the groton children's garden. 227 



Report of the Mill Garden, Groton, Mass. 



BY MISS ELIZABETH SEWALL HILL, DIRECTOR. 



Second Prize, 1905. 



The Mill Garden of Groton was started in 1904, under the auspices of 

 the Groton Village Improvement Society. It is on private property- 

 loaned for the use of the children, and is prettily situated being bordered 

 with pines and spruces. The lot is 180 by 42 feet and the soil is good and 

 easily worked. The individual gardens are 42 by 12 feet acconunodating 

 fifteen workers from five to sixteen years of age. 



The children have met twice a week with an instructor; Wednesdays 

 after school and Saturdays, from May 1 to September 25. Gardening is 

 their pastime and they wished they might meet every day in the week. 

 They kept the ground so well weeded that it was difficult to find one 

 all the summer through. Everything was learned by observation and 

 jotted down in a notebook. An ant was seen rubbing off its wings; a 

 hellgramite w-as caught and studied its life through; everything of in- 

 terest, and that meant everything, was noticed with enthusiasm, studied, 

 and talked about. 



With the six dollars awarded last year by the Massachusetts Horti- 

 cultural Society were bought a good wheelbarrow, six large iron rakes, 

 and three sets of tools. The gardens were laid out by the children under 

 the instruction of the director. Insects and birds were studied and beans 

 were inoculated with the nitrogen bacteria sent out by the Department 

 of Agriculture. The peanuts were more successful than last year although 

 not a very tremendous crop has yet been raised. 



An exhibition of the garden products, in connection with the other 

 gardens of the town, was held at the Town Fair in the fall. Prizes have 

 been given for the best gardens, the judges marking in accordance with 

 the following points: 



General condition. 



Rows out to path, 



Well-thinned vegetables, 



Nothing wasted, 



No weeds, ' 



Behavior. 



These children are ideal gardeners, not only in their work but in every 

 other way. They are bright, well-behaved, and appreciate everything 



