THE TOY-GARDEN. 



Each child should be induced to take interest in caring for 

 a little garden patch of its own. My plans provide for them, 

 and under the direction of the city-gardener and the super- 

 vision of the kindergartner they may cultivate and sow and 

 reap to their hearts' content. While all take part in the 

 plants on the entire grounds, here, in the toy-garden, every 

 one is supposed to apply its own little doctrines to the patch 

 set aside for it. Naturally, most of the plants will be an- 

 nuals and from them we should select quick growing and, if 

 possible, showy kinds. The old-fashioned Strawflowers, 

 Everlastings, should receive a place of importance in this 

 collection. The pretty Acroclinium, the bright Calliopsis, 

 the true Cornflower, the modest Mignonette, the slender 

 Linums, the dainty Gilias, the fleshy Portulaca, the august 

 Poppies, the showy Clarkias, the stately Godetia, the pom- 

 pous Asters, the diffident Love-in-the-mist, and the gorgeous, 

 openfaced Sunflower: they are all grateful objects for a 

 child's gardening. 



I want to mention at this opportunity how attractive 

 plants are to a child if their development offers special fea- 

 tures which will be quickly noticed. Those which close 

 their bloom every evening and again reopen in the morning 

 are notable in this respect. The sweet Baby-blue-eyes (Ne- 

 mophila) and the California Poppies (Eschscholtzia) belong 

 to this class. It is not at all necessary that we draw the 

 child's attention to these changing conditions. We will 

 feel awkward enough by the time one or the other of our 



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