62 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 263 



brought by the pupils. Such a spirit of co-operation has been fostered that it 

 is rare for a' chiJd to neglect his share. For the smallest dhildren, the com- 

 mittee generally writes out directions to be taken home. Nothing expensive 

 and nothing not ordinarily kept in every 'household is ever asked for. 



On the day of one visit such assignments as these* were made*: four carrots; 

 three potatoes; one potato (to be brought by the yoxmgest child); one onion; 

 three slices of bacon; two turnips; one parsnip. All the vegetables, it was 

 specified, were to be brought clean. Out of ingredients like these a vegetable 

 stew was made the ne'xt day. Twenty minutes after school started it was 

 simmering in a pan on the heating stove and needed no further attention ex- 

 cept occasional stirring. Another day, the teacher had borrowed a large 

 double boiler— loaned for just the one day— and the children had hot rice 

 and milk. 



About once a month a five-cent collection is taken, and the teac'her invests 

 the money in special supplies not easily brought from the homes. 



Each child is responsible for cleaning his own eaiting utensils. The older 

 boys carry enough water for the dishwashing and an extra pan on tTie stove 

 provides some hot water. In a building like' tliis one, the hot food service is 

 necessarily restricted to the days on which the heating stove is used, for there 

 is no other way of having Iheat for cooking. 



2. Buildings of more than one room, but without lunch room facilities. 

 In Schoolhouse B there are two rooms, with two teachers; one for the first 

 four grades and the other for grades 5 to 8. During the year tiliis building 

 was visited there was a difference of opinion between the teachers as to the 

 desirability of a supervised lunch period, with hot food when possible, and 

 in the upper room there was no attempt at any food service. This teacher 

 did not wish to make the' effort re*quired, and discouraged the children from 

 attempting anything. On the other hand, the teacher of the smaller pupils 

 felt that her experience had den.onstrated to her satisfaction that a well- 

 ordered lunch hour was worth all the work it mig'ht entail. 



The building has cold running water; aside from this there is no equipment 

 for food service. Each room is heated by a stove so hig'h and round that it 

 has no surface available for cooking; onlj' a small ledge where a little water 

 could be warmed. The teacher told the investigator that the only food she 

 had been able to cook was baked potatoes; thaf the children liked these so 

 much that nearly every day the stove was used for heating each pupil brought 

 a potato to he cooked. The sole regulation was that the potatoes must be 

 washed before they were broug'ht to school. 



The teacher had obtained a grating which had been put into the stove, 

 above the coals, and on this the potatoes were' placed long enough before the 

 noon hour to insure thorough baking. Except for tllie saucers or plates which 

 the chUdren had for individual use, there was no equipment other than a 

 long-handled fork belonging to the teacher. The regularity with whidli the 

 pupils broug'ht the potatoes bore testimony to the' popularity of this addi- 

 tion to otherwise cold lundhes. 



Schoo'lhouse C has found its solution of the* problem of hot food in the 

 utilization of a wash boiler. There is only one school building in the town, with 

 four rooms, four teachers, and 120 pupils in the eight grades, 50 of them 

 living so far away that they must remain at the schoolhouse during the noon 



