118 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [18:3— Mch.. 1921 



so we just "dropped in." A fine little Norwegian family were 

 making a start — and a wonderful site they had selected. The trees 

 had been cleared to give a view out across the Sound to the 

 Olympics rising high beyond. The boy was gathering hazel-nuts, 

 but came back to show us his garden. It was a first attempt and 

 the soil was mostly sand, but he had added some leaf -mold and was 

 justly proud of his results. How those people loved their woods! 

 We explored a bit. There were some Lewis woodpeckers busy at a 

 tall tree, and then from another comer came the old familiar cry of 

 "thief, thief." And a thief he is, for here he has stolen the blue- 

 bird's cloak and wrapped himself well in it. Then, to disguise he 

 wears a hooded helmet of deep irridescent purple — a stylish, strik- 

 ing thing, for how could a jay be otherwise, and the Steller jay will 

 not be outdone. Hilding knew where the robins had nested, as 

 well as the thrush, and had several stories to tell us of the little 

 ones. That was his world and he loved it, and everything that 

 grew and lived there. We hope that that love of the out-of-doors, 

 that pride in his garden, will be a lasting influence, and one that will 

 be a determining factor in later years whenever there is to be a 

 choice between a house with some out-of-doors attached and an 

 apartment. We want to make not only gardeners but home lovers. 



We found many fine gardens as indications of real industry. 

 A seventh grade boy who lived in one of the houseboats which 

 fringe the Lake at certain points, had caught large masses of muck 

 that float down the Lake at times, and had filled in a goodly portion 

 of his shore-line, to be rewarded with some extra fine sweet pea 

 blooms. Robert, who lived at the top of the hill, had pushed many 

 a wheel-barrowful of such richness up to his garden — and a fine 

 garden he had despite the fact that he had a "job" during vacation 

 as well. Many families relied almost entirely on their young 

 gardener for vegetables, and were well supplied. Charles, aged 14, 

 not only played the main part in the family garden of one and a 

 half acres, but with the help of his smaller sister, he worked a 

 quarter acre of potatoes, and for such help he reported that he 

 "handed her a dollar now and then. ' ' There is no strong insistance 

 on the child doing the work entirely alone, in fact a garden is a good 

 ground for the seed of helpfulness, and the family garden is heartily 

 encouraged. 



Last summer there were some six thousand gardeners enrolled 

 from the fourth to eighth grades inclusive — more than enough to 



