EXPENSE AND FEASIBILITY. 59 





 about three hundred kinds of plants for the purpose of 



instruction and education. 



A school garden worthy of the name is practicable 

 on mountain or in valley, on high or low ground, on good 

 or bad soil, near water or remote from water, protected 

 by a neighboring wood or where neither wood, meadow 

 nor tree is at hand. But it must adapt itself to any 

 kind of territory, and be of regular or irregular shape, 

 according to circumstances. To be practicable, it must, 

 above all things, conform to circumstances, as well in ref- 

 erence to its shape which last if not picturesque can 

 easily be masked with shrubbery as to the practical 

 aims it pursues in reference to naturalizing new, and per- 

 fecting already existing branches of industry. 



But no one must think that one school garden, in or- 

 der to work practically, must contain all the advantages 

 that have been enumerated. Such gardens would only 

 be exceptions ; they would be expensive, since they 

 would require the outlay of much money and the ser- 

 vices of a specific gardener. In short, they would not 

 be necessary, since the various conditions can and must 

 be essentially distributed in the city and country school 

 gardens. 



The given circumstances and the counsel of compe- 

 tent persons must first determine which of these requisi- 

 tions are pressingly necessary in a given place, which 

 are very desirable, which are most desirable ; not only 

 what is not immediately necessary but what is impracti- 

 cable ; in fact, whatever element has been overlooked in 

 this sketch. Above all things, let the largest possible 

 area be given to the school garden, so that its already 

 imagined future improvement may at a later time meet 

 with no difficulties. 



