82 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW 



ordinary farm and household products, sitfficient. Vegetable 

 exhibits should be accompanied by statements explaining their 

 growth and selection. The pupil should also display literature 

 which he studied or consulted for garden information. Charts and 

 maps showing correlation between gard ening and regular school 

 work are well worth while. Judges, or others competent to do so, 

 might give short talks to the children on selecting prize materials. 



Results of experiments are particularly desirable. These 

 may include exhibits showing the results of different fertiUzers, 

 seed selection, land drainage; milk records on different food rations; 

 etc. Here would come, too, new varieties of potatoes, dahlias, or 

 gladioli grown from seeds. Comparatively few children know 

 how new varieties of our vegetables, flowers, and fruits are obtained. 

 They will frequently tell us that such is the result of grafting 

 which, of course, is not true. 



The best kept garden plot in each school section should receive 

 local recognition. School parades, pageants, games, contests and 

 sports should be heartily encouraged. Public-speaking Contests, 

 or Judging Competitions, are particularly desirable; or a debate 

 on some farm topic. 



Local Exhibitions are valuable because all residents can attend. 

 District Exhibitions are desirable, however, because they help 

 standardize the local fairs. Teachers should accompany their 

 children to the district exhibition, and take charge of them through- 

 out the day. It is a school exercise — not a holiday. 



If School Exhibitions should follow the educative suggestions 

 here outlined, the larger exhibitions conducted by the grown-ups of 

 the future will be much moi e worth while than they now are. At such 

 time the Fakir's Row will not be the center of attraction. 



These are not merely theoretical suggestions. Everthing 

 here advocated as a desirable pait of an exhibition has been tried 

 out. About 400 schools in Nova Scotia each year exhibit the prod- 

 ucts of their industry. No one exhibition has had every feature 

 as outlined; but the collective exhibits of the province have in- 

 cluded everything suggested in this paper. In isolated cases de- 

 sirable features have been carried out in addition to those named; 

 but as these had only local significance, they have not been listed. 



In the hands of a good teacher, the exhibition has greater educa- 

 tive possibilities than any other school function. In fact it is 

 absolutely necessary if we are to take advantage of the child's 

 natural desire to ''do something." 



