HMM^ AGRICULTURAL NATURE-STUDY 89 



In selecting seed, the children send for a catalogue from 

 one or more reliable wholesale seed stores. (An admirable 

 motive, here, for "language work".) The study of the cata- 

 logue should follow promptly after the discussion of the garden 

 plan. The question of varieties will quickly arise, and if the 

 experimental spirit has been properly cultivated, the natural 

 suggestion will be to try out several varieties and thus to dis- 

 cover which should be planted hereafter in the home gardens, 

 or in the individual plots in the school garden. For the fourth 

 ^rade work this "variety study" is carried on very successfully 

 in the case of the radish. The plant is small and easily culti- 

 vated, the seed is relatively large, the different types readily 

 available from marked individuality, the plant matures quickly 

 and may contribute to the pleasure of a school-room dinner 

 l^efore the close of the spring term. In our experiment seven 

 striking varieties were selected for the test, after the interest- 

 ing discovery by the class that more than one hundred types 

 of radishes have been "invented" by plant breeders. Any gro- 

 cery store will probaly have half a dozen varieties of radish seed 

 for sale, the colored picture appearing on the face of the pack- 

 age. Both red, white, black, brown and yellow varieties may 

 be obtained, and, in each case, the form may be spherical, oval, 

 or tapering like the old-fashioned radish of two decades ago, 

 which is now so out of date that some of the children in our 

 class had never seen it. One lesson is devoted to the charac- 

 teristics desirable in the radish, such as table appearance, ten- 

 derness, rapid growth, degree of pungency, and freedom from 

 disease or insect attack. This discussion alone may open a 

 new w^orld of thought to the children. An item of interest is 

 the psychological advantages possessed b'y the scarlet-coated 

 spherical form w'hich, when partially peeled, suggests a rose- 

 bud on the table. 



All of the preceding work should be out of the way before 

 the time has arrived to prepare the garden for planting. 



(3) Good soil is that which is in proper condition phys- 

 ically and which has an abundance of available plant food. 

 The preparation of the seed bed, including the question of fer- 

 tilizing, is the subject of more than one lesson both indoor 

 and out. Our fourth grade class was told at the proper time 

 that a certain white substance resembling salt, easily applied, 

 is reputed to be valuable as fertilizer, acting quickly upon the 

 growing plant. The name was asked for and promptly given 

 — nitrate of soda. We decided to test its value in forcing rad- 



