Gardening at Bloomington, 111. 



Courtesy of School and Home Education 



J. K. Stableton 



For several years we have been growing about three thousand 

 Grand Pacific tomato plants for distribution among school child- 

 ren, giving to each a single plant or at most but two. The children 

 were to set the plants in their home gardens, cultivate them and 

 care for them in every way, and in September bring the finest of 

 the fruit of the vines for tomato exhibits at the different ward 

 schools. Prizes were awarded for the finest tomatoes. 



This worked finely for several years, but last spring we thought 

 we might do well to attempt something on a larger scale. So 

 after a talk with our teacher of Agriculture and Nature-Study, we 

 decided to have the pupils try to raise fifteen thousand Grand 

 Pacific tomato plants for the purpose of giving ten plants to each 

 of fifteen hundred pupils in the grammar grades for home cultiva- 

 tion. Full instructions were to be given on the cultivation and care 

 of tomatoes in the home garden. 



Fifteen thousand tomato plants are a good many, but the 

 teachers and pupils entered into the work enthusiastically, so I 

 felt sure the plants would be grown. 



First the boys, under the teacher's direction, put all available 

 space that could be given to tomato beds in our two small green- 

 houses into condition to receive the seed. But this was not 

 sufficient space for so many plants. So they proceeded to make 

 three hotbeds, one each at three of the buildings that have no 

 greenhouses. In this way they prepared plenty of forcing room. 



They planted the seed, and later on transplanted the plants 

 to boxes, cans, and to beds out of doors covered with cheese-cloth 

 to strengthen the plants and give them room to make a good growth 

 before they should be taken home for the final planting. To do 

 this took time, but the pupils worked in squads and enjoyed it, 

 and were learning lessons that I think are of great value. 



Finally, when the time came to distribute the plants among the 

 fifteen hundred grammar grade boys and girls, I found wc had 

 more than fifteen thousand plants ready for distribution. 



Before giving out the plants, we gave each pupil a sli]) of i)aper 

 on which was printed instructions on "How to Grow Grand Pacific 



