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ORNAMENTING MICHIGAN SCHOOL GROUNDS. 



AN EXPEKIMENT. 



For two years the State Horticultural Society has at its meetings discussed 

 at some length the desirability of ornamenting school grounds. Excellent 

 articles have appeared upon the pages of its publications upon the subject, and 

 occasionally resolutions have been adopted looking toward some practical 

 effort to do something. A committee was appointed to confer with the De- 

 partment of Public Instruction, and a conference was held ; the committee 

 reported that the Superintendent of Public Instruction would enter the work 

 and try to awaken some interest in the embellishment of rural school premises, 

 but beyond verbal iterations there was actually nothing done until February, 

 1881, when Mr. Will W. Tracy, of Detroit, suggested that we confer with a 

 firm of seedsmen and ascertain if a donation of seeds could not be secured 

 under some arrangement by which, while doing a good work for our schools, 

 the donors would lose nothing in the enterprise. 



The executive committee at once adopted the idea and appointed two com- 

 mittees with authority to act promptly; one to seek the firm that would fur- 

 nish the seeds and also to plan for their distribution ; and a second to confer 

 with Department of Instruction, asking that a circular be issued paving the 

 way for the experiment. The second committee reported first, in substance 

 that the Superintendent of Instruction would issue the circular and send it out 

 directly. Up to the date of this writing no copies of the circular have been 

 seen, however, by the State Horticultural Society. Mr. Tracy, of the above 

 committee, after consulting with the Secretary of the society, at once went to 

 work and soon completed a contract with D. M. Ferry & Co., the enterprising^ 

 seedsmen, of Detroit, by which seeds should be furnished schools that might 

 apply, under certain restrictions. 



The following notice was sent to each newspaper in the State, with the 

 circular which follows it : 



Lansing, Mich., March IS, 1881. 



Editor of 



Deapw Sir— We send you the enclosed circular, and hope you will aid us in this 

 work as you have always so willingly done in the past, by giving it a place or notice 

 in yonr columns. We think there is no practical way by whicli the society can so 

 rea'dily awaken interest in the subject as in this, and Mr. H. K. White, of D. M.Ferry 

 & Co., who is lieartily interested in tlie work, will do all in his i)o\ver to make the 

 experiment a success, not only by seeing that the seeds are good and well selected, 

 but that the accompanying directions are clear and ample. It the people can only 



