40 GARDENS AND THEIR MEANING 



section must plant the following vegetable seeds : beans, beets, lettuce, 

 and radishes. There were ten kinds of flower seeds, however, from 

 which four might be selected. The chairman of the seed committee em- 

 bodied this in her report. The section voted for the following seeds: 

 nasturtium, cosmos, sweet alyssum, and California poppy. 



The committee visited various seed firms in the city and reported 

 their discoveries to the class. Each girl contributed seven cents, for the 

 agent had agreed to supply the needs of the section for a dollar and a 

 quarter. The seeds were bought by weight, not by package ; packages 

 cost too much. 



The committee, with the assistance of several other girls, divided the 

 seeds among the eighteen girls of the section. It was, of course, a great 

 deal of work ; yet in the end it was more satisfactory. We found that seeds 

 that came in packages were of a poorer quality than the seeds we used. 



The section then elected a garden committee of three members and a 

 tool committee of two members. 



The first work of the garden committee was the measuring of the 

 land. The land allotted to us was in two parts : one piece measured 1 8 

 by 44 feet ; the other piece measured 1 8 by 20 feet. The garden commit- 

 tee divided the first piece into 7 plots each 1 6 by 4 feet, allowing two feet 

 for a path at the back of the garden, and allowing for two-foot paths 

 between the plots. The second piece of land was divided into three plots 

 1 6 by 4 feet ; one of these plots was used as an observation bed. 



The girls chose partners. Each pair chose one of the plots, which 

 they staked off with strings. Then they divided the plots into halves, 

 each girl taking one half, 8 by 4 feet. The garden committee super- 

 vised the work, seeing that the strings were even, and verifying all the 

 measurements. 



The ground was broken in April. Each girl spaded, raked, and hoed 

 her own garden. The ambitious ones sifted the soil ; the others con- 

 tented themselves with taking out the big stones. It was a long piece 

 of work, but. the gardens were finally ready for the seeds. 



The committee tried to arrange the seeds so that the effect would be 

 harmonious when the flowers were in bloom. A given number of inches 

 was allowed for each plant. There were two rows of lettuce and two 

 rows of sweet alyssum. Of everything else there was one row. The girls 

 measured off the number of inches required for each plant, and staked 

 off each space with string. The committee supervised the work, seeing 

 that the measurements agreed and that the strings were straight. 



