Teachers' Leaflet. 483 



SOILS FOR CHILDREN'S GARDENS. 



There is no doubting the plant fertility contained in clay, but because 

 of its tenacity — its stickiness — it must be carefully tilled by the husband- 

 man and if possible avoided by the child gardener. If the clay soil of a 

 child's out-of-door garden is small and a supply of sand is convenient 

 its tenacious character may be much modified by spading the sand and 

 clay together. Rotted leaves are also helpful. It was to demonstrate 

 this fact that I suggested the mixing of sand and clay and rolling the 

 combination into marbles, which must prove a failure. To go much 

 farther in this direction in the study of the formation of soils and to add 

 another step and treat of the addition of humus, belong to higher grades 

 than yours. If you enable the children to tell their parents that the 

 larger part of soil is made of stone flour and they know the 

 mi^lls where some of the grist is ground, you will have taken a good 

 first step. 



In giving demonstrations of seed germination in stone flour you will 

 find sand more desirable than clay. Why? Because it is cleaner. Why 

 isJt cleaner? Because wet clay is sticky and is pure mud and it cannot 

 be brushed from the clothing and hands Hke sand. All this is due to 

 the exceedingly fine particles into which clay is divided. Grains of sand 

 are as large as pin heads ; particles of clay are even smaller than 

 pin points. 



A Recipe for Sand-Pies. 



First get your sand and then the dishes for your pies. Egg shells 

 may be used and are the cheapest, but not the best. Empty cans also 

 may be used. Personally I like quart berry baskets. If the latter are 

 used, do not fill them more than one-half or three-quarters full, for the 

 weight of the wet sand will find the weak spots in the receptacle after 

 three or four weeks use. The flower pot of the florist, those three or 

 four inches in diameter, are very good and are not 

 expensive. If egg shells or cans are used it is neces- 

 sary that holes be made in the bottom for drainage. 

 The necessity for this you may explain to the children 

 is to keep the plants from having wet feet. Such an 

 explanation will meet their understanding. and be near 

 enough the fact to answer the purpose The subject 

 of drainage, film moisture and oxidation will be more 

 appropriate for the grammar grades. It is better to make a planting 

 every four or five weeks than have one planting lasting eight or ten 



