AMONG SCHOOL GARDENS 



curious that it is well in passing just to introduce 

 them to the children as seeds, for they might not 

 be recognized as such; some of the nuts in our 

 stores, for instance, or the seeds of certain un- 

 familiar kinds of fruit. There are the interesting 

 black-eyed Susans and the pearl gray seeds from 

 Hawaii, the ''Job's tears" of which necklaces 

 and sometimes rosaries are made. 



Many stories of the ways and life of people are 

 found in the plants. Nearly every child knows 

 the story of Sir Walter Raleigh and the tobacco 

 plant. Many know the history of the white or 

 Irish potato; but few adults know which of our 

 garden vegetables are very, very old, and how 

 many are of recent development. Nor have 

 they had a glimpse of the fascinating life of ad- 

 venture and travel that brought us tea and 

 rice from China and India; the radish and the 

 onion from Asia and Egypt; and, far more re- 

 cently, the tomato from semi-tropic regions of 

 our own continent. A few of these stories do not 

 come amiss and may be found suggested in 

 botanies and in agricultural or horticultural 

 encyclopedias. 



This is some of the work that may be scattered 

 through the summer; with it comes the daily 

 cultivation of the gardens. Cultivation may be- 

 gin as soon as the plants are about two inches high, 

 if it is carried to within two inches only of the 

 seedlings. There will be also the daily care of 

 paths; the daily work in company over all the 



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