26o NATURE-STUDY 



of the children engaged in cultivation. Responsibility and 

 care for a little plot of flowers and vegetables has the best 

 moral influence upon such children, and develops a respect 

 for the property rights of others. Petty thieving, and wanton 

 destruction of flowers, trees, etc., have in numerous places 

 been overcome by encouraging the children to cultivate 

 gardens. The work of the Children's Farm cited above, 

 that of the Cleveland Home Gardening Association, and of 

 the National Cash Register Company at Dayton, Ohio, may 

 be referred to as such instances of moral betterment. The 

 pecuniary advantage in the crops to the poor, and the physical 

 benefit from the open-air exercise in the garden need only be 

 mentioned. 



In cities the mere novelty and pleasure in seeing things 

 come up and grow and blossom may be a sufficient stimulus 

 to make the children wish to keep a garden, but in village 

 and country schools this is not quite enough. Every boy and 

 girl knows considerable about the cultivation of plants, and 

 will not be interested in the simple work in the school garden, 

 unless it can be made more useful and practical by the study 

 of the soil, the conditions of plant life, plant behavior, rela- 

 tions of insects to plants, nature and effect of weeds, etc., and 

 by using larger plots for individual beds, so that the value 

 of the product will be an encouragement. By emphasizing 

 the agricultural and horticultural phase of garden work, we 

 can make it attractive and profitable to country children. 



As the agricultural industry is tTie largest source of our 

 national wealth, we should not neglect to train the future 

 workers in this great occupation. Unfortunately the rapid 

 development of manufacturing, transportation, and com- 

 merce has drawn many of our country youth to the cities; 



