356 AGRICULTURE. 



will be also learning practical lessons in growing 

 plants to supply them with food or to adorn 

 their homes, thereby elevating their tastes and 

 enriching their lives. 



3. Group Gardens. — The local conditions in 

 the school will determine whether individual 

 gardens or group gardens are the more practi- 

 cable. If the children can have individual 

 gardens at home * then the group garden is the 

 more valuable for the school, since most 

 phases of the work can be better demonstrated 

 by having the children work together. 



If the preparatory work (see i. Preparation. 

 pp. 353, 354), has been carefully done with the 

 children in the class-room, and the plans dis- 

 cussed concerning what, how and where to 

 plant, the children will be eager to carry their 

 plans into effect in the group garden. 



CONCRETE EXAMPLES OF GROUP GARDENS. 



{a) Primary Gardens. — Late in the fall each 

 of the lower grades of the Practice School 

 planted one kind of bulbs. The first grade 

 chose the tulip ; the second grade, the poet's 

 narcissus ; the third grade, the crocus ; and the 

 fourth grade, the daffodil. In early spring they 



* There should be frequent "experience meetings" with the 

 children concerning their home gardens. 



If it can be arranged so that the class and teacher, or at least 

 the teacher, can visit some of the home gardens, it willadd much 

 to the interest of the work. 



