6 



In 1890 there were nearly eight thousand school gardens — gardens for practical 

 instruction in rearing trees, vegetables and fruits — in Austria. 



In France, gardening is practically taught in twenty-eight thousand primary 

 and elementary schools, each of which has a garden attached to it, and is under 

 the care of a master capable of imparting a knowledge of the first principles of 

 horticulture. No one can be appointed master of an elementary school unless 

 qualified to give practical instruction in cultivating the ordinary products of the 

 garden. 



In Sweden, as long ago as 1871, twenty-two thousand children received instruc- 

 tion in horticulture and tree-planting, and each of two thousand and sixteen 

 schools had for cultivation a piece of land varying from one to twelve acres. 



Still more significant is the recent establishment of many school gardens in 

 southern Russia. In one province two hundred and twenty-seven schools out 

 of a total of five hundred and four have school gardens whose whole area is two 

 hundred and eighty-three acres. •■' * * This movement has also widely spread 

 over different provinces of central Russia. 



Since 1S77 every public school in Berlin hasbeenregularly supplied with plants 

 for study every week, elementary schools receiving specimens of four different 

 species and secondary schools six. During the summer, at six o'clock in the 

 morning two large wagons start from the school gardens loaded with cuttings 

 packed and labeled for the different schools. The daily papers regularly announce 

 what plants may be expected, and teachers consult with the gardeners as to what 

 ought to be sown or planted. Teachers take their classes into the school gardens 

 for lessons in botany, and are aided by the gardeners, who cut the specimens. 



In a (•on\"('rsation wliicli I held last fall with Governor Mount 

 upon the condition of the children of rural districts, he showed great 

 interest in the subject and made several important suggestions, and 

 ho afterwards made a speech before the Stale Agricultural Board on 

 .Ian. ±, 1898, in which he warmly endorsed the scheme for the distri- 

 bution of leaflets on Nature Study, whereupon the State Delegate 

 ISoard passed the following resolutions: 



Kesolved, That we heartily approve of Governor Mount's suggestions to the effect 

 that the children in the public schools of the State should be systematically in- 

 structed in such matters as pertain to country life. To this end we are in favor of 

 an amendment to the school laws of the vState, by which instruction shall be given 

 in such elementary sciences as shall pertain to agriculture and household econ- 

 omy. 



Resolved, That until this change in the law can be secured, we suggest to offcers 

 of public schools the propriety of advising their teachers to give occasional oral 

 lessons upon such topics in Nature Study as will have a tendency to interest 

 students in agriculture, horticulture, economic entomology, the care of domestic 

 animals and household economy. 



Resolved, That we believe that the preparation and use of properly prepared 

 leaflets upon subjects relating to agriculture, as suggested in the Governor's address, 

 would prove to be of great interest to our children in public schools and of great 

 value to the agricultural interests of the State. 



The general princi])les on which the leaflets will be prepared and 

 used may be summarized as follows: 



