December, 1911 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



221 



Vice-Presidents: First, C. A. Stebbins, 

 California; second, Louise Klein Miller, 

 Cleveland, 0.; third, Stella Nathan, 

 Pennsylvania; fourth, Susan B. Sipe, Wash- 

 ington, D. C; fifth, S. B. McCready, Can- 

 ada; sixth, W. A. Baldwin, Massachusetts. 



This new association will hold its next 

 regular meeting with the National Educa- 

 tional Association in July, 191 2. 



The following is from the president of 

 the association and represents his views 

 on the work: 



"The greatest work of the School 

 Garden Association of America appears 

 to me to be most evident. It is to arouse 

 and to educate a public sentiment in favor 

 of establishing school gardens in connec- 

 tion with the elementary schools. At 

 first gardens will have to be maintained 

 by public subscription. Public uplift 

 agencies of any kind including many 

 forward movements of the church will 

 find the establishment of school gardens 

 a most fruitful source of endeavor. 



"And when once the work is started, 

 it will spread and public interest will be 

 aroused. The next step is to prevail 

 upon the Board of Education in each city 

 or town to arrange for the public mainte- 

 nance of all necessary school gardens. 

 The only institution which is properly 

 equipped to carry on the permanent 

 education of children is the school. The 

 school should be enriched by the garden 

 just as soon as possible. 



"I believe, and my experience proves it 

 beyond doubt, that this school garden work, 

 this agricultural education is fundamental. 

 It is not merely accessory, additional, 

 excellent, healthful, interesting; it is basic. 



"The thing I am more than all interested 

 in is that school gardening shall not be 

 considered one of the "fads" of education. 

 The school needs the garden not because 

 it adds another study but because the 

 present studies are wofully incomplete 

 without it. It is my firmest conviction 

 that the school garden movement will 

 spread all over our land. 



Van Evrie Kilpatrick." 



Christmas Gifts 



nPHESE Christmas pages for the boys 

 *■ and girls are usually given up to 

 pictures of gifts and the directions for 

 making them. This year it seemed of 

 greater interest to tell you the secret about 

 The National Garden Association's for- 

 mation. 



Look back in your December Garden 

 Magazine for two years and run over 

 the list of gifts we have published in these 

 numbers. If you haven't the magazines 

 you can get them from us. I am sure you 

 have not made all the gifts we have suggested 

 before. Wicker baskets may be made in 

 various shapes and sizes to fit different 

 sized pots. Get some ferns and berries 

 from the woods for fern bowls. Stock 

 an aquarium for your small brother. 

 Don't forget Chinese lilies and the bulbs 

 you started just for Christmas gifts. 



Here are two gifts you might like to make : 



These home-made wicker baskets were 

 worked out by Miriam Elizabeth Shaw, of 

 West Newton, Massachusetts. She sends 

 in these directions to help other girls in 

 their Christmas work: 



"One who has a garden certainly needs 

 a gathering basket. To make such a 

 basket you must cut ten stakes of No. 5 

 weaver eighteen inches long. Split five of 

 the stakes as is shown in Fig. 1, and put 

 through these slits the five remaining stakes 

 so that it will look like Fig. 2. But be 

 sure to soak all weavers in warm water for 

 five minutes before using. 



"Take a long piece of No. 1 weaver 

 and bend it in the middle but not so as 

 to break it. Put the weaver around 

 five of the stakes as is shown in Fig. 3, 

 and go all the way around the square 

 three times. Cut out one of the stakes and 

 go around three items; each time taking 

 two stakes instead of five, as in Fig. 4, letting 

 the stake left over start a new combination. 

 The object of this is to spread the stakes 

 so they will be an even distance apart. 

 After this has been done you take a single 

 strand of No. 2 weaver and go ahead with 

 the regular over and under weaving. 



"The photograph on page 220 shows how 



the centre of the basket looks when com- 

 pleted. When you have woven up to about 

 two inches of the ends cut them off and in- 

 sert pieces of No. 3 weaver eight inches long 

 beside the other stakes. This weaver 

 is to be used for the edge. To make a 

 more perfect edge it would be better to 

 use 8-inch stakes instead of a weaver. When 

 you do the cutting do not cut off the ends 

 of the four stakes beside which you are 

 going to insert your handle. For the 

 handle use two strips of No. 6 weaver 

 any length you wish. Insert these beside 

 the four stakes you left being sure they 

 are exactly opposite. This must be done 

 before you make your edge. 



"To make the edge, take any stake as a 

 starting point and weave back of two and 

 in front of one. When you come to the 

 starting point you will find some of the 

 stakes have not been used, such stakes 

 should be woven into the pattern so as to 

 make the edge smooth. Cut off all pro- 

 truding ends. The stakes which you used 

 for the handle must be bound together 

 with No. 1 weaver winding around and 

 around close together so as to make it 

 smooth. You must also bind together 

 the ends you left beside the stakes so as to 

 prevent the handle from slipping cut." 



These figures represent fundamental operations in basket making 



