THE AGRICULTURAL PHASE 69 



their own phrase. The movement for the 

 children's garden has now taken definite shape, 

 and the result is that more than 26,000 children 

 in New York State were raising plants during the 

 present year. Another illustration of this kind 

 may be taken from the effort to improve the 

 rural school-grounds. I wrote a bulletin on 



* The Improvement of Rural School-Grounds,' 

 but the tangible results were very few. Now, 

 however, through the work of * Uncle John ' 

 with the teachers and the children a distinct 

 movement has begun for the cleaning and 

 improving of the school-grounds of the State. 

 This movement is yet in its infancy, but more 



'than 400 school-yards are now in process of 

 renovation, largely through the efforts of the 

 children. 



" The idea of organizing children into clubs 

 for the study of plants and animals and other 

 outdoor subjects, originated, so far as our work is 

 concerned, with Mr. John W. Spencer, himself 

 an actual and practical farmer. His character as 



* Uncle John ' has done much to supply the 

 personality that ordinarily is lacking in corre- 

 spondence work, and an amount of interest 

 and enthusiasm has been developed amongst 

 the children which is surprising to those who 

 have not watched its progress. 



"The problems connected with the rural 

 schools are probably the most difficult questions to 

 solve in the whole field of education. We believe 

 that the solution, however, cannot begin directly 



