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Three Wavs ^ ^i^, i\^ w Jfcri, J&r &* Hundred Boys and Girls 



because the garden is one of the largest in the country, 

 commercially— although the children keep the produce- 

 ccess from every standpoint. The article is intended to 

 ilyze the elements of success. 



one of the oldest in the 

 -and because it has been 

 help those interested in 



Jen School Has for Eleven Years Lived Independently, Trusting to its Own 

 Merits to Attract the Children 



The requirements for the children are: 

 First, that they pay the rental; second, 

 that they attend to their plots at least twice 

 a week; third, that they conduct them- 

 selves properly while so doing. The garden 

 is open from three to five P. M. each school 

 day during the months in which school is in 

 session, and all day on Saturday. In vaca- 

 tion time it is open all day every day. 



The superintendent says that in eleven 

 years much of the elaboration of school- 

 garden conduct has been discarded as 

 unnecessary. At first a careful record of at- 

 tendance was kept. Now attendance is 

 kept by looking at the plot. 



Formerly the children were required to 

 keep notebooks; but not now. Once upon 

 a time there were prizes for the best plots 

 and vegetables. Now there are no prizes. 

 If the children want to compete for prizes 

 awarded by outside institutions they may, 

 and usually a number enter the exhibitions 

 of the Yonkers Agricultural Society. 



Records of the returns from plots were 

 kept carefully for a number of years. Al- 

 lowing for the space used by necessary tool 

 houses, paths, and the extra plots given to 

 things other than vegetables, about three 

 acres and a half is in actual vegetable pro- 

 duction. This raised in 1909: 



8, 120 quarts of string beans 4,640 bunches of 

 34,800 beets parsley 



1,740 pecks of Swiss chard 11,600 parsnips 

 23,200 carrots 5,060 quarts of onions 



14,500 heads of lettuce 70,480 radishes 



6,960 stalks of celery 



There were other vegetables, uncounted — 

 tomatoes, for one — and the entire product 

 was valued at $3306, this at the prices at 

 which vegetables were sold by pushcart men 

 in the neighborhood. The gardens are ex- 

 pected to average at least five dollars a plot, 

 a round sum of $3000 for the whole. Against 

 this, as a commercial proposition, is the 

 statement of expenses: 



Salaries $2585 



Fertilizer. 300 



Seeds 100 



Office printing and stationery 125 



Water rents 30 



Sundries 60 



Insurance 5 



Exhibits, entertainment 50 



Total $3255 



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The garden 

 equipment consists 

 of a well-made 

 fence, two tool 

 houses and a sum- 

 mer house, a green- 

 house, cold frames 

 and all the neces- 

 sary tools. 



For every six chil- 

 dren in the garden 

 there is a set of tools 

 consisting of rake, 

 hoe, spade, trowel, 

 watering pot and 

 garden line. The 

 greenhouse and 

 cold frames raise 

 all the tomatoes, 

 celery and lettuce, 

 and so forth, for 

 the garden, and in 

 addition are busy 

 all winter with the 

 special class of 

 boys raising plants for sale, the money for 

 these adding to the garden fund. 



The third test of a garden is the effect 

 upon the children and upon the neighbor- 

 hood. The Fairview Garden School began 

 as a gift from one man — a small garden for 

 thirty-six boys. 



It is now supported by the voluntary 

 contributions of more than 200 persons 

 who have watched it grow. 

 • Despite its avowed commercial intent it 

 is most carefully and attractively planned, 

 with many ornamental beds of flowers, bor- 

 ders that are filled with luxuriant blooms. 

 Among all these are other beds without 

 commercial intent, given over to cotton, 

 flax, sugar cane, jute and sugar beets. 



Seeds are Sold for Home Garden 



Instruction concerning these and the 

 more practical matters is in the hands of 

 three teachers. No pretense is made at 

 a program of theoretical instruction, but 

 with the practical the teacher is able to 

 give a great deal of theory. 



Just what effect both practical and theo- 

 retical instruction have had is not a matter 

 of record, but last spring the children put 

 up 50,000 packets of seeds for distribution 

 to the public schools of the city, from which 

 they were sold. Every packet was disposed 

 of, to be grown in the home gardens, which 

 only lack of funds prevents the garden 

 school from supervising. 



The social interest, fostered by the par- 

 ents of the children, who are constant 

 visitors, and by the garden graduates, has 

 resulted in the establishing of a garden 

 house, just back of the garden proper, 

 where winter instruction in home econom- 

 ics is given to girls, and where clubs of both 

 sexes, young and old, gather for recreation, 

 study and entertainment. And, farther 

 even than the neighborhood, the Yonkers 

 garden has, by a free supply of reports, lan- 

 tern slides and photographs sent out on 

 request, stimulated the beginnings of gar- 

 dens uncounted. The noteworthy school 

 gardens of Portland, Oregon, openly ac- 

 knowledge their debt to the Yonkers 

 garden: 



Portland, Oregon, March 22, 1912. 



Mr. Lawson Sandford. 

 Dear Mr. Sandford : The garden school 



cabinet of photographs has been returned 

 by express, and by 

 this means I want 

 you to accept my 

 personal thanks 

 and the thanks of 

 the community. 

 The pictures have 

 been reproduced, 

 exhibited, talked 

 about, and have 

 been instrumental 

 in causing the es- 

 tablishment of a 

 garden branch in all 

 the public schools 

 in Portland, which 

 I think will be ex- 

 tended to all the 

 public schools in the 

 -orv shnrt.lv. 



