CHILDREN'S GARDENS EVERYWHERE 



OUTDOOR PLANTING IS NOW IN 



\ ^1 7E HAVE promised more than once to 

 * * show a picture of rather unusual 

 school garden work. This month we give 

 a half page to just such a picture. It 

 shows the garden work done by The Ritten- 

 house School, Jordan Harbour, Ontario, 

 Canada. It is worth looking at carefully 

 not only by school people but by home 

 gardeners as well. 



The first impression of this garden is one 

 of unity, good taste, and beauty. The 

 second is that the garden, while of the 

 ornamental type, is also most practical. 



Let your thoughts run riot. Imagine 

 what can be taught from such a garden! 

 Look at the trees of various kinds, the shrubs, 

 the vines, the wealth of flowers, the vegetable 

 garden, the greensward, and the landscape 

 gardening. Consider for a moment the 

 amount of Nature material in such a garden. 

 Another thing to note is the balance of free 

 space in relation to planted space. See at 

 the back of the garden the lawn effect with 

 a shrub or two. This is typical of what 

 might exist in many a home yard. 



The garden, the lawn, the walks, the trees, 

 the shrubs are all planned for in this school 

 work. All sorts of practical and simple 

 lessons in arboriculture and floriculture 

 could be given in such a garden as this. 



How differently we interpret the garden. 

 Most of us think of a school garden or 

 community garden as a piece of land cut 

 up into numbers of little individual plots. 

 These plots have in them a certain collec- 

 tion of vegetables. Each plot is like every 

 other plot. 



This sort of garden gives a feeling of 

 individual ownership. But so may that feel- 

 ing be worked out in the ornamental garden. 

 A child may have a certain section of a row 

 of flowers for instance. This has been a 

 method employed successfully in some of our 

 American school gardens. 



Perhaps, also, we lack originality in our 

 work. A system of gardening is worked out. 

 It proves successful. We garden after this 

 pattern year after year. Would it not be 

 better to march on a bit in our knowledge? 

 Are we afraid of upsetting our system? If 

 a child has learned to raise good lettuce, 

 radish and beets, why not try something 

 else? If we are really teaching them we 

 should not stop at a little knowledge but 

 should wish to equip our children so that 



ORDER. 



DO NOT FEEL RUSHED; 



THERE IS ALWAYS TIME FOR GOOD, 

 CAREFUL WORK. HURRIED PLANT- 

 ING OFTEN MEANS REPLANTING 



Conducted by 



ELLEN EDDY SHAW 



New York 



they would constantly have the desire and 

 and opportunity to learn more. 



We are restricted somewhat in community 

 gardens in that the children are a shifting 

 body. And thus we are limited of necessity 

 in what we can do. But do we teach fully 

 and well? Or do we work over and over 

 a few thoroughly known little facts? 



The small plot has another disadvantage 

 in that it is after all a place for furrow plant- 

 ing. Its very limitations of space make the 

 planting of such hill crops as beans, corn, 

 melons, etc., well nigh impossible. 



To be sure corn, especially, is often 

 planted in the individual plot. The reason 

 for this is placed upon the ground of individ- 

 ual ownership. A child has right within 

 his own little farm his own stalk of corn. 

 He plants, cares for, and watches it. His 

 interest is augmented by ownership. On 

 the other hand one or two isolated little 

 stalks of corn surrounded by beets, radish, 

 lettuce, parsley, etc., is after all quite wrong 

 from the gardener's point of view. The 

 corn does not get the space it should. The 

 solution for this in the community or school 

 garden is to set apart a place of some size 

 for those vegetables needing hill treatment. 

 All the children may work here, each may 

 have a portion for his own. In many gar- 

 dens this is done. Such plots are called 

 observation or community plots. This latter 

 seems the better method of treatment, the 

 rather more practical. 



To return to the garden on the next page, 

 why not try a similar plan this year? 

 Wouldn't it be refreshing? Think of a 

 child not only really knowing how to raise 

 lettuce and nasturtiums, but knowing how 

 to plant a tree, a shrub, to care for a lawn, 



Notice in this children's garden a space set apart 

 for corn to demonstrate hill culture 



30S 



to prune, to make cuttings, and — well — let 

 us leave a little to the individual to work out. 



If but a small place is available for you 

 at your home then, either plant it entirely 

 to corn or beans or melons; or raise the 

 furrow vegetables only. If this small space 

 is a school problem do this: use this space for 

 lesson giving. Teach how to make furrows. 

 to plant, to transplant, to make hills, to 

 place seed in hills and all those simple 

 operations which, well taught, make it pos- 

 sible for a child to go back to his home and 

 work independently. 



But some may say that such a garden as 

 The Rittenhouse presupposes more knowl- 

 edge of horticulture than most people have. 

 The task then is to find out where one can 

 get help. It is a time when many avenues 

 are open. 



We had a request recently to help a school 

 select suitable plants and shrubs for its 

 grounds. The school is a rural one having 

 but sixteen pupils. They have one hundred 

 dollars to spend. They wish to do some- 

 thing along the line of this Canadian school. 

 We were glad to help. 



Mr. Bauskett of Washington in the follow- 

 ing statement points out another avenue of 

 help: "Agriculture is being taught in the 

 public schools; this is a new departure. 

 The general government is taking a hand 

 in the movement to the extent of making the 

 bureau of experiment stations of the Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture a sort of clearing house 

 through which to gather and disseminate 

 this information among the communities 

 that need it. The Department of Agri- 

 culture is of the opinion that it is certainly 

 just as important to teach the pupils why 

 Jenks Williams is getting better crops than 

 his neighbors, as it *is to teach them the 

 names of capes and mountains in countries 

 that they probably will never see." 



Local florists, gardeners and the park 

 board will help, too. Make the most of 

 the opportunities offered in your community. 

 The gardening work is a part of an uplift 

 movement all along the line. 



We are starting a campaign of better 

 tools for children, good sound garden lessons, 

 and gardening which is beautiful as well as 

 practical. A list of school and children's 

 garden books will be furnished on applica- 

 tion to us. This list includes books for 

 teachers and children. 



