REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE OX CHILDREN'S 

 GARDENS FOR THE YEAR 190S. 



BY MRS. R. G. SHAW, CHAIRMAX. 



The work of the Committee on Children's Gardens for the 

 present year has centered wholly in an exhibition of the products 

 of school and home gardens held at Horticultural Hall, Boston, 

 September 5 and 6. 



This exhibition was very successful in the displays made by the 

 children and also in the public interest manifested. It showed at a 

 glance the great progress made throughout the state in the horticul- 

 tural education of the young people. The exhibition filled the large 

 hall of the Society's building and the displays of vegetables and 

 flowers would have done credit to older exhibitors. 



An innovation in the committee's schedule for the year was the 

 awarding of prizes for collections of flowers grown in window boxes 

 in the city which brought out five competitors. Owing to the 

 increased interest in this line of work due to the efforts of the South 

 End Social Union we anticipate more exhibits another year. Sev- 

 eral model window boxes filled with plants were also exhibited 

 and attracted a good deal of attention. 



The prizes were about equally divided between flowers and 

 vegetables and both of these classes were well represented, the 

 vegetable class being, perhaps, the more popular. Sixty prizes, 

 ranging from fifty cents to six dollars, were offered, and seventy- 

 three awards were made which included a number of extra prizes. 



The exhibits of the various school gardens in the vicinity of Boston 

 were of unusual excellence and showed the high degree of per- 

 fection reached in these gardens. 



The total amount expended by the committee for prizes and 

 expenses was $162.40 and the list of individual awards is given 

 herewith. 



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