474 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



morning of the exhibition, loaded the baby carriage with vegetables 

 and laboriously pushed it more than a mile to the center of the town. 

 The interested little gardener followed along with a squash weighing 

 14 pounds. As he neared the school district he told his mother he 

 thought he would go ahead. " And John," she said, " never moved so 

 swiftly in his life. It was plain to see that the boy, as well as myself, 

 thought we looked like immigrants. I left all the produce on the steps 

 of the high school," she said, " and milord carried it all to the hall 

 above. John never worked so hard in his life; he was so afraid the 

 other boys would get ahead of him." 



One mother said : " The gardening is doing us two good turns. First, 

 there is a saving of doctor's bills, and second, it is making farmers of 

 our boys, to say nothing of the vegetables we get for the family. I 

 have never been so well in my life, for I have become so interested in 

 what the children are doing that I stay out of doors, and we are all 

 interested in something worth while. That's the secret." 



It goes without saying that Arlington is a splendid field for garden 

 work. But children need constant supervision and encouragement, and 

 were one able to give more time than I was permitted to give, they 

 would soon stand Avell up on the scale among those who attempt gar- 

 dening. 



Waltham. 



The work at Waltham was in charge of Miss Louise Fay as 

 general supervisor. The conditions resemble rather closely 

 those at Brockton. Some extracts from Miss Fay's report will 

 indicate the scope and character of the enterprise. 



The aim of the Waltham Home Garden Association is twofold, — 

 the benefit of garden work to the child in his development, and the im- 

 provement of home and public grounds throughout the city. 



Large areas for cultivation are not available in Waltham. The chil- 

 dren are encouraged to utilize to the best advantage tlie gi'ound around 

 their homes by planting trees, shrubs, vines and flowers to beautify 

 their surroundings, and, where space will allow, by the cultivation of 

 a vegetable garden. 



The director's work began with talks in the schools, illustrated by 

 lantern slides, showing children's flower and vegetable gardens. As 

 class exercises, the pupils planted seeds in flats furnished by the manual- 

 training department. The seedlings were taken home and transi3lanted 

 in the children's home gardens. Plans of vegetable gardens were drawn. 



The city api^ropriated money for the improvement of three of the 

 school yards, and extensive planting of trees and shrubbery was done 

 by the pupils under the supervision of the city engineer. There is ex- 

 cellent co-operation on the part of the city officials, school authorities, 



