138 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



April, 



Ornamentation about Country 

 School Houses. 



BY L. H. BAILEY. 



No one can doubt the need of ornament 

 about country school houses. The only 

 moot i)oints are those of the method.s and 

 principles to be emi)loyed. It is a compara- 

 tively easy matter to render a. school ground 

 fascinating if the operator has the chance of 

 selecting the .site and placing the buildings. 

 These privileges are rare, hovrever, and it Is 

 the purpose of the present 

 contribution to suggest 

 methods of making old 

 grounds attractive. The sug- 

 gestions are made solely for 

 the country school, the "dis- 

 trict school." These are of 

 all school grounds the most 

 diflticult to ornament satisfac- 

 torily from the facts that 

 there is apt to be little or no 

 co-operation in the labor of 

 ornamentation among the 

 residents of the district; that 

 the utmost economy must be 

 practiced, and that the ground 

 are usually very small and 

 lacking in natural attractions. 

 Whatever adornment is at- 

 tempted must be of the sim- 

 plest and most permanent 

 character to find sympathy at 

 the hands of patrons. The 

 following suggestions, there- 

 fore, may possess value in 

 this connection: 



1. Grade ns littti: ns possible. 

 not only an expensive and 

 operation 



quick in reaching maturity, easy of trans- 

 portation, eminently adapted for screens, 

 and, by their size, especially suitable for 

 small grounds. It plantings appear to be 

 unsatisfactory after a few years, the shrubs 

 can be readily transferred to other parts of 

 the grounds. They are always manageable. 

 7. Prepare the ground thorrnuihly before 

 any plant imj is done. In setting groups of 

 shrubs it is desirable that the ground should 

 be turned the fall before. If the soil is light 



FIG. 



Grading is 

 burdensome 

 but in the hands of an unskilled 

 operator is usitally productive of harm by 

 destroying the pleasing natural undulations 

 of the surface. Beyond filling up mud holes 

 and tempering very abrupt irregularities, 

 grading should usually be di.scouraged. 



2. Definite walks and drives should be 

 few, or altogether absent. They are expen- 

 sive if well made and well kept, and if poorly 

 made and poorly kept they are a nuisance. 

 Most country school premises are too small 

 for both walks and drives with definite bor- 

 ders and directions. A carriage entrance, 

 usually more or less indistinct, may swing 

 past the entrance of the house in the larger 

 grounds. Such a drive would be necessary 

 and unobjectionable in Fig. 2. 



3. Mrikc no momids, and. insert no orna- 

 ments of an iincomnum character. 



4. Use largely of native plants. They are 

 cheap; they are hardy and vigorous, requir- 

 ing no petting. The children should know 

 them, become familiar with them. The list 

 ( if desirable native trees and bushes is a long 

 one. It would be useless to specify the 

 species here, for most people do not know 

 them by name. Select a good variety. Every 

 swamp and thicket can be laid under con- 

 t ribution. Any bush or tree becomes attrac- 

 tive when given a chance. Select plants 

 which are handsome in leaf and habit as 

 well as in flower. A liberal admixture of 

 evergreens is desirable, yet they seldom 

 thrive well about .school grounds. They are 

 too apt to be injured by romping boys. 

 Their tender shoots are also in great demand 

 among the girls for trimming their hair and 

 garments. 



.5. Flower beds should be few or none un- 

 /(•.S.S the ehildrcn themselves care for them. 

 The reasons are obvious. When the children 

 can be induced to save the seeds and care 

 for the plants, danger from depredation is 

 largely reduced, and the beds can be kept 

 in an attractive condition. A neglected 

 flower bed is much worse than none. During 

 the mid-summer sea-son, broken by a long 

 vacation, the flowers would be neglected! 



fi. Use manii .'<hrn},s. The use of bushes 

 is not appreciated, even in cities. They are 



1. A COUNTRY SCHOOL HOUSE. FROM A PHOTOGRAPH, 



turn under stable manttre. Dig large, ample 

 holes in which to set all plants. Set with 

 care. If possible, give some cultivation for 

 a few feet about each tree or bush for two 

 or three years. This can be performed with 

 a spade or hoe. 



