210 



HORTICULTURE 



August 25, 1906 



we nnd no text-books are given to 

 the pupils. Leaflets are compiled and 

 issued to the teachers and also to 

 pupils, in some cases by the boards of 

 educatiou, for the guidance and help 

 of each. 



Leaflets.— These leaflets of instruc- 

 tion for the use of teachers should 

 emanate from a committee of the S. 

 A. F. They should be placed in the 

 hands of the State Board of Educa- 

 tion who will attend to distributing 

 the different grades of leaflets to the 

 different grades of schools; namely 

 the rural common schools, the Union 

 and high schools, and the primary 

 and grammar grades, compiled with 

 special reference to the conditions pre- 

 vailiii.g in each grade. 



We also suggest, for schools that 

 have become somewhat advauced in 

 garden work, and for pupils that have 

 shown interest, that leaflets and small, 

 simple pamphlets bs prepared, con- 

 taining plain illustrations of flowers, 

 giving the botanical parts, also bo- 

 tanical names of the common trees, 

 plants and flowers, and others giving 

 simple explanations of what is meant 

 by "annuals," "biennial," "hardy," 

 "nerennial," and other matters that 

 are met with in every-day life. Even 

 these simple leaflets and pamphlets 

 are not to be given out to the pupils 

 until they show sufiicient interest in 

 their work. This plan can be elab- 

 orated as conditions seem to require. 



NEED OF STANDARDIZING. 



On careful perusal of all documents 

 and reports that we could obtain we 

 find no two schools or organizations 

 ccnducting their garden-work on the 

 same lines, bat each pursuing their 

 work according to their own ideas, 

 and as seems best to them. Great good 

 has undoubtedly come from these dis- 

 united efforts, but greater good will 

 undoubtedly come from concerted ac- 

 tion, emanating from some central au- 

 thority, thoroughly standardizing their 

 work. 



We have suggested dividing the 

 schools into three classes, so that we 

 can better meet the conditions and en- 

 vironment known to exist in schools 

 of each class. In this case, we 

 should issue three series of leaflets 

 of instructions, diagrams, and routine 

 work. The latter could be taken 

 largely from the methods now in force 

 in the various school-gardens. 



INSTRUCTIONS TO TEACHERS. 



Besides placing the leaflets and 

 pamphlets in the hands of the differ- 

 ent teachers, we suggest that one of 

 the trustees should familiarize him- 

 self with the proposed methods, using 

 some of the fuller reports of some of 

 the specially conducted schools of this 

 nature, to get a .general idea of how 

 the plots are laid out and cared for 

 near the schools, or plots loaned by 

 people at a little distance from the 

 school and the home-garden. 



If no trustee feels equal or unequal 

 to this simple task, he could easily call 

 to his assistance a florist, a market- 

 gardener, or even a good farmer in the 

 community to help start the work. If 

 the teachers lack in knowledge of any 

 partictilar subject, they should be 

 given to understand that they could 

 call upon the trustee who would find 

 a person competent to expl.iin. 



A Committee of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society comments very 



favorably on the system of children's 

 home gardens, stating that the Society 

 first offered three prizes, then ten, and 

 were much surprised when they re- 

 ceived over two hundred entries for 

 t!ie ten awards. The Committee vis- 

 ited the hosne-gardens as far as pos- 

 sible, and found it was very encourag- 

 ing to the children to do so. They 

 state: "We still feel the children's 

 home garden movement is a very im- 

 portant one." This Committee also 

 gives prizes in connection with the 

 home-garden system for best reixjrts 

 of work for the year. 



Your Committee, in view of the re- 

 ports on these methods, suggest as an 

 intermediate plan, where conditions 

 seem to favor the method, a Demon- 

 stration Plot in the school-grounds, 

 where the teacher can fully demon- 

 strate with each pupil the preparation 

 of the soil, the application of fertiliz- 

 ers, and the planting of each kind of 

 seed, both of vegetable and flowers. 

 By this means, the depth and distance 

 of planting seed of the standard kinds 

 can be easily learned by the pupils. 



The Demonstration Plot could be 

 vised throughout the season for sim- 

 ple ;alks, during the growth of the 

 plants, even to the method of killing 

 potato-bugs. The object of this Dem- 

 onstration Plot is that it may be used 

 in connection with the children's 

 home-garden system. All instruction 

 and knowledge, as it were, which the 

 children carry home to use in their 

 gardens, will come from this plot. 



STATE TEACHERS. 



