A FACTOR IN EDUCATION 



tendency to make children better satisfied with 

 country life, and to induce them to stay on the 

 farm in peace and contentment instead of drift- 

 ing to the city. 



Gardening is essentially practical. There is 

 nothing better fitted for the healthful develop- 

 ment of children. It affords opportunity for 

 spontaneous activity in the open air, and possi- 

 bilities for acquiring a fund of interesting and 

 related information; it engenders habits of 

 thrift and economy; develops individual re- 

 sponsibility, and respect for the rights of others ; 

 requires regularity, punctuality, and constancy 

 of purpose. 



Planning the Work. — The question of space 

 is a serious one. A plot of ground two by four 

 feet, or three by six feet, is not calculated to sat- 

 isfy the ambition of an ordinary child, but it is 

 better than nothing. Each school should be sup- 

 plied with space for a lawn, a wild garden, a 

 small formal garden, a nursery of trees and 

 shrubs, a vegetable garden, and a small glass- 

 house, besides the playground. When ample 

 provision for these has been made, and the prac- 

 tical work is under the direction of a trained 

 supervisor, it can be properly systematized and 

 graded, stated periods of the school-time being 

 set apart for regular work in the garden. 



Planting the seeds in the vegetable garden 

 5 



