CHAPTER V 



THE GARDEN A PLACE TO TEACH ECONOMY 



The garden is an excellent place to learn the differ- 

 ence between true and false economy. Merely to 

 avoid spending is not economy. But to spend in such 

 a way as to average the largest returns in net profit, 

 is true economy. Actual money is not the only thing 

 that can be spent wastefully in a garden, but also 

 labor, time, strength, seeds, manure, water, air, and 

 much else, and net profit need not be measured in 

 actual cash but profit should be desired, and an 

 amount of profit that will make labor worth while. 



If the garden is being conducted for cash returns 

 it should give returns approximate to what could be 

 earned in other pursuits. If health is the object, health 

 should not be sacrificed for some other form of profit. 

 If knowledge is the object, the garden should be made 

 a laboratory for investigation. Many a future com- 

 mercial and home garden will give returns in knowl- 

 edge, health and cash where the owner learned these 

 first principles in the School Garden. 



Education applied in economy of effort. Practical 

 problems will lead the boy and girl to logical reasoning 

 better than any other method. 



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