140 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



planters, with only such restrictions as shall be judged essential to the unity of 

 the plan, and the success of the undertaking. 



HOW TO CARE TOR AND SAVE THE TREES. 



The placing of groups in charge of families, with the idea of ownership as- 

 sociated, niav be expected to largely secure the needful care and protection. 

 This, however, should be supplemented by a few simple restrictions, carefully 

 devised by the district board and confirmed and established by the people of 

 the district in school meeting assembled. 



Tlie district should also have a care in the selection of teachers, that they 

 be made to feel themselves largely depended upon to beget in the minds of 

 scholars an interest as well as a^;riV?e in such undertaking. 



HOW CAN FLOWERS BE MANAGED. 



The intelligent and successful management of flowers, — especially annuals, 

 (and we should doubtless add the more delicate, attractive, and beautiful of 

 the biennials and perennials), involves an amount of patient persistence, — a 

 waiting and watching for results, and also a degree of practical acquaintance 

 with horticulture, and the requirements of plant growth, scarcely to be looked 

 for in the very young. Hence, if we except possibly a few of the older schol- 

 lars, it would seem to be wiser to confine any effort in this direction, mainly, to 

 the planting and care of perennial shrubs and herbaceous plants, including, 

 possibly, a few of the more robust and hardy annuals. 



Still the refining and elevating influences of pursuits of this character are so 

 decided and important, that we regard the effort as one well worthy of being 

 made ; and in its promotion, we can conceive of no better plan than to allow 

 the scholars to fall, voluntarily, into groups, by families or otherwise, — to as- 

 sign to the purpose a suitable plat of ground, aside from the general play- 

 ground, dividing a portion to each group, holding them, as a whole, responsi- 

 ble for the needful care of their portion, but allowing them, at their pleasure, 

 to subdivide among themselves, each planting and caring for his portion. 

 Such an arrangement must, of course, be conducted subject to the needful 

 general restrictions, which could be enforced most naturally by the teacher in 

 case that personage shall prove to be possessed of the requisite taste and ability 

 for the purpose. The required plants and seeds can usually be obtained, col- 

 lected, or purchased by the scholars if their attention is properly led to the 

 subject at the appropriate season. 



HOW CAN TREES, PLANTS, AND FLOAVERS BE MADE USEFUL IN THE ECONOMY 



OF THE SCHOOL? 



The utilization of these in the school room must as a matter of necessity 

 rest mainly with the teacher, with whom, almost of necessity, the working out 

 of any experiment of this character must largely rest. Teachers, therefore, 

 should become qualified to give occasional short, simple, non-technical talks 

 upon some of the plants or llowers found in the grounds ; and they should also 

 be prepared to point out and explain such peculiarities of growth, infiorescence 

 or fructification as, from economical or other considerations, more or less di- 

 rectly affect their importance or value in the economy of nature; or possibly 

 affect their economic value for culinary, commercial, or other purposes. 



The object may doubtless be farther promoted by the encouragement of 

 emulation in the supply and even in the making up or arrangement of bouquets 



