No. 4.] BOYS' AND GIRLS' CLUB WORK. 473 



year to year. I would tell them of the seeds, and tubers for potatoes, 

 to be planted. I would also tell them of the records kept, and of the 

 primers and pamphlets to be obtained on gardening, and all kindred 

 subjects; also that hundreds of other boys and girls throughout the 

 State were enrolled, and all aiming to do good work. 



A new opportunity seemed to be opened to them, and a dignity and 

 value seemed bestowed on that kind of work,; moreover, a gift of seeds 

 from the Agricultural College would involve a responsibility on their 

 part. 



Seeds wei-e furnished the children through the Boston Social Union 

 Seed Distribution. In one school alone 500 orders were given. The 

 average order was 10 cents, though they ranged from 3 to 30 cents. 

 Cards for the home visiting were filled out and returned to me. Each 

 garden, as a rule, was visited three times during the summer; occa- 

 sionally, a fourth visit was paid. Every Wednesday afternoon until 

 the middle of September a garden conference was held at the public 

 library in tlie boys' debating room. The volunteers met at this time 

 and talked over the gardens. Children came regularly to report on 

 their gardens and whatever difficulties they were trying to overcome. 

 A kind of exchange and co-operative station was set up on a small 

 scale. Seedlings and plants were distributed. The owners of two or 

 three large gardens were very generous in keeping us supplied from 

 time to time. One or two boys also took orders for some of their 

 produce from their gardens. 



At the Massachusetts Horticultural Exhibition in Boston, 3 first, 

 2 second, 1 third, 1 fifth and 12 special prizes, a total of 19, were 

 awarded, amounting to $23.75. 



Of the 800 gardens started, most of them were successfully kept up 

 to the end, except where the children were away for the summer. At 

 the Arlington exhibition, which was held in a large hall in the high 

 school, the entire town was surprised by the size and quality of the 

 flowers and vegetables raised by the children. Six prizes, three for 

 flowers and three for vegetables, were awarded to all the grades from 

 the fifth in the grammar school to the first in the high school. Also 

 some specials were awarded. These were can-ied off by well-deserving 

 gardeners. The Amherst gold medals, 8 in all, were the crowning glory. 

 The ribbons and buttons were received with great appreciation and 

 played a most valuable part, being highly appreciated and esteemed 

 by aU. Those prizes were decided by expert market gardeners who 

 acted as judges for the vegetables, and those equally well qualified 

 judged the flowers. 



One boy who had taken special pains with his garden asked his 

 mother how many feet he had traveled toward Washington. The 

 mother, failing to appreciate the boy's efforts, told him he would be 

 lucky if his face ever got turned that way. This same mother, on the 



