EVANS] SCHOOL AND HOME GARDENING IN OREGON 47 



bilities of vegetable growing in cities, a citizen in one of our south- 

 em cities loaned one of his vacant lots to a good gardener. This 

 lot is to be a model back-yard garden. It will have some small 

 fruits and a vegetable plot large enough to produce a yearly supply 

 of vegetables for family use. 



For the present, the teacher is the important factor. It cannot 

 be emphasized too strongly that, unless we develop efficient 

 teachers for home gardening, success will not be possible. 



School and Home Gardening in Portland, Oregon, 

 Season of 1914 



By M. O. Evans, Jr. 



Director and Supervisor, Seasons 1913-1914 



The school and home garden work of the Portland Public 

 Schools during the season of 19 14, was much more extensive 

 than during 19 13, a report of which appeared in the Nature- 

 Study Review for October. The work of the previous year, 

 although not started until March i, was so uniformly successful 

 and productive of good results, that the Board of Education saw 

 fit to take it over and finance it for the season of 19 14. Probably 

 no such extensive work in this line was ever conducted elsewhere 

 at such a small cash outlay as in Portland during the past two 

 years. In 19 13 the total expenditures for 28 gardens covering 

 10 acres, amounted to a little less than $2,000.00 for a four months' 

 season beginning March i. In 19 14 the total cost of 43 gardens 

 covering 16 acres, was approximately $4,000.00 of which about 

 $3,000.00 was furnished by the Board of Education, the balance 

 being raised locally in several districts, mostly for fencing, seeds, 

 ground preparation, etc. 



The total registration for 19 14 was 8,100 for the school gardens, 

 and 3,500 for the home gardens. About 1,000 children having 

 gardens both at home and at school left a total of 10,600 indi- 

 viduals actually participating in the work. This was 39 percent 

 of the total public school enrollment and 47 per cent of the gram- 

 mar grades to which the work was largely confined. The total 

 registration showed an increase of approximately 40 per cent over 

 the previous year. 



