billig] SCHOOL GARDEXIXG 91 



When the vegetables are ready for use, the markets are studied 

 in order that each child will learn the best way of preparing his 

 products for sale and what to expect for them. It is just that he 

 should receive the same price for his goods that the city merchant 

 does, providing his products are of the same quality. In order 

 to secure this price, the vegetables must be cleaned, arranged, 

 and delivered to the home of the consumer in good condition. 

 To earn- on this work effectively, a school market should be estab- 

 lished. In this way. these young gardeners are getting their 

 first business training and a careful reckoning of the loss and gain 

 involved. Thus again, he has received a lesson in business thrift 

 and enterprise. And when he has deposited his surplus money 

 in the School Savings Bank, which in our own school has been 

 established in connection with the arithmetic work, he has received 

 his third lesson in business economy. 



But to make school gardening really worth while, it must 

 extend into the life of the community. The home surroundings 

 should be more attractive as a result of the work at school. Thus 

 the school garden has served its first purpose in the development 

 of civic pride. To encourage this, the eighth-grade girls in our 

 school have home flower gardens. This home work is carried on 

 as regular school work during school hours. Careful consideration 

 is given to the spot to be decorated and the type of plant best 

 suited to it. The aim of each girl is to beautify her own home 

 surroundings. In this connection, she will be governed by the 

 same principles, that governed her school gardening. She must 

 take into consideration the yards of her neighbors and co-operate 

 with them in securing the greatest beauty to the greatest number. 



In the same way, the boys should be encouraged to secure 

 vacant lots and go into gardening for financial gain. The plots 

 in the school garden are not large enough for great financial 

 returns but serve as a laboratory where the child learns to do his 

 work in the best and most economical manner, thus receiving 

 training not only for work on a larger scale, but also for his place 

 in the business life of the community at large. 



To make school gardening the highest success possible, the 

 co-operation of the various school departments is necessary. 

 In the manual training department, the children make the germi- 

 nating boxes and stakes and keep the garden tools in repair. 





