470 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Hadley. 



In sharp contrast from the city conditions of Brockton is the 

 rural town of Hadley. Here are no factories of an imposing 

 type, no congested centers where people live in flats or apart- 

 ments, no narrow streets crowded with commercial traffic. 

 Most of the people are farmers. Many of them live on their 

 farms in the open country. It is adapted to a type of agricul- 

 ture that makes it one of the wealthy to^vns in the matter of 

 production. The chief crops are tobacco and onions. Hay, 

 corn and potatoes find a fairly good place. A few years ago 

 it produced large quantities of milk. Market gardening is be- 

 coming an important factor. The high value of the land for 

 the production of tobacco, onions and market-garden products 

 often stands in the way of the children's being allowed to have 

 a flower bed or even a small vegetable garden. Many an eager 

 child has to supplement with tears his petition to his father 

 for enough gi'ound to plant a little garden of his own. 



Hadley is like Brockton in one respect. It is a splendid 

 illustration of what may be accomplished in the summer edu- 

 cation of its children by paid supervision. The work is in 

 charge of E. J. Burke, the teacher of agriculture in the Hadley 

 high school. Under the terms of his contract the summer 

 months are devoted to the instruction and supervision of his 

 high school pupils in their home projects. His weekly rounds 

 among these young people bring him in touch with the children 

 of the grammar grades who have gardens. 



A perusal of the report of the work reveals the following 

 facts : — 



The spring and early summer were trying times indeed for the young 

 gardeners. With heavy wind storms, rain and weeks of cloudy weather, 

 vegetation was retarded in its growth, and in many cases prevented 

 germination entirely. The conditions were hard on the youngsters, 

 but they never lost faith in their work, and continued to put into play 

 many of the suggestions given by Pj'ofessor Morton and myself. With 

 the poor growing weather of the early summer crops did not look very 

 encouraging, but finally in August a fine hot spell following a rain 

 brought evei-ything along in fine style, and the smiles grew more fre- 

 quent when the gardeners saw that their work was not in vain, and 



