IMPROVEMENT OF SCHOOL GROUNDS. 389 



walk leading to the schoolhouse door, and about one hundred trees, 

 shrubs and vines planted. Now my advice is, don't talk as much 

 about it as I have done, but go home and go to work yourself ; if 

 you can induce some one to help you so much the better, bvit anyway 

 go to work, and pretty soon when the results of your work become 

 apparent your community will begin to tell how "Betsy and I killed 

 the bear." But I would also advise that first of all you have a 

 definite plan to work upon, so that the result will be a thing of 

 beauty and not an eyesore. Our plan was so well thought of that 

 it was given an entire page in the March, 1902. number of "Park, 

 Cemetery and Landscape Gardening." 



The President: I was just wondering whether the horticultural 

 society could not send out a circular or pamphlet giving definite 

 directions along this line. I do not know exactly how it should be 

 done, but enough should be printed so that school boards and com- 

 munities could be reached and instructed how to go to work. The 

 pamphlet I have in mind I think should mention the kinds of trees, 

 shrubs and vines that might be planted, and give a definite plan for 

 the improvement of school grounds along the lines suggested by Mr. 

 Long. I think by some such method we might reach and interest 

 a great many communities that otherwise would not accomplish 

 anything in that direction. 



Prof. Hays : One speaker suggested that the consolidation of 

 rural schools was a long way ofif. I am becoming very hopeful that 

 this problem will be solved and at no very distant day. Down in 

 Ohio this consolidation has been sweeping the boards. The trouble 

 in our western country, as I take it, is that we have not learned to 

 get together on any basis. The National Educational Association, 

 the state association, the agricultural colleges and the horticultural 

 societies are getting behind this movement. I believe it is impor- 

 tant that we get this matter of consolidation before the people. I 

 believe it will solve the problem. 



Mr. Long: The trouble in this western country, or in Minne- 

 sota, at least, is that the rate of taxation is so unequal in the various 

 districts. The smaller districts would naturally consolidate with the 

 larger or village districts, where the tax rate is from 50 to 100 

 per cent higher than it is in the country districts. For instance, we 

 agitated the consolidation of two districts in our community, and 

 while our tax rate was thirty mills, that of the adjoining district was 

 but one-half mill, and the people naturally objected to increasing 

 their tax. This same condition exists largely throughout the west. 



Mr. A. D. Barnes (Wis.) : We have existing on our statute 

 books a law which permits the consolidation of schools. It is worked 

 something like the rural free delivery mail system. The children 

 are picked up by conveyances at their homes and carried to school 

 and back again, and where the scheme has been tried it has proved 

 a success. 



Mr. R. H. Pendergast : We have that system in force in Duluth, 

 and we find it very practical. We carry it out on this line : Our city 

 is so laid out that we are going to have a million people by and by. 

 A good share of the city is still forest. We have been trying to 

 establish schools outside, but we could not get a good teacher for 



