REN'S GARDENS' EVERYWHERE 



Garden Reports 



DURING the coming year we purpose 

 publishing a series of short articles 

 on the school garden work which each state 

 is doing. This is so that we may all have 

 in mind the progress of the garden 

 movement. 



The first articles in this series consists of 

 reports from Ohio and Canada. The offi- 

 cers of the National Garden Association 

 will make reports for their states. After 

 this the state chairmen will report for their 

 states. The association has appointed a 

 chairman from each state so that local 

 meetings may be called. The work will 

 be gathered together and the final report 

 presented each July at the yearly meeting 

 with the National Educational Association. 



The publishing of these short state re- 

 ports is not for the benefit of the members 

 of the garden association only but as a 

 matter of very general interest to all. It 

 is not the school people only who are in- 

 terested in children's garden work. Clubs, 

 business firms and charity organizations 

 are working along these lines. So this 

 general survey of work is planned to bring 

 with it helpful suggestions for those who 

 desire to start work in gardening and those 

 who are now at work. Each state will 

 contribute its story even if this story be 

 but a mere statement that the state has 

 done nothing so far for children's gardens. 



Elementary Agriculture in the 



School Curriculum 



T^HE Department of Education of 

 -*- the Province of Ontario is seeking 

 through the encouragement of school 

 gardens to introduce the teaching of 

 elementary agriculture and horticulture 

 into rural and village schools on a basis 

 that is sound pedagogically. Some years 

 ago the subject was an obligatory one in 

 the public school course of study and a 

 text book on agriculture was authorized 

 and used. With teachers untrained in the 

 work, the study became another "book- 

 subject" and after a few years was re- 

 moved from the list of obligatory subjects. 

 With the introduction of nature study 

 into the 1904 courses of study there was a 

 revival of official encouragement and de- 



A PROPOSED PLAN OF SCHOOL GARDEN 

 REPORTS GIVEN STATE BY STATE — 

 GARDEN WORK IN CANADA ENCOUR- 

 AGED BY MEANS OF SPECIAL GRANTS 

 — WORK DONE IN OHIO — PRACTICAL 

 SUGGESTIONS FROM METHODS USED 

 IN CLEVELAND'S GARDEN WORK 



Conducted by 

 ELLEN EDDY SHAW 



New York 



finite topics in gardening and plant studies 

 were prescribed. Since then there has 

 been a slow but steady growth of practical 

 plant studies through school gardens. 



The Department encourages the work 

 by special and liberal grants. To any rural 

 or village school, which establishes a garden 

 and gives satisfactory instruction in agri- 

 culture through the employment of a 

 teacher holding a certificate in elementary 

 agriculture and horticulture, an annual 

 grant of $30.00 is made, the teacher re- 

 ceiving an additional $30.00. For the first 

 year the grant to the school is $50.00 to 

 meet the extra expenses of fencing and 

 training. The trustees are obliged to use 

 the money solely for the purposes of en- 

 couraging agricultural education. This per- 

 mits its use for the purchase of agricultural 

 text books for the school library, agricul- 

 tural papers for the pupils' use, vines and 

 shrubs for improving the school property, 

 as well as fencing, draining, manuring, 

 providing tools and tool house. 



At the present time there are about two 

 hundred and fifty teachers in the Province 

 holding the required certificate. This is 

 obtained by attending a ten weeks' course 

 at the Ontario Agricultural College, 

 Guelph, during a spring term or by taking 

 two summer sessions in July and a winter's 

 reading course. The teachers in the spring 

 classes come direct from the provincial 

 normal schools with all expenses for board, 

 traveling and tuition met by the Govern- 

 ment. Many of these teachers take posi- 

 tions in schools where for different reasons 

 they do not commence school gardens but 

 from all of them come reports of good work 

 being done in agricultural teaching. Many 

 have home-gardening schemes in operation 

 among their pupils. As there are about 

 five thousand rural schools in the Province, 

 it may be seen that the problem is not yet 

 solved nor the field covered; there are good 

 hopes however of the experiment leading 

 to plans that may be widely accepted. 



In the year 19 n there were thirty-eight 

 schools that received grants for their garden 

 work. This was more than twice as many 

 as existed in 19 10. There are prospects 

 of a large increase in 191 2. It is estimated 

 that there may be besides one hundred 

 schools carrying on gardening in their 

 school grounds, but as the teachers are not 

 267 



certificated, no grants are given at present. 

 The work has been taken up in Perth, 

 Lincoln and Kent counties most exten- 

 sively, the first two counties have each 

 five gardens and Kent county has six. 

 The western counties of the Province have 

 taken up the work more than the eastern 

 counties. 



In all the work, the teachers are assisted 

 by the Schools' Division of the Experi- 

 mental Union. This is an organization 

 aiming to bring about cooperation between 

 the Agricultural College and the schools. 

 Through this, schools are provided with 

 seeds, shrubs, vines, bulbs, tree seedlings 

 instruction sheets, and manuals on garden- 

 ing for the pupils. 



S. B. McCeeady. 



Director Elementary Agricultural Education J or Ontario. 



The School Garden Movement 

 in Ohio 



TO DISCUSS the garden movement 

 as carried on by the public schools 

 of Ohio would be to exclude much good 

 work which had its initiative under the 

 auspices of women's clubs, home garden- 

 ing associations, private individuals, fac- 

 tories and other organizations. Permanent 

 and progressive results can only be secured 

 when the work is under the control of local 

 boards of education, supervised by effi- 

 cient officers and a regular part of the school 

 curriculum. 



The Woman's Club started the movement 

 hi Cincinnati. Funds were secured from 

 private contributions, and from the pro- 

 ceeds of entertainments. The success at- 

 tained is the result of the unbounded en- 

 thusiasm and indomitable energy of the 

 supervisor. The work has grown to such 

 proportions that an effort is being made 

 to have the expense and responsibility 

 assumed by the Board of Education that 

 it may have the financial and educational 

 background its significance merits. 



Splendid work has been done in the Boys' 

 School Garden of a large factory at Day- 

 ton. This school is happily situated in the 

 region of the factory and comes in for a 

 good share of patronage of the president. 

 In fact, it was at his suggestion that the 

 school gardens were first started. 



The garden is immediately adjacent to 



