TREE PLANTING IN SCHOOL YARDS 



BY 



Louise Klein Miller, Curator of School Gardens, Cleveland, Ohio 



IF AN appreciation of forests and Gardening Association, has direction 



^ forest preservation is ever to be- of the school gardens, superintends 



come general, public sentiment must the planting of trees and shrubs for 



be aroused, and the most comprehen- the improvement of the school grounds 



sive way of accomplishing the result and delivers illustrated lectures in the 



is to educate the children of the pub- public schools for the purpose of giv- 



lic schools and, through them, their ing specific directions on preparation 



parents. of soils, planning and laying out of 



Through the efforts of the Home gardens, artistic color combinations. 



Gardening Association, the children and succession of blooming and crops. 



of Cleveland are becoming intelligent- The city is not only made more sani- 



ly interested in flowers, and as a con- tary and beautiful, but the children 



sequence, back yards have been cleaned are becoming strong and well, and are 



up, and made objects of beauty and de- acquiring a life-giving, wholesome oc- 



light. cupation. 



The association was organized a The herbaceous botanical garden 



few years ago by the residents of which has been started will enable the 



Goodrich House, a social settlement in children to study plants scientifically, 



one of the most congested and immoral In the near future it is hoped to have 



districts of the city. The neighbors an arboretum of trees and shrubs, 



were called together and a Home Gar- which will serve as a laboratory for 



dening Club was formed, each member students taking a course in landscape 



paying ten cents as annual dues, and gardening, horticulture, arboriculture, 



receiving in return ten penny packages ^nd the elements of forestry ; and serve 



of seeds. The dreary back yards were ^s a base of supply for the improve- 



transformed, the people were regener- j-,^ent of the school grounds, 



ated, and light came into many souls jhe children raise their flowers at 



through contact with the beautiful. home, and in the autumn bring them 



What proved so uplifting in one to the schools for the annual flower 



community it was felt could not fail to shows. Judge Dellenbaugh, who has 



be of influence in other sections of the always been a most generous friend, 



city. The president of the Home Gar- will give each school that had a flower 



dening Association secured permission show last autumn a tree for Arbor 



from the school authorities to sell Day. Last spring the Board of Edu- 



penny packages of seeds to the chil- cation supplied one or several trees 



dren of the public schools. The first for each school yard. Each child 



year 40,000 packages were sold ; and v.dio did efficient and faithful work in 



last year over 546,000 packages were the school gardens was given a Ca- 



disposed of to children of Cleveland talpa spcciosa for home planting, sent 



and other cities that have adopted the by Mr. Brown, editor of Arboriculture. 



Cleveland plan. By purchasing seeds Through the generosity of Mr. Brown 



in large quantities the association a thousand Catalpa spcciosa are ready 



found it could make money, all of for distribution to the children and 



Avhich is used for extending the work. schools this spring. 



The school gardens, the outgrowth The superintendent of one of the 



of the movement, were started about parks states that the work being done 



three years ago, supported by the in the schools is showing its influence. 



Home Gardening Association and the because several years ago, in some of 



Board of Education. Last year the the foreign neighborhoods, as soon 



school gardens were made a regular as trees and shrubs were planted they 



part of the school work, under the di- were injured or destroyed, but now it 



rection of the Curator of School Gar- is a rare thing for any plant to be dis- 



dens. She co-operates with the Home turbed. 



