170 GARDENS AND THEIR MEANING 



It is quite a common practice to raise cereals, hemp, and 

 flax expressly for the geography classes. One teacher 1 offers 

 a list of five plants which in her school have proved particu- 

 larly valuable. These are hemp, tobacco, flax, peanuts, and 

 rice. She says : " In connection with the hemp growing of 

 Russia and the Philippine Islands, the planting of hemp seed 

 became a highly desirable thing. The interesting young plants 

 were eagerly watched and tended. The vigorous plant, with its 

 strong, unusual, and beautiful foliage, attracted general admi- 

 ration. Its rapid growth and great size were enthusiastically 

 noted. In the fall the plant was studied carefully, the stems 

 being pulled apart and a kind of rope, of the long, tough fibers, 

 made in the classroom by the boys. This led easily to lessons 

 on rope making, kinds of rope, and the various uses of rope." 



We should certainly expect the growers of plants to be 

 the ones who could best arrange flowers and fruits, whether 

 for home enjoyment or for sale. What eyes could possibly 

 discern more quickly and display more lovingly the best fea- 

 tures of their products ? Fruits often decorate a room or a 

 dinner table more effectively than flowers. At exhibitions the 

 art of arranging fruit and flowers receives distinct recognition. 

 It calls out special talent and demands special training. On 

 these occasions prizes are sometimes offered for excellence 

 in this respect alone. 



" In our school building," writes a seventh-grade teacher, 

 11 the children supply the drawing teacher with flowers for 

 her lessons during the season. We asked her beforehand 

 what she would like to have us plant, since some plants were 

 more desirable than others for her work. These were used 

 in sketching, designing, and in the color work." 



It is a short step from garden to kitchen. In gardening 

 the schoolgirl finds opportunities which belong almost wholly 



1 Miss Elizabeth Mailman, Rice School. 