8. Plant the borders of the grounds with 

 shrubs. Such planting has the effect of set- 

 ting the school ground apart from the sur- 

 rounding fields and renders it snug, cosy, 

 attractive. It hides the boimdaries, which 

 are usually marked by shameful fences. 

 The plantings on the borders should be 

 irregular, somewhat clumsy, jutting in and 

 out. Occasional openings should be left to 

 allow of views, passage ways, and to relieve 

 the monotony which would come from a 

 continuous hedge. Figs. 2 and .5 give dia- 

 gramatic representation of such plantings 

 about the borders. Plant the bushes 

 thickly in these groups, use many 

 kinds, mixing them in. If they 

 grow into a wild tangle, so much 

 the better. Let the plantings aver- 

 age at least ten feet in width, be- 

 coming twice or three times as wide 

 in a few places. 



9. Hide tlic out-liouses. Compare 

 Figs. 1 and 3, 4 and (i. 



10. Diinde the grounds by plant- 

 ings of shrubs. This separates the 

 boys' and girls' playgrounds, and 

 breaks the monotony of the prem- 

 ises. Study Figs. 2 and .5. 



11. If the school builditig stands 

 out boldly break its monotouy b]i 

 trees, groups of shrubs, or innes. 

 Fig. 3 illustrates this improvement 

 upon Fig. 1. The building in Fig. 4 

 stands so close to the road that 

 plantings cannot be made in fi-ont 

 of it. Vines answer the same pur- 

 pose. Virginia Creeper is the best 

 vine for this use. Do not be afraid 

 of harm to the building by vines. 



13. Remove the fences or keep 



poses of ornamentation. These trees are 

 shown in diagrams of Figs. 2 and .5 by the 

 shaded disks. In the first example the 

 grounds are about 2(J0 feet square. A drive 

 is essential in this case. This drive al.so 

 serves as a path. In the second example the 

 grounds are less than 1.50 feet square, and, 

 like the former example, lie upon a corner. 

 The house is so near the highways and the 

 grounds are so small that plantings cannot 

 be made upon the two outer sides. The 

 boys use the roadside for a 

 playground, and it is therefore 

 included in the school grounds 

 by the absence of planting. 

 It is usually desirable to 

 make somewhat of a separa- 

 tion between the front and 

 rear grounds. This sets off 

 the rear play grounds and 

 screens. them somewhat from 

 the street. If the playgrounds 

 are somewhat shut in there 

 is usually less annoyance to 

 travelers on the highway. 

 Such separation is indicated 

 on the left sides of Figures 

 2 and .5. 



School Yard Improve- 

 ments. 



CHAS.W. GARFIELD. GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. 

 NUMBER 1. 



There are many discourage- 

 ments connected with the 

 embellishment of country 

 school grounds well nigh in.surmountable. 

 In accomplishing work of this character two 

 objects should stand equally in view: 1st, 

 The placing of an added number of valuable 

 facts within easy reach of the pupils; 2nd, 

 The education of the children and their 

 parents toward a loving appreciation of the 

 beauty in growing things which lead to a 

 higher plane of satisfaction to be enjoyed as 

 a part of life in this beatitiful world. 



As contributing to the successful accom- 

 plishment of the first object, the ornamenta- 

 tion must be guided by some one who 

 appreciates what a wealth of information 

 lies close about us, that is as useful in adding 

 to the welfare of those who study as that 

 which has taken the more labored form 

 of printed lines in textbooks. Who can do 

 this work ^ Certainly we cannot depend on 



them in repair. Note the improvement in 

 Fig. 3 over Fig. 1 in this respect. 



Figures 3 and represent the improve- 

 ment which can be made in small grounds 

 by the use of shrubs. In these instances 

 there were enough natural trees^for the pur' 



2. PLAN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT OF FIG. 1, 

 PLANTING SHRUBS. HIGHWAY ON TWO SIDES. 



the boards in charge of the schools; and in 

 any suggestions I may make nothing will 

 be expected of them. I know whereof I 

 speak from experience asa member for some 

 years. The inspiration, the method and the 

 work must be in the teacher. And I confess 



