338 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



continued improvement. Indicating what is being done here, and 

 to bring out clearly what a school garden is, I quote in part from our 

 teachers' reports for this year : 



Primary Class : In a lesson preparatory to working in the 

 school garden, eight kinds of seeds were shown the class, and each 

 member given an opportunity to name them. The seeds were radish, 

 lettuce, onion, beet, peas, beans, corn and oats. Two children recog- 

 nized six of the eight, one recognized five, another four, and the rest 

 from one to four. By one, lettuce seeds were said to be tea. By an- 

 other, radish seeds were called potato seeds. Another "seeker after 

 truth" put a small black seed into his mouth and quickly said "that's 

 onion," and afterwards it was a favorite pastime to taste those black 

 seeds and be sure of the onion flavor. 



All had a vague impression that if you wanted lettuce, you 

 planted lettuce seed ; if radish, radish seed ; if potatoes, potato seed ; 

 but from lack of actual experience there was very little definite 

 knowledge. 



A circular piece of ground seventy feet in diameter had been 

 given us for a garden. This was divided into sixteen beds, and as 

 there were thirty-two children in the class, two children entered into 

 partnership for each bed. They were to prepare the soil, plant the 

 seed, care for the growing plant and reap the harvest in their own 

 particular bed. 



As work progressed, notes were kept by the children. On the 

 first pag-e, I find this written : — "On Monday, April 22, our garden 

 was ploughed and harrowed. Tuesday morning it was divided into 

 beds, and paths were niade. Tuesday afternoon, April 23, we all 

 went to the garden to plant seeds. One bed of potatoes was planted ; 

 the beets for seed ; the oats, the sweet peas and asters. On April 29, 

 Willie and Valentine planted cucumber seeds. Ray and Harry plant- 

 ed beans. Hattie and Bessie planted zinnias. On another day, May 

 and Mamie planted corn, Mary planted dianthus seed, Harold plant- 

 ed marigolds, balsams and bachelor buttons, and Anna planted nas- 

 turtiums. The report goes on to show the interest manifested by the 

 children in watching the growth of their plants, and also speaks of 

 their harvesting vegetables. On May 20th, ten dozen radishes were 

 gathered and sent to the schoolrooms as treats. Later the dining 

 room tables were graced from the children's gardens. One day there 

 were as high as twenty-two dozen radishes taken from their garden 

 to the dining room. On Sept. 1st, when the children and teachers 

 had returned from their vacation, the garden was visited, and many 

 of the children wanted to begin making garden again. It was ex- 

 plained to them that fall was approaching and winter was coming, 



