AMONG SCHOOL GARDENS 



Sometimes, some one interested in school gar- 

 dens, having faith that a first year garden will 

 establish itself as a precedent and win friends to 

 support it with a salaried teacher in succeeding 

 years, can be found to give his or her services as 

 instructor for several days each week. Again, 

 the salary can be divided among several communi- 

 ties, as is now done where a teacher of drawing, or 

 manual training, takes charge of the work in a 

 group of schools or in those of neighboring towns. 

 Frequently, where school gardens are started in 

 connection with schools, the question of salary is 

 disposed of because the work is divided among the 

 teachers. So, too, the need sometimes for a man's 

 strength about the garden can be met by employ- 

 ing the janitor, or hiring a laborer, or utilizing the 

 volunteer help of the larger boys instead of paying 

 a gardener the average salary of $60 per month. 



The question of salaries aside, the next most 

 costly items are fencing, preparation of ground, 

 and tools. Where itjs necessary to guard against 

 depredation, a fence of some sort, an open fence, 

 is necessary. It should be open, whatever its 

 material, so that the garden can easily be seen and 

 may become an object of interest to the com- 

 munity. A hedge is preferable where it will 

 serve, and is cheaper than an iron fence. While 

 the hedge is growing, there may be guard rails 

 to protect both it and the garden. If these are 

 angular instead of flat or round, the hedge will 

 be safer from the swinging feet or the falls of those 



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