INQUIRIES 147 



carte blanche, however, in regard to the kind of 

 crops they shall raise or their position in the beds. 

 The supervision of the w^ork is in the hands of one 

 person— the director of the agricultural department 

 of the Institute— who decides what vegetables and 

 flowers shall be planted and how they shall be 

 arranged. This plan serves to give symmetry and 

 order to the garden as a whole, and adds materially 

 to the educative value of the work. Most of the 

 plants selected are such as are easily cultivated and 

 such as mature rapidly, Hke lettuce, radishes, 

 nasturtiums and marigolds; though peas, beans, 

 cabbage, spinach and tomatoes are also cultivated. 

 The gardens are made and planted both in the fall 

 and in the spring, the crops sown in spring being 

 cared for during the long summer vacation by 

 volunteers. 



"The beds are separated from each other by 

 paths one foot wide, and are arranged for the 

 different classes in sections, having two-foot paths 

 between them. Extra plots, six feet wide, extending 

 the full length of each section, are used for overflow 

 work by pupils who are exceptionally quick and 

 energetic. Strawberries and raspberries are 

 sometimes permitted in these beds. Another 

 opportunity for work out of the usual routine is 

 afforded by a space of three-quarters of an acre 

 which is reserved at the rear of the garden for the 

 purpose of teaching the larger boys how to use a 

 horse and plow. In order that the esthetic side of 

 gardening may not be neglected — the cultivation of 

 a sense of beauty being esteemed of equal impor- 



