benedict] will school gardening survive? 261 



ing which is undertaken. If their offer is accepted the most careful 

 investigation is raade of the available plot and the varieties of 

 plants, treatment of soil, and kind of cultivation required. Then 

 during the growing season, frequent visits are made to see that 

 everything is going all right. The inspectors do their very best to 

 prevent that deadly menace to the garden movement, the garden 

 which fails, and strive their utmost to help the child and the cause 

 by bringing the child's work to a happy fruition. 



As a result of the work of nineteen inspectors last summer, who 

 by the way had only eight weeks of training instead of the forty 

 weeks now required, and who were prevented from starting their 

 work until nearly July, 1,522 home gardens were planted by children 

 in all parts of Cincinnati, and over 80% of these were carried to a 

 conclusion which delighted the young gardeners and brought a sigh 

 of relief to the inspectors. The inspectors are, without exception 

 enthusiastic over the results of the establishment of the garden to 

 the child and to the home. Some of their experiences are touching 

 evidences of the innate love of the child for growing things, a love 

 which cannot be gratified in the lives of the great majority of the 

 children of the cities until organized effort opens the way. 



The inspectors are very anxious for further special training. 

 Their experience has shown them that they would have been 

 absolutely helpless without their preliminary training, and that the 

 more they have the more efficient their work will be. This need 

 has caused a number of them to take the long courses this year, 

 although they have already been appointed inspectors . The enthu- 

 siasm of the experienced inspectors and their desire for further 

 technical training points very clearly to the best way in which to 

 meet the third fundamental requirement of the home-garden 

 movement in cities, the welding of the inspectors into a permanent 

 coherent organization, which shall cause home gardening to 

 increase with gathering momentum. The way must be opened for 

 official inspectors to take up advanced lines of work provided by 

 the university through which their knowledge will be increased, 

 their enthusiasm maintained and constant touch established with 

 what is being done in other institutions and in other cities. Inspec- 

 tors with these opportunities will form an organized body of very 

 great influence in bettering the conditions of the children and 

 homes and in beautifying all parts of Cincinnati, but its individual 

 members will be in demand by other communities, to introduce and 



