68 NATURE STUDY REVIEW [10:2— Feb., 1914 



Taking the vegetables was all very well when some one was there 

 to keep the children from trampling on the lettuce and radishes 

 and from pulling up the young beets and throwing them away. 

 The children had to be taught how to select material for pulling. 

 When they understood the matter, those who helped in the garden 

 took vegetables only when I was there. However, there were 

 some outsiders who took vegetables. I stopped this practice 

 in part by requesting the policeman, while in the hearing of boys 

 whom I had reason to suspect had stolen our big pumpkin, to take 

 home any boys he found prowling around the garden. Needless 

 to say the boys spread the news that I had complained, and the 

 garden was left in comparative peace. 



After discussion of some of these ideas with those who are 

 interested in furthering this kind of work, it seems to me that 

 putting the work on an industrial basis is valuable for several 

 reasons. For example, if we set as a standard for themes, that 

 they be correct enough to pass muster with the editor of a maga- 

 zine, it is not too high a standard that the gardening be done so 

 well and so systematically that it shall yield a profit. And it is 

 wiser that the children should not have all the profit, but that 

 they learn to share the profits. Furthermore, getting some pin 

 money in this way lessens the temptation to steal in order to get 

 it. Among other things, estimating the commission gives real 

 practice in percentage. 



During the summer the children came on the average of six 

 or seven a day. Sometimes we had more, sometimes fewer. 

 Toward the end the children began to drop off. Then I began to 

 talk of a picnic. For the last week we had ten or twelve children 

 present every day. The last Friday before school opened we had 

 our picnic. For luncheon we ate our own tomatoes and cucimibers, 

 and our sandwiches were filled with our own lettuce. Before we 

 came home the children had planned their garden for next year. 



Chicago Normal College. 



