386 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



a lesson in this matter of ornamentation that we shall feel and know 

 about in all future generations. 



Mr. R. H. Pendergast: I must say that I think, as far as my 

 observation goes, we are ahead of your cities. I do not think 

 there is a place in the state where the ornamentation of school 

 grounds is finer than at Ironwood, on Lake Superior, and it is all 

 owing to the generosity of one of the mining men. They had a 

 yard laid off, and, as Mr. Nutter spoke of, they have shown a good 

 deal of judgment in not putting in many trees. There are some 

 trees there, but the shrubs are there in generous quantities. They 

 are placed in groups mostly, sometimes forty to fifty in a group^ 

 mostly of the smaller kind. They have several beds of roses, and 

 I believe, as Mr. Richardson says, that with us up north they are 

 more successful than they are here. In the grounds there are several 

 large beds with from fifty to a hundred bushes, and they show up 

 well. In many places they have vines, and they have them on the 

 building more or less. They have not agreed with Mr. Nutter about 

 the playgrounds. They have very generous playgrounds. They 

 contain croquet grounds, tennis grounds and room for various atl> 

 letic games, and at the same time the children have free access to all 

 parts of the grounds. I visit there every summer, and I like to see 

 how things are progressing. There is no trouble about the children 

 disturbing anything there. As I have always preached, I want to 

 say now that the beginning is with the children. We have got to 

 educate the children. If the children are educated and grow up 

 and have homes of their own, they will put into practice those things 

 they have learned while they were children, and when they are 

 educated to see the beauty of trees and flowers and shrubs, they will 

 have them at home. 



Mr. Morrell : I think the lack of interest in the planting of trees 

 on Arbor Day is very deplorable. In looking about the country we 

 find here and there a schoolhouse with one or two specimens of 

 small, sickly trees, but the majority have absolutely no trees in their 

 yards. There must be some good reason why there are not more 

 trees planted around our schools. One county superintendent said 

 that Arbor Day had been a failure. It seems to me it has been very 

 much so. The fact of the matter is the children go at it in a 

 haphazard way ; they have had no instruction in practical tree-plant- 

 ing and in the propagation of trees and shrubs, and, as a conse- 

 quence, they take very little interest in the matter. It seems to me 

 more interest should be taken by the educators of the state in plant- 

 ing trees and improving school grounds, and there will be no 

 difficulty in doing so if the planting is done with ordinary care. 



Prof. Hays : Madam President, Ladies and Gentlemen : I have, 

 been greatly interested in the discussion of the school grounds, and 

 I got a very much larger appreciation of the opportunities of the out- 

 door part of our schools. I have done some experimenting with 

 country school grounds with gardens, and put the work in the hands 

 of others in some cases, people who were employed by me so that I 

 could put some pressure on as to the manner in which they were to 

 take care of the work. The matter of gardens in the school is a 



