THE SCHOOL GARDEN 269 



Tools: The school should furnish good stout tools for 

 the garden work. These should include several light spad- 

 ing forks, several shovels, a number of ten or twelve tooth 

 rakes, a set of medium hoes, hand weeders, hatchets, marking 

 cord, measuring tape, watering pots, etc. These should be 

 well cleaned after using, and hung systematically in a dry 

 place. 



Selecting and Buying Seed: Early in March, or even 

 in February, make the selection of seeds. You will want to 

 start some in the house early, and the order may be delayed. 

 Let the children make the selection generally, but see that 

 they do not select seeds not suited to the purpose or to their 

 ability. Large seeds are best for the lower grades, and 

 the more rapid and hardy growers should be selected for 

 them. Send for seed catalogues. The magazines and fam- 

 ily journals will have numerous advertisements of seed 

 houses in their columns. Read up in books on garden- 

 ing. A number of magazines and farm journals usually 

 have garden notes. Let the children have these catalogues, 

 etc., to look at. 



It would be better and simpler for the lower grades at 

 least to make a uniform selection. Seeds may be bought 

 at club rates for about a cent per package, or they may be 

 purchased in bulk and distributed in school. The latter is 

 probably the better way with small classes, when each child 

 needs only a few seeds. The children should pay for them, 

 unless there is a school fund upon which to draw for 



sacrificed by bringing the beds together at the ends. By placing the beds of Grades VI and VII in line 

 with the rest, a long, narrow garden may be made, better adapted to the edge of the school grounds. 

 Whatever the shape or size of the garden a unit bed should be adopted. In this garden the bed is five 

 feet wide and varies in length with the grade. A bed of this width can be easily weeded or hoed from 

 the sides. The rows should run across the beds. In this garden the rows run north and south, which 

 distributes the light best in the rows of plants. In the double beds it is well, for looks, to have the 

 plantings of the two beds match, as shown in lowest row, Grade V, the taller plants being in the middle. 



