SCHOOL GARDENS. 337 



should be engaged in work in gardens and fields ; but this demand 

 was dictated by purely pedagogical considerations. 



The real garden movement for children, is due, I believe, to the 

 kindergartners. They recognized the value that Froebel attached 

 to a garden where the children might work. He said : — "Let your 

 child plant his own garden, gather his own harvest of fruit and 

 flowers, learn through his own small experience something of the in- 

 fluence of the sun, dew and rain, and gain thereby a remote present- 

 iment of the reciprocal energies of nature and a reverent feeling for 

 the divine life and law expressed in nature." 



In harmony with the foregoing, it appears to the writer, that 

 kindergartners could advantageously devote more time to nature 

 study, and less to occupation gift work and rhyme singing. 



So far, comparatively little progress has been made in the way 

 of introducing school gardens in the United States. It is evident, 

 however, from reports in educational journals, magazines and news- 

 papers, that our country is being awakened on the subject. As stated 

 in a previous paper by the writer. New York has made considerable 

 progress in nature study : — gardening, horticulture, floriculture, etc., 

 for the young. The stimulus emanating from Cornell University, 

 under the direction of Prof. ; L. H. Bailey, has resulted in giving this 

 school feature an impetus that grows in strength yearly. 



Much progress has been made in a number of schools in and 

 adjacent to Boston. Prof. Henry Lincoln Clapp has been promi- 

 nent in assisting this part of the school work. In one of his articles, 

 he mentions successful gardening being done in connection with the 

 Curtis and Swan schools, also in Trenton, and one in Bath, Maine. 

 The teachers' reports of their experience with pupils who* work in 

 these gardens are full of interest, indicating the benefit to be de- 

 rived from this part of their school work. I quote the following from 

 his report for 1899: — "A considerable amount of such work in con- 

 nection with our public schools, especially in the west, would make 

 young people more contented and successful in farming, and keep 

 them from rushing into the cities to become clerks, conductors and 

 genteel non-producers." 



I should mention that the school gardens at Dayton, Ohio, un- 

 der the supervision of the National Cash Register Co., were among 

 the first to make tangible efforts in this country to develop school 

 gardens. In these gardens, the factory furnishes tools and employs 

 an experienced gardener who instructs the pupils in methods of 

 planting, culture and harvesting. 



Seven years ago, work of this character was commenced at the 

 Glen wood Institution, and has been since kept alive annually with 



