REPORT OF THE COINOIITTEE ON CHILDREN'S 

 GARDENS. 



By Henry Saxton Adams, Chairman. 



The annual exhibition of the products of children's gardens was 

 held at Horticultural Hall, Saturday and Sunday, August .30th and 

 31st, 1919. There were 183 prizes offered for displays of vegetables 

 and flowers grown by children under 18 years of age in their hcane 

 and school gardens all of which, with two exceptions, were awarded. 



The total amount of prizes offered was $250.00 of which $100.00 

 was given by the State Department of Agriculture for the encour- 

 agement of gardening among the children of the Commonwealth. 

 In addition the Massachusetts Horticultural Society offered, for 

 the first time, silver and bronze medals to the children having the 

 best gardens in thirty cities and towns within ten miles of the State 

 House. This proved an interesting and valuable feature and 

 should be carried on and the area enlarged another year. 



The exhibition, which was free to the public, was open Saturday 

 from 12 to 6 and Sunday from 1 to 6 o'clock. ^Yhile many visited 

 and enjoyed the exhibition more members of the Society should 

 make an effort to visit these exhibitions. The exhibits have 

 improved year by year and the encouragement given to the children 

 by showing them that the Society as a whole is interested in their 

 work would be a great stimulus. The committee would appreciate 

 suggestions from the members which would be given if more visited 

 the show. 



In looking backward oxer the exhibitions since the first, more 

 than ten ;sears ago, which only partly filled the small exhibition hall, 

 one is impressed with the great improvement in quality of material 

 as well as with the increase in the exhibitors and quantity of ex- 

 hibits, filling as it has during the past few years all three halls. 

 In the class of vegetables this year there were 528 single entries of 

 beans, beets, etc., with probably more than 800 separate exhibits 



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