CHILDREN'S GARDENS EVERYWHERE 



— ~\ 



1MUST garden better than they garden at 

 home, if I wish the respect of the parents 

 in my community . " This is a statement made 

 by one teacher about his school garden work . 



What is the trouble with our school garden 

 work ? The matter is we play at it. Children 

 often are taught absolutely wrong. They 

 go to the garden in the most trifling sort of 

 mood. Most school-garden teaching fosters 

 this sort of thing. The garden lessons 

 should be as sound and serious as those of 

 any other subject which is well taught. 



For example you intend to teach the 

 class how to make furrows. There is a 

 right and simple way. There is a wrong and 

 awkward way. A child need not stand 

 humped up like a kangaroo for this furrow- 

 making process. His tool should be a skilful 

 instrument in his hand. Look on page 177 

 of the April Garden Magazine and see just 

 how the hoe should be held. Have the boys 

 and girls study these pictures and prepare 

 for their lesson just as they would prepare 

 for a history lesson. 



Good gardening is an art and a science. 

 Look through these magazine pages care- 

 fully and you will get practical help. Ask 

 us concerning the points that bother you. 

 Get a local gardener to help. Do not be 

 afraid about asking questions to learn how. 

 Be more afraid of this poor play sort of 

 gardening. That kind is not worth the 

 time spent on it. School gardening should 

 be carried on for actual knowledge and not 

 for weak sentimentality. 



You insult a child by putting into his 

 hands the poor sort of tools which most 

 people buy for children. Have you had 

 sent to your school spading forks, the prongs 

 of which any twelve-year-old boy could 

 easily bend with his fingers? I have. 

 Refuse to take such tools. They are a waste 

 of good money. They are mere playthings, 

 and ludicrous ones at that. Buy only strong, 

 firmly made tools. Rakes and hoes that 

 rattle in their sockets, trowels that bend, 

 these are the tools often put into the hands 

 of children. Wouldn't you refuse a pencil 

 that broke short off on first using ? Give the 

 children real tools, real lessons, good seed 

 and proper conditions for working. 



Most of the children's garden pictures 

 sent in are worthless. Why? There are 

 several reasons. Often times the camera 

 itself is poor. Again, too much is attempted 



IN EAGERNESS TO PLANT, THE FROSTS 

 MAY CATCH YOU IF YOU DON'T WATCH 

 OUT. SO BE PATIENT! NOTHING IS 

 GAINED BY TOO EARLY PLANTINGS. HAVE 

 EVERYTHING READY FOR PLANTING, 

 BUT WAIT UNTIL THE GROUND IS WARM 



Conducted by 

 ELLEN EDDY SHAW 



New York 



in one small picture. If you wish to take 

 a picture of furrow-making, take a picture 

 of furrow-making, not of a big garden spot, 

 many children and incidentally a boy or girl 

 making a furrow. This means that the one 

 thing you wish to illustrate becomes a mere 

 incident in the picture. Get right down to 

 business. Take for your own sake pictures 

 which tell real stories. We'll be glad of 

 such pictures. They become a credit to 

 your teaching and your methods of work. 



Talking of pictures, turn to the cover of 

 this magazine. I'm proud to say this was 

 sent in to us during our 1909 competition. 

 Notice it shows something. That something 

 is fine mass effect. It is a part of the work 

 done by the Tracy School children in their 

 improvement of the school grounds. It's a 

 bit of artistic American school planting. 

 We are proud of it. 



So this month let us get our inspiration 



This hole is being made larger so that the roots 

 will not be cramped 



A. \ fi^MftfeKM^W 





£;"?•"■■■] 



Press good soil about roots. Note extent of hole. 

 One man is standing in it 



240 



from this work of the Tracy School. When 

 you set out to improve your school grounds 

 plan to make them just as lovely as possible. 

 Mind you, not as expensive as possible, but 

 as charming as possible. 



Tree Planting for Arbor Day 



r^TRST get your tree. If you go to the 

 -1 woods to choose one, select a tree from 

 a rather open spot. The smaller the tree, 

 in season, the better for transplanting pur- 

 poses. When you dig up the tree measure 

 how deep it sets below the surface of the 

 ground. If any of the rootlets are bruised cut 

 these off. If left on, the entire root may die. 

 Just a few simple directions for planting 

 if carefully followed are sufficient: 



(1) Dig a hole large enough and deep 

 enough to accommodate the roots without 

 cramping. Allow so that the tree will sit 

 one inch lower than it did before. 



(2) Place the top soil on one side of the 

 hole; on the other the poorer subsoil. If 

 the top soil is very poor, get some good, 

 rich, black soil. 



(3) Place good soil in the bottom of the hole. 



(4) Put the tree on this layer, spreading 

 the roots out carefully. 



(5) Shovel over the roots rich soil. See 

 that it goes in between the roots. Don't 

 be afraid to use your fingers for this work. 



(6) The poorer soil goes in on top. 



(7) Tramp the soil down with your feet, 

 making firm about the tree trunk. 



(8) If the planting comes late in the warm 

 weather make the soil into a soft mud with 

 plenty of water, in this form washing it in 

 between and about the roots, so all roots and 

 rootlets come in direct contact with the mud. 



(9) Last of all cut the tree back, shorten- 

 ing the larger branches about one-quarter 

 their length. 



There are a few good reasons why trans- 

 planted trees die. Bruised and cramped 

 roots, soil loosely put in and not packed 

 about the roots, insecure and careless 

 planting, too little pruning, these are the 

 usual causes of disaster. 



If directions are carefully followed, the 

 trees will do well. Trees satisfactory for 

 school purposes are: maple, poplar, oak 

 and plane trees. There are others, to be 

 sure. These are suggested because of good 

 results obtained by children. 