The State might employ a few ex- 

 perienced garden directors or teach- 

 ers to visit as many schools during 

 the year as practicable. Schools 

 should be able to call for this special 

 aid where the subject is not sufficient- 

 ly understood. The Committee on 

 School Gardens of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society, after investiga- 

 tion says: "The great lesson learned 

 w-as that children's gardens are suc- 

 cessfully carried on when tinder the 

 leadership of an experienced director 

 or teacher. No matter how enthusi- 

 astically the work is undertaken, with- 

 out a proper understanding of garderi- 

 ing it is usually a failure," The same 

 Committee says; "There is a crying 

 need for an institution in this State 

 similar to that at Hartford, Conn,, 

 where school garden work can be 

 t.aught." 



In the course of time this study 

 could be added to the curriculum of 

 all normal schools, as it already be- 

 longs to that of several, these schools 

 to furnish teachers with sufficient 

 knowledge of the subject to follow the 

 methods laid down. 



LECTURES. 



In educational matter of the present 

 day, be it ever so low or so high, much 

 instruction is imparted to the pupils 

 by lectures and talks. In the rural 

 schools it is not absolutely necessary 

 that the talks or lectures should be 

 given at specified periods. They could 

 be worlced in at times best suited to 

 the convenience of the teacher. 



At most of these lectures, the teach- 

 er should have one or two potted 

 plants or some flowers, and some va- 

 rieties of the common seeds: and it 

 would not take any great length of 

 time, not more than a year or two, 

 perhaps, to make most of the pupils 



familiar with the treatment cf the 

 common and most useful plants. 



APTROrRIATIONS FOR CARRYING ON 

 THE WORK. 



In the matter of appropriations, all 

 the different kinds of school-garden 

 work derive their financial aid from 

 different sources, which is of neces- 

 sity a varying and somewhat uncer- 

 tain amount. For carrying on this 

 work, we want a certain appropria- 

 tion for each grade of school. By 

 way of illustration, but not a sugges- 

 tion, we would say five dollars each 

 for the rural schools, ten for the pri- 

 mary and grammar schools, and twen- 

 ty for the union and high schools. We 

 confidently believe that even an 

 amount as small as this would be felt 

 in a community, but we feel that by 

 coiTelating garden work with other 

 studies, the different boards of e luca- 

 tion would appropriate a larger sum. 



But what must be made plain is 

 that the appropriation sliould be a 

 fixed factor in the expense of con- 

 ducting the schools. 



CHILDREN'S GARDEN CONFERENCES. 



At least once a year there should be 

 a public meeting in the form of a con- 

 ference, where all persons interested 

 should be invited to comt; and malie 

 suggestions, and len.I their aid to this 

 movement. The chil.lron should have 

 a chance to talk a little on their ideas 

 and work. 



At a Children's Garden Conference, 

 December 2. 190.5, under auspices of 

 the Massachusetts Horticultural So- 

 ciety, seven ten-minute addresses were 

 called for to give opportunity for dis- 

 cussion. A unique feature of this 

 meeting was a model ga''den-b'.>d, il- 

 lustrated by a practical exercise by a 

 boy gardener and teacher. This con- 

 ference brought together many people 

 interested, and proved a great success 

 in more ways than one. 



At meetings of this kind, questions 

 of civic government and general bet- 

 terment of surroundings could be dis- 

 cussed. 



Hi:i.AT10N OF SCHOOL-GARDENS TO 

 lOXPEUIMENT STATIONS AND AG- 

 RICULTURAL COLLEGES. 



To some it may appear that the 

 experiment stations and agricultural 

 colleges conflict or compete with our 

 movement. This is not the case. We 

 should be content to call ourselves the 

 common soldiers of this common cause, 

 and we should be also content to be 

 officered by experts from those insti- 

 tutions. They commence at t)ie top 

 and work down. We are commencing 

 at the bottom and will wjrk up. We 

 wish to call on those institutions for 

 lecturers, demonstrators, and instruct- 

 ors. We can work hand in hand with 

 them, and we probably could not suc- 

 cenl without them. 



Sr.MlIARY AND RECO.MMENDATIONS. 



Your Committee now believes the 

 v,«r\< can be taken up with the end 

 plainly in view. Whether it is on the 

 ex;i.i-t lines laid down in this report, 

 or better ideas from the succeeding 

 Committee, is of little consequence. 



We have, available, so many detailed 

 reports of the workings of the various 

 associations taking up the matter of 

 school-gardens, so much data and so 

 many working plans, a ('ommittee 



(Continued on page 215.) 



