106 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



in width, and long enough to provide a length of not less than 

 eight or ten feet for each worker. The whole border will be 

 arranged beforehand on a harmonious plan which takes account of 

 the sizes of the mature plants and the colours of their flowers, but, 

 subject to this, each girl will work independently of the rest 

 of the class. In addition to this outdoor cultivation, all girls 

 ought to be taught the management of the commoner indoor 

 plants and window plants. Further, every school garden, 

 whether for the instruction of boys or of girls, should provide 

 for flowers being grown. Quite young children, from the age of 

 eight up to twelve, may have little plots assigned to them in 

 which they can grow and tend bulb plants and hardy annuals. 

 In the case of boys aged from twelve to sixteen it has been usual 

 to assign a plot to each boy, or to a senior and junior boy. The 

 advantage of this individual-plot system is that a spirit of 

 emulation is roused, and boys are ready to work on their plots 

 out of school hours when this is necessary. It is easier, moreover, 

 for the teacher to detect the shortcomings and mistakes of 

 individual workers. On such a system each boy should have 

 not less than one rod, and preferably one and a half to two rods, 

 to cultivate. The minimum of area assigned to each boy at this 

 age should be three-quarters of a rod. Where a junior and a 

 senior boy cultivate a plot jointly the minimum area should be 

 one and a half rods. The individual plot system has, however, 

 two drawbacks. In the first place, the English character is averse 

 to co-operative work, although it is generally recognised that 

 one of the most important qualities to be fostered in members 

 of a rural community is the spirit of mutual self-help. If this 

 spirit is to be encouraged it is urged, by some persons of experi- 

 ence in rural education, that a beginning should be made during 

 school life. Further, the school garden should, inter alia, be a 

 model of what a private garden should be. The vegetable beds 

 should be arranged so as to provide a satisfactory rotation of 

 crops. Corners should be occupied by flowering shrubs, unsightly 

 spaces should be screened by trees or bushes, and the garden as 

 a whole should be pleasing to the eye. 



Now, it is difficult, if not impossible, to form a school garden 

 arranged on the plot system which shall comply with this con- 



