10 



Avas made curator and licad of tlie new (U'])artnient, whicli now 

 comprises a ])crsonncl of six persons on lull time, and several 

 persons i^ivin^' part time to the work. 



ddie acli\-ities of tlie dei)arlment lia\-e fallen natnrall_\- into two 

 categories — work with children of iLlementary School and Junior 

 Higli School aj4"e, and work Avith tlie teachers of children. The 

 work with children has also naturalh' fallen under two heads — 

 C()o]K'ration Avith schools, and work or^'anized independentl_\' oi the 

 schools. The services which the De])artment has rendered to the 

 City, throut^T its schools and otherwise, durini;" its first ((uarter 

 centur\- are summarized in the twent}'-hflh annual rej^ort ol Miss 

 Shaw (])]). 7('>-85). Their chief value, of course, lies in their 

 character and ([ualitv, (»f which the liotanic (ku'den has received 

 al)undant testinionv from teachers, educational administrators, and 

 others, and still more elo(|uent evidence from the rajiid growth ot 

 the work. 1 low ^reat was the need ol these services is reflected 

 1)\' llu' luimerical statistics, which are trul_\- impressi\-e, especially 

 if one kee])s in mind the fact that the work' has to do with only 

 one comparativeh^ small part of the elementary school curriculum, 

 namely, nature stud}' whh i)lauts. 



ddie attendance at classes, lectures, and outdoor demonstrations 

 in the ])lantations of the (harden has reached a maximum ot ahout 

 110,000 a year, and the total foi' the twentx'dlve year ])eriod ex- 

 ceeds 1,500,000; the numher of school classes that visit the (karden 

 now exceeds 1000 a vear ; the numher of talks and addresses t^'iven 

 to schools, mothers cluhs of ])ul)lic schools, and other educational 

 organizations hv the Curator a\'erages ot) a vear, with a maximum 

 of 81 (in 1027), and with a total of *X)7 for twentx'-five }'ears. 

 j\[an\- additional talks ha\'e heen given h\' other memhers ot the 

 Department. The numher of ])ackets ot xegetahle and flower 

 seeds su])plied to children through the schools for planting in 

 school and home gardens has reached more than 1,000.000 a year, 

 with a total of more than 11,612,000 since I'Hd when this work was 

 inaugurated with a distrihution of 25,000 ])ackets. It should he 

 kept in mind that the figures here given are for the Depai'tment of 

 hdenientar)' Instruction oiflx', and not for the liotanic Ciarden as 

 a whole. 



