96 NATURE-STUDY REVIEW [16:3— Mar., 1920 



tions also have relieved the city dweller of many small duties that 

 are of interest to the child. The small lot cramps the physical 

 child, lack of nature arrests sense development, and modern 

 inventions deprive him of real home interests. 



Under the new conditions of the city, there is an imperative 

 demand for a new and broader education, an education based on a 

 study of the child in his new environment. Teachers now feel the 

 need for the introduction of many productive, educative subjects 

 that develop the biological side of the child. For the introduction 

 of these subjects as school and continuation school activities, 

 gardening is paving the way. School supervised gardening as a 

 definite part of our school course is becoming each year more 

 widespread and permanent. Although this subject was first 

 recognized as a branch of education scarcely more than a decade 

 ago, practically all the larger cities have garden departments 

 in the schoo system. Within the past two years, the number of 

 supervisors in sma 1 cities and towns has increased over two 

 hundred percent, and the increase in garden teachers has exceeded 

 five hundred per cent. 



Where school supervised gardening has been introduced as a 

 cont nuation school activity the child has an objective at the close 

 of the daily session. Whether the garden be on the schoo grounds, 

 vacant lot or in the home back yard there is an eager interest to see 

 what nature has unfolded during the day. There are plants to 

 cultivate and weeds to pull that utilize muscular energy. There 

 are flowers and fruits, and insects to satisfy the demands of sense 

 development. There are definite occupations to employ the inter- 

 ests. 



The school-directed home garden is the most ecomonic form of 

 gardening for small cities, towns and the suburban districts of 

 large cities. The child's garden becomes a center of interest of 

 the whole family. The food is produced at the home where it is 

 to be used and the home is beautified. As the garden t es the 

 child s interest to the home, the visits of inspection and instruction 

 of the garden teachers tie the home to the school. In the congested 

 sections of large cities, home gardens are not always possible and 

 the community school grounds or vacant lot plot must be substi- 

 tuted. This form of school garden usually requires a greater 

 financial cost in proportion to the value of the crop but is still 

 justified from the standpoint of education. 



