45 
Library 
The addition of 398 books and 475 pamphlets (not including 
parts of publications), was a very modest growth, and, consider- 
ing that one-half the books and nearly all the pamphlets were 
gifts (p. 00), reflects our altogether too inadequate funds for the 
purchase of publications. The librarian reports 306 current 
periodicals on file, as of December 31, an increase of 48 over 1916. 
Of these 240 are received in exchange. The average number per 
month of users of the library has increased by nearly 53 per cent. 
since we moved from temporary quarters in March. In De- 
cember about 400 books were sent to the binder; as many more 
are ready for binding as soon as funds are available. The need 
of an assistant in the library is extremely urgent. 
Department of Public Instruction 
Children’s Work.—Like most of the other Garden activities, the 
children’s work was more or less colored by the war situation, 
both in the lecture topics and courses of instruction, and in the 
contents of the children’s gardens, vegetables almost wholly sup- 
planting flowers. The appended reports of the curator of public 
instruction and the curator of elementary instruction (pp. 00-00) 
give the details of this work; attention is here called to only a 
few outstanding features. 
Children’s Gardens—The children’s gardens comprised this 
summer 290 individual plots, 8’ & 10’. The curator, Miss Shaw, 
and the assistant curator, Miss Cross, have had the assistance of 
the 22 young women in our teachers’ training class. Two of these 
pupil-teachers have been twice a week all summer to the garden 
connected with Public School No. 82, two others to Public School 
No. 24, and still two others have taken charge of a small garden 
at Public School No. 22. Every Friday afternoon our students 
have spent their time in visiting about 150 back-yard gardens 
under our supervision, located in various parts of the city. 
On two consecutive days during one week in July, there was 
taken from the main children’s gardens, which include 264 plots, 
each 8’ x I0’, crops to the market value of $173.52. This is an 
average of what was taken from these gardens during like periods 

