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GARDENING 

 TOUNG^FOLKS 



CONDUCTED BY ELLEN EDDY SHAW 



Work of the Month 



IF THE garden plot, or the yard, is rocky or 

 sandy it will require special kinds of seeds. In 

 rocky places try candytuft, clarkia, baby's breath, 

 nasturtium, portulaca and columbine. Godetia, 

 sunflower, zinnia, portulaca, nasturtium, and 

 poppy-mallow seeds may be used in the sandy soil. 



Cobea vines start very well from seed and grow 

 rapidly. The seeds are large; notice the spot, or 

 living germ, in each one. Set the seeds up on 

 edge so that the pointed end of the germ is down. 

 These may be started now indoors in paper pots. 

 When the ground is warm and mellow, place the 

 cobea plants, pots and all, in the ground. Next 

 fall cut back the vine, pot up, and bring indoors. 

 These plants will blossom during the winter. 



The coldframe is almost a necessity if one raises 

 many seedlings for the garden. After the seedlings 

 have a good start indoors, put them in the cold- 

 frame. On warm days the sash should be lifted. 



Directions were given in The Garden Maga- 

 zine last month for the construction of a frame such 

 as a boy would need and could make by himself. 



Spring is the time to plant young evergreens 

 because then there is a long, pleasant season ahead, 

 in which time the tree accustoms itself to new 

 quarters and conditions. 



Add to different pots of garden soil manure, 

 nitrate of soda, bone meal and wood ashes. Plant 

 grass, oats or wheat in these. Do the different 

 fertilizers stimulate plant growth over that ob- 

 served in the plants started in ordinary, unfer- 

 tilized garden soil? Be very careful to use only 

 a very little fertilizer; a grain or two of nitrate of 

 soda will do. 



In starting a garden for children it is well to 

 begin rather simply unless there is plenty of money 

 for the work. If the garden is a school one, let it 

 be a part of each grade's work. Even though the 

 space be small all the children can have a share 

 in it. The older boys and girls might take the 

 arithmetic end of the proposition; estimate the 

 size of the individual plots, make large charts 

 of the whole garden for each class room and later 

 mark off the garden. Another class could take 

 for its share the preparation of the soil; fertilizing, 

 spading, making fine the soil ready for the children. 



If rotten manure is to be used, take all there is 

 available spreading it two or more inches thick over 

 the plot. If chemical fertilizers must be used give 

 this formula to the class so they can estimate the 

 amount to buy: 



Multiply the length of the garden in yards by 

 its width in yards; multiply this result by 2,000 

 (the number of pounds of fertilizer to use on an 

 acre); point off four places to the left; multiply 

 by two and the answer will be the number of pounds 

 needed for your garden. For example, suppose 

 the space is 20 yds. X 5 yds. ; then the work goes thus : 

 20X5 = 100; 100 X 2000 = 200,000; point off, 

 20, multiply by 2 = 40. So 40 pounds of fertilizer 

 are needed. 



Another class might represent the Department 

 of Agriculture, sending to Washington for seeds, 

 distributing them to classes and incidentally study- 

 ing about the plants and plant families used. 



Backyard gardening really should be the ultimate 

 goal of all garden work. It ought to go back home. 

 The easiest way to start this phase of work is 

 through the schools. Distributing and selling 

 penny packets of seed are not sufficient. The chil- 

 dren purchasing seed need simple lessons given 

 to them on preparation of the soil, planting, trans- 

 planting and cultivating their little plots. If a 

 school has a space no larger than 5 x 10 ft., even 

 so all these lessons can be demonstrated on this 

 little spot. If there is no one to give the lessons, 

 try a local florist. These gentlemen would be 

 willing to give a little time; or ask the School Garden 

 Committee of the Society of American Florists 



to suggest some local florist who might aid you. 

 In fact, work in all the talent of your community. 

 The pictures on the next page show the pro- 

 gress, step by step, in a school garden. This 

 garden is in Portland, Ore., under the care of 

 Miss Alice Joyce. 



Weekly Calendar for March 



1st week (2-7). Plant sweet peas out in garden 

 if ground is well prepared and weather open. If 

 not wait awhile. It is time to start rockeries and 

 ferneries. Seeds of cauliflower, cabbage and pepper 

 may be started. Sow scarlet runner bean seed, 

 morning glory and other vine seeds in flats ready 

 to go out in the open later. Continue to prick 

 out and transplant seedlings. 



2d week (9-14). Set the coldframe. Look in 

 The Garden Magazine where instructions are 

 given for setting it. Estimate the amount of fertil- 

 izer needed on your garden. Look up the subject of 

 fertilizers in The Garden Magazine. Plan the 

 color schemes for your flower beds. Lists for this 

 work are given in "Gardens and Their Meaning," 

 by Dora Williams, published by Ginn & Co. 



3d week (16-21). Pansies and violas may be 

 planted outdoors. Uncover the outdoor bulb 

 beds, if weather is fine. Evergreen shrubs may be 

 planted and ivy vines, too. Try an experiment 

 this year in the inoculation of soils. Send to your 

 nearest experiment station for literature on this 

 subject; also put in your order for the inoculated 

 soil. Try some soil tests to. show the effect of 

 different plant foods on crops. 



4th week (23-28). Sow sweet peas outdoors. 

