HORTICULTURAL EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN. 177 



institution of its kind in tliis country — by offering liberal prizes, 

 has done so much to stimulate growers, and improve the quality 

 of the most popular vegetables and flowers, that varieties may be 

 considered absolutely perfect." 



Wh}' limit the offer of prizes to the present field? In Europe, 

 agricultural societies give prizes for the best school gardens. In 

 the present condition of horticulture and agriculture, such prizes 

 offered in this country would be more productive of good than 

 prizes for the best displays of flowers, fruits, and vegetables 

 from the home garden. As such prizes would concern a school as 

 a whole and not individual pupils, no ungenerous rivalry need 

 arise. 



The American Agriculturist has recently awarded four prizes 

 for a wheat contest, the first prize being $500 in gold. It has 

 awarded $500 in gold as a first prize in a recent potato contest. 

 It offers S5,000 in prizes for the new potato contest for 1890. 

 Mr. Z. J. Drake, of South Carolina, has received $500 from the 

 American Agriculturist, and $500 from the Department of Agri- 

 culture in South Carolina, as fii'st prizes in a corn contest. The 

 trustees of the Missouri Botanical Garden at St. Louis have 

 established six scholarships, ranging from $200 to $300 a year, 

 with free lodgings, and continuing six j'ears. All such enterprises 

 are worthy, but the enterprise that aims at raising the whole 

 status of agriculture, and at the same time rounding out the 

 education of all the children in the land, is more worthy. 



This Society has the well-earned reputation of being very 

 liberal in offering prizes, but not unfrequently members question 

 whether the sum of six thousand dollars, which is paid out in 

 prizes ever}' 3'ear b}' the Society, is expended to the best advan- 

 tage. If the Society feels disposed to try a ver}' promising field, 

 now is the time, and Boston is the place for the trial, and this 

 Society has everything in its favor for making the trial. Here is 

 an opportunity to set an example for every city and town in the 

 Union to follow, and that association or city that begins the 

 movement will become famous for a magnificent enterprise. 



Some one may ask : "If there is so great an advantage in the 

 establishment and use of school gardens, why has the matter not 

 been attended to by the school authorities?" It is well known 

 that the best educational impulses come from without, — from 

 philanthropic individuals or institutions. We need not go outside 

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