Rural School Leaflet. 102 i 



are given out in the spring, and the children seem to have an increased 

 interest in buying them as the years go by. 



In some communities the civic improvement society encourages the 

 children in gardening by offering prizes for the best home gardens. A 

 committee is appointed to visit the gardens and to take sufficient interest 

 in them to be able to judge the merits of each at the close of the season. 

 It would be difficult for the public school teacher to take this extra work, 

 since visiting the gardens would necessarily demand a good deal of time; 

 but if the civic improvement society will work with the public schools, 

 the teachers will be willing to give their cooperation. If the season's 

 work is closed by a flower and vegetable show, it adds greatly to the 

 interest. 



The most successful work in home gardens that has come under my 

 observation has been under the direction of Mr. H. L. Drummer, of 

 Bath, N. Y. The children in Steuben county have become interested, 

 and anyone who will attend the annual exhibition of the Steuben Nature 

 Study Workers will realize that a most excellent work is in progress. 

 The teachers and parents in the county have worked with Mr. Drummer, 

 and the results he has obtained show that he has deserved their con- 

 fidence and cooperation. 



RURAL SCHOOL-GARDENS 



In the foregoing pages we have given suggestions for gardens in vil- 

 lages and cities. Many of these suggestions can be used in connection 

 with rural schools, but it will not be possible to organize such gardens in 

 country places. We hope that every rural school teacher will consider 

 the preceding suggestions, and use as many as he deems wise on his 

 school-grounds. 



The rural school-garden will have a character all its own. It will 

 be, in a way, a small experiment station; a place in which investigation 

 of problems interesting to the farm community in which it stands can 

 be conducted by the pupils. These problems will vary in different 

 localities. The rural school teacher should find out what is being grown 

 on the farm lands, and with the aid of his pupils, endeavor to add to 

 the knowledge concerning these crops. He should keep in touch with 

 departments of agriculture and current literature' along these lines. 

 He should encourage pupils to conduct experiments that they may find 

 out for themselves some things that will improve the farm conditions. 



The teacher who is ready to give some time every day to gardening in 

 a rural school should prepare a connected series of lessons in soils and 