 Radish and lettuce seed may be put into the cold- 

 frame. On warm days give the seedlings in flats 

 and pots plenty of fresh outdoor air. The pots of 

 tomato seedlings may be set out in the coldframe. 

 When weather permits have garden spot plowed or 

 spaded, fertilized, and harrowed. 



Results in New York City 



THE Rockefeller Garden was maintained by 

 the New York City Branch of the National 

 Plant, Flower and Fruit Guild on a plot of ground 

 200 feet wide and 175 feet deep, adjoining the 

 Rockefeller Institute at 66th Street and Avenue A. 

 The ground has been loaned to the Guild by Mr. 

 Rockefeller two years in succession and its general 

 effect on the betterment of the atmosphere in the 

 entire neighborhood has been marked. In 191 2 

 the Guild maintained 84 plots; in 1913, 120 plots of 



5 x 10 ft. with 3-foot cross paths and 6-foot centre 

 paths, were maintained. Each child was required 

 to have one row of flowers in addition to five 

 varieties of vegetables. Weekly distributions of 

 the flowers were made to the sick of the neighbor- 

 hood by the children themselves. In the centre 

 of the garden a pool 15 feet in diameter was filled 

 with fish and turtles as well as with aquatic plants. 

 This is the first water garden ever maintained in 

 children's garden in this city and was a source of 

 never failing interest to the small people. From 

 the 120 plots and the observation plots planted 

 at the sides, the following crops were gathered: 

 11,940 radishes; 3,470 beets: 930 heads of lettuce; 



6 bushels beans; 1,360 carrots; 210 ears corn; 

 2,540 bunches flowers. Katharine Paul. 



Exec. Sec'y., N. Y. Branch. 



An Oregon School Garden 



DURING the year of 1913, a new era was de- 

 veloped in the history of the Woodlawn School 

 Garden. In the beginning of the year, the princi- 

 pal, teachers, parents, and janitor began the plans 

 of a successful garden and the spirit of enthusiasm 

 was heartily endorsed by the pupils. 



1C2 



To have a better garden than the one of 19 12 

 (which already had won a national reputation) 

 was not the chief aim, but to apply new plans and 

 profiting by former mistakes, add new experiments, 

 seemed to be the stimulus which resulted in a 

 decision from the throngs who visited it, that its 

 improvement had been marvelous. 



The boys of the Manual Training Department 

 constructed a fence on the north, west, and south 

 sides. The east side, bordering the Vancouver 

 car line, was not enclosed, so that the view of the 

 garden might be appreciated by the many 

 passengers who daily passed on the cars. 



Each teacher was given a section where each 

 pupil in her room might have an individual plot, 

 the primary grades 5x8 ft., the intermediate and 

 grammar grades a plot 8 x 10 ft. There were 585 

 individual gardens. 



The 9th grade introduced experiments with 

 fertilizers. A plot was planted in rows of spinach, 

 lettuce, beets, potatoes, cauliflower, and cabbage, 

 crossing rows in which were placed lime, nitrate, 

 phosphate, potash, and an absence of fertilizer, to 

 demonstrate the result of each upon the stalk, 

 root, and leaf growth of the plants. 



The 8th grade planted and cared for the north 

 side of the garden which was planted in sweet peas 

 and castor beans. 



The 7th grade the west side, which was devoted to 

 172 different varieties of dahlias, cosmos, Shirley 

 poppies and pinks. 



The girls of the 7th and 6th grades collected 

 plants for an "old-fashioned flower garden" where 

 the plants which older persons enjoy might be 

 appreciated. 



The boys of the 5th and 6th grades took great 

 interest in their industrial garden where sixty 

 varieties of grains, lentils and forage plants were 

 carefully planted, labeled, and their growth studied. 

 The harvested grains were stored as material for 

 class study during the winter terms of school. A 

 collection of seeds was made and carefully labeled 

 for class room study. 



The ' 'exchange garden " proved valuable. When 

 a pupil thinned the individual plot, the surplus 

 plants were transplanted or carefully "stored" 

 in the "exchange garden," and any one bringing 

 plants there might take some which were desired, 

 and by special permission from the principal or 

 teachers, many plants were distributed from it 

 when pupils had none to exchange. This proved 

 a valuable demonstration of practical economy, 

 as many plants which otherwise might have been 

 destroyed were taken to the home gardens of the 

 pupils. 



The 4th grades cared for the plot on the west 

 side of the entrance, which was planted in canter- 

 bury bells, bordered with coleus and pansies. The 

 plot on the east side of the entrance was planted 

 in petunias, bordered with purple lobelia. 



The 2d and 3d grades planted three of the garden 

 sections in dahlias — seventy-two choice varieties 

 — and were happy when awarded a first prize for 

 a school collection at the annual dahlia show. 



The 1st grades were happy in a pansy border 

 along both sides of the main path through their 

 section. 



On the last day of school, the garden was used as 

 a place for a reception to the many visitors who 

 attended the "Pet Show," where benches for the 

 various pets had been arranged on the east side 

 of the garden. 



There were no prizes offered by the members of 

 the Woodlawn Advisory Committee. The desire 

 to excel was a loyalty to their school. The principal 

 and teachers are pleased to say that no money was 

 needed for supervision. The work was done volun- 

 tarily during hours not assigned as school hours. 



The Woodlawn School Garden's improvements 

 are as follows: 1912. Soil. Virgin soil, contain- 

 ing many roots of Oregon grape and fern (plowed 



