292 THE SCHOOL GARDEN. 



Although individuality is encouraged in this work it is 

 generally found desirable to insist on the same crops being 

 grown in the same order in each plot. Otherwise the 

 greatest difficulty is found by the teacher in maintaining 

 discipline, arranging the lesson for the day, and supervising 

 the class at work. This arrangement also facilitates order 

 and tidiness in the garden. 



The disposal of the produce rests with the teacher. In 

 some instances the boys sell the produce of their plots and 

 the money thus obtained goes towards the annual upkeep 

 of the garden. Very often the produce is given to the boys 

 as a reward. 



Plan and Size of Plot with Crops. 



The plan on page 293 illustrates two adjoining plots, 

 suitable for two pupils each, with a suggested scheme of 

 cropping for a School Garden in the North of Scotland. 



The Work of the Garden. 



Instruction and practice in the use of tools is a necessary 

 preliminary to work in the garden, which embraces such 

 operations as : The manuring and digging of plots in 

 autumn ; the preparation of the soil for seedlings in 

 spring ; the sowing of seeds ; the thinning of seedlings 

 in beds and of crops generally ; transplanting ; weeding ; 

 hoeing and the stirring of soil ; the care and management 

 of crops ; the proper harvesting of crops when ripe ; the 

 storing and useful disposing of crops ; the weighing of 

 crops ; general tidying of the garden, etc. 



In addition each boy keeps a note-book provided for the 

 purpose, in which he draws a plan of the garden to scale 

 with his own plot distinctly marked, usually by a light 

 wash of colour, and enters an account of the work as it 

 proceeds, with dates of the more important operations, such 

 as seeding, planting, thinning and harvesting of crops, etc. 

 Coloured drawings of plants and parts of plants grown in 

 the plots are also made in these books. 



