time there. (1 entered upon my duties there Jan. 1.) This I under- 



