110 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



April 3, 1909. 



Sl'GdESTJOys roll school (IAHDENS. By 

 J. K. Williams, M.A. .Inninirn . Ixsued (it the (roivrnnteiit 

 J'rwtin;/ Office. 



Ml'. Williams i.s Iii.'ipector of Sclumls at Jamaica, ami in 

 the discharge of his duties he is well known to have taken 

 a great deal of interest in the starting and development of the 

 Scliool (iarden and Nature .Study movement in the island ; 

 he is, therefore, perfectly familiar with the conditions under 

 which such work can best be carried out at Jamaica. 



'I'he book issued by Mr. Williams comprises 148 pages, 

 and was prepared at the re((uest of the Jamaica lifiard of 

 Agriculture, a body which recognized the great assistance 

 that might be afforded to teachers by a small hand-book of 

 practical information and suggestions on the .subject ot 

 .School (iardens. The above volume abundantly fulfils the 

 reipiired object, being thoroughly jiractical in conception and 

 in its treatment of the subject-matter, well arranged, and, 

 written in a clear and interesting manner. In every section, 

 the purely horticultural information is sup]ilemented with 

 helpful hints that indicate a personal arcjuaintance with the 

 (titticithies that are likely to arise. 



The book may be regarded as beijig clivided into two 

 parts. In the first part (62 pages) are di.scussed the various 

 phases of school garden work as it i)resents itself to the 

 teacher from the commencement. The choice of tools, their 

 I'ost, u-e.s, and methods of handling receive due attention. 

 It is mentioned that a sum of about -"jO.'. should provide 

 sufticient ei|uij)ment for a good-sized school iluring the first 

 year, and a small annual e.xpenditure for .supplying losses, etc. 

 is all that will be required later. Methods of clearing the 

 ground and erecting fences are also described, with an 

 eye to the fact that the children should themselves carry out 

 as much of tliis work as possible. It is pointed out that as soon 

 as the boundaries of the plot have been fixed it will be found 

 most useful and instructive to liraw a plan of the garden show- 

 ing the arrangements of bed.s, crops, path.s, etc., this plan to be 

 hung in the schoolroom for reference. Three diagrams showing 

 ])ossible arrangements fur s(-hoo| garden ])lots ai-e included in 

 the boiik. The important matter of laying out the garden 

 is ne.xt discussed, and instructions are given as to lining out 

 the ditt'ereiit beds, formation of paths, digging drainage 

 trenches, etc. Tillage methods, drainage, mulching, and the 

 uses of manures are all considered as means whereby the .soil 

 is brought into the best condition for phuit learing. Itefer- 

 ence is made U< the impdrlaiice nf cnmpost lieaps in School 

 ( iarden >. 



Knrther .section-, of the book deal with the care of seeds, 

 pre|)aration of seed beds, raising of seedlings in boxes as well 

 as in beds, treatment of seedlings, methods of transplanting, 

 care of |)lants (i.e., by watering, weeding, ])runing. etc.) : the 

 propagation fif plants by budding, and grafting, as well as by 

 raising from secil. and the rotation of enip.-.. 



.\ii es))ecially interesting section i.- that entitled -The 

 -l"riends and loneniies .,f the (i.irden.' In thi.s. reference is made 



to the work of earthworms, ants, etc. in aerating and lighten- 

 ing the soil, that of lizards in destroying numbers of insect 

 pests, and above all to the assistance rendered to the gardener 

 by birds which destroy vermin and small forms of animal 

 life that do damage to the crops. An appeal is made to the 

 teacher t» lead the children to recognize the heli> thus 

 afforded, and also the duty of protecting those friends of the 

 garden. Many insect pests are ai.so described, together with 

 suitable methods for holding them in check. 



The second part of the book (pp. 6-3-148) ■ consists of 

 a number of appendices which deal in considerable fulne.s.s. 

 witli the cultivation and pre[iaration of the chief West Indian. 

 agricultural crops that may be grown in more or less 

 quantity in the school garden, eg., provisions, green vege- 

 tables, cacao, coffee, bananas, ginger, pine-apple.s, oranges, 

 cotton, vanilla, etc. The information thus provided has been, 

 drawn from a number of reliable sources. 



J[r. Williams' book was written as a companion, 

 volume to Dr. Watts' ' Nature Teaching, ' the generaliz;i- 

 tions of which it is intended to expand, and it excellently 

 fulfils its purpo.se. The manner in which it is written 

 reveals an intimate acquaintance with the problems and 

 requirements of elementary school life in Jamaica, and. 

 incidentally, of most. West Indian colonies. The stvle 

 in which the facts are presented should be most 

 helpful to teachers, while its occasional references to the 

 ethical aspect of agricultural work and teaching indicate how 

 important a place this work may be made to occup}- in efforts 

 to mould the characters of children. Paragraphs 129-30' 

 from which the following quotations are made, illustrate 

 this : ' You .should never lose sight of the opportunity for 

 mental, manual and moral training that School fJarden 

 work offers. The opportunity is worth what you make of it, 

 like other opjiortunities. Not only may it add to the 

 childrens' knowledge -their direct first-hand knowledge — 

 of the things that surround their dail}' life, in the easiest and 

 most interesting way, by observation an(f through incidental 

 teaching, ami \'.\ the way by which knowledge is most 

 permanently acipiired, but jiractice in doing thing- will 

 certainly increase the ability to do thing.s, and the n.onotony 

 of the .child ren's school work is certain to be relieved when 

 it takes the form of using a line, or working a .saw, of 

 measuring and weighing their own products, of calculating 

 what they cost, and how much tiiey are worth. 



' It is not a natural Science that j'ou are called upoik 

 to teach, nor even Agriculture, but rather Nature Stn<ly, and 

 the observation and understanding of surroundings, and 

 the intelligent u.se of small opportunities. And although 

 scientific training is a pretentious name to give to this, yet 

 it is the training that science affords, to be made to observe 

 accurately as well as readily, to re|iort correctly, to learn to 

 draw princi[iles from observation, and to trace the relation 

 of causes and effects, of success and failure, even in the 

 humblest matters of ordinary life." 



The book fulfils admirably the purpose for which it iss 

 written, and shouhi be found in every elementarv and 

 secondary school in the West Indies where any effort is being 

 made to introilm-t- souml teaching by means of Nature 

 Studv. 



Several pupils at the St. Lucia Agricidtural Selio.,1 win- 

 will have completed a three years' cour.se of training in May 

 next desire situation^ as junior overseers or assistants on 

 estates. I'",slate owners and managers who may contemplate 

 offering employment to flu-se pupils should write to Mr. J. C^ 

 Moore, Agricultural .Superintendent, St. I,ucia. 



