second best groups. For the best in- 

 dividual garden banners were given 

 to Joseph Hooker and Roscoe Scam- 



mon. 



* * * 



At the present writing, we think 

 the gardens at the Niles school are 

 the best. The boys have built a 

 fence around the plot. The gardens 

 are uniformly laid out, raised about 

 three inches, and are producing a 

 fine growth of vegetables. We are 

 going to have a picture of the gar- 

 dens in the "Junior" before long. 



Some day if a big auto-truck rolls 

 up to your school filled with chil- 

 dren, greet them as gardeners from 

 Niles, for seventeen of them are plan 

 ning to rent such a car so as to vis- 

 it the other school gardens of Alame- 

 da County. We like this idea. The 

 children of Niles are "up-to-date." 



* * * 



The Decoto gardeners have made 

 a large cardboard bird chart. Col- 

 umns have been made for (1) the 

 name of the bird, (2) when seen, (3) 

 winter, permanent, or summer resi- 

 dent, or transient, (4) where it nests, 

 (5) kind of food, (6) protected or un- 

 protected, (7) name of the pupil who 

 sees the bird first, (8) time of arriv- 

 al or leaving. 



Several "summer residents" have 

 just arrived, (1) the russet-backed 

 thrush, (2) the plain tit- mouse, (3) 

 the chipping sparrow, (4) the black- 

 headed grosbeak. We think the var- 

 ied thrushes have gone north. 



* * * 



One class at San Lorenzo is 

 putting in a lawn in front of the 

 school house. The fifth grade chil- 

 dren are growing flowers and ger- 

 aniums to place about the building 

 besides growing vegetables in their 

 gardens. 



* * * 



We wish to correct an error which 

 was made in the last number of the 

 "Junior." In the article on "Hard 

 Pan and Irrigation" two lines were 

 interchanged and one left out. The 

 article should read that "hard pan 

 is MOST abundant in clayey soils." 



* * * 



If nothing happens the "California 

 Junior Pins" will be ready for dis- 

 tribution before long. They are go- 

 ing to be given to you. 



* * * 

 THE SEED 



A seed is an embryo plant pro- 

 vided with food, usually, and a cover. 

 The embryo sleeps within its cover 

 until awakened by moisture. The 



moisture is necessary in order to 

 carry food to the small plant.. We 

 learned in the previous lesson that 

 there is moisture in the soil so it 

 follows that the first effort of the 

 seed is to bury itself. Observe a 

 seed closely and you may see that 

 its shape is such that it may readily, 

 with the help of winds and rains, 

 work its way into the soil. Many 

 seeds have mechanical arrangements 

 which aid in burying them. Alfilaria 

 seeds ha^e a screw-like ' attach- 

 ment which helps them to work in- 

 to the soil ana into your clothing. 

 The fox-tail has seeds which pene- 

 trate your clothes very readily. Birds 

 nelp to bury seeds. 



Vvith the seed buried by nature 

 or by man, the water enters a lit- 

 tle opening in the seed called the 

 micropyle. This moisture sets up 

 action in the seed, sugar is made, 

 and more water is drawn through 

 the seed cover. The experiment which 

 most of you have seen with the wal- 

 nut shells taught you this. The cov- 

 er which up to this time has been 

 .lelpful to the seed is now a hin- 

 drance and the seed tries to rid it- 

 self of its coat. Finally, the cover 

 splits and the little plant pushes its 

 vvay,' a part upward to become the 

 3tem and leaves, a part downward 

 to become the roots. The plumule 

 oecomes the stem and leaves, the 

 radicle becomes the roots. 



In order to form roots and leaves, 

 food is necessary. The chick comes 

 from the egg and runs about immed- 

 iately to find its food. The little 

 plant cannot do this so nature has 

 placed its food close at hand, in the 

 Jeed leaves, or cotyledons. In the 

 3ase of the bean the seed draws for 

 a long time on the seed food, some- 

 times until the plant is four or six 

 inches high. By this time the roots 

 have formed and have begun to draw 

 upon the soil for mineral food, the 

 eaves have begun using the air for 

 food. The pansy seed has very lit- 

 tle plant food for its embryo. The 

 bean has a great deal. These facts 

 tell us something about the depth 

 to plant seeds. The small seed 

 planted deep would not furnish the 

 embryo enough food to help it to 

 the sunlight. We know a general 

 rule to use in planting seeds. It is, 

 plant 'seeds as deep in the ground as 

 three to five times their diameter. 

 Seeds should always be planted deep 

 enough to rest in moist soil, regard- 

 less of the rule. We have seen 

 children plant seeds in dry soil.' 

 Since moisture is essential to plant 

 growth, no results can, thus, be ob- 



