M \ H ( II . 1 !) 1 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



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School Gardens in Massachusetts 



THE school garden movement was 

 started in Massachusetts by Principal 

 Clapp of the George Putnam School, 

 Boston. Mr. Clapp had been one of the 

 leaders in the teaching of nature study and 

 in trying to make this nature study more 

 real. He encouraged his pupils to bring 

 ferns and wildflowers from the woods and 

 plant them in fence corners of the city 

 school yard. 



Later, as the interest increased, this 

 garden of wild plants was supplemented by 

 a vegetable and flower garden. I speak 

 here of the way in which Mr. Clapp intro- 

 duced his garden work because it is in many 

 ways typical of the manner in which gardens 

 have been introduced into our Massachu- 

 setts schools. 



Usually these gardens were started first 

 in city schools, spreading later to village 

 and country schools. They have been 

 most popular under city conditions though 

 I believe that they have been most pro- 

 ductive of good in the country. 



Little by little the school garden had been 

 making its way but in 1907 its status in 

 Massachusetts seemed to many educational 

 leaders of the state to be still somewhat 

 uncertain. It appeared to some of the 

 friends of the school garden that the time 

 for such uncertainty had passed. We, 

 therefore, planned a school garden meeting 

 to be held in Tremont Temple, Boston, on 

 February 15, 1907. The foreword of the 

 programme was as follows: 



"Many superintendents of the state 

 have expressed their belief in the school 

 garden movement and their desire for 

 suggestions as to how to conduct such 

 school gardens. This meeting has been 

 planned with the idea of bringing together 

 those who have had experience, and those 

 who have had none, for full and free 

 discussion. 



"The topics for discussion were as 

 follows: 1. The school garden in the vil- 

 lage. 2. The school garden in the city. 



3. The school garden in the country. 



4. Children's home gardens." 



The plans for the meeting were con- 

 sistently carried mil and the results were 

 about what was expected. From that day 

 there has been no question regarding the 

 Standing of the school garden as a desirable 

 form of school activity. 



The present status of the school garden 

 in Massachusetts, judging from letters 

 recently received from a variety of people 

 in different parts of the state, seems about 

 as follows: 



1. Whereas ten years ago only one 

 normal school in the state was doing such 

 work at present every normal school but one 

 is training its pupils in school garden work. 



2. In many cities and towns the work 

 is getting on to a more rational basis and 

 less showy but more substantial work is 

 being done. 



3. In a few places the work has proved 

 disappointing and has given place to 

 something else. 



4. The state authorities are encouraging 

 the establishment of a few agricultural 

 high schools and of departments of agri- 

 culture and horticulture in high schools. 



A garden marker insures straight drills: it also 

 saves time when marking out many beds. Easily 

 made at home 



Only a few have yet been established and 

 the whole matter is in the experimental 

 stage. 



5. Considerable enthusiasm is being 

 aroused by the establishment of corn and 

 potato clubs which receive their encour- 

 agement from the Amherst Agricultural 

 College. 



6. Much is being done by way of prizes 

 for exhibits of the products of children's 

 school and home gardens offered by the 

 State Horticultural Association, by county 

 agricultural fairs and by local organizations 

 of citizens and women's clubs. 



The school garden movement has taken 

 many forms such as the improvement of 

 the school grounds, the cultivation of 

 ground on or near the school grounds for 

 flowers, vegetables, bulbs or vines, the care 

 of home gardens, the improvement of 

 home lawns, the establishment of courses 

 of agriculture including horticulture and 

 poultry raising, the establishment of corn 

 clubs and potato clubs. 



There is a strong sentiment in Massa- 

 chusetts against the trade school type for 



children in the grades. It is not, therefore, 

 our purpose to leach school garden work 

 for the sake of making farmers. We aim 

 rather to so enlarge and enrich the expe- 

 riences of the children, that their sym- 

 pathies may be broadened, and they may 

 become better citizens. 

 Hyannis, Mass. W. A. Baldwin, 



Principal Slate Normal School. 



Garden Work for This Month 



DOYS and girls require just the same 

 *--' directions and rules for seed planting 

 as their fathers and mothers receive. Be- 

 cause of this I wish you would read this 

 month's issue of the magazine right through. 

 It is just cram full of things you wish to 

 know. There are three articles which 

 will be of special interest to children who 

 garden. One article is about starting 

 vegetable seed indoors. The other two 

 articles are on the art of sowing flower 

 seeds. One of these is written by H. S. 

 Adams, the other by Parker Thayer Barnes. 

 Also look on page 83 and study the vege- 

 table planting table. 



It seems to me that after a boy or girl 

 has planted annuals for a season or two 

 the next step should be to work into the 

 garden some perennial plants. 



Perennials may be sown in August 

 and the next garden season they will spring; 

 up and blossom. Or they may be started, 

 in boxes or in hotbeds now and trans- 

 planted into the garden later in the season. 

 One of the loveliest of perennials is the 

 delphinium or larkspur. Phlox, snapdra- 

 gon, columbine, carnation, forget-me-not, 

 pansy, pentstemon, petunia, and verbena 

 are all perennials. 



Such perennials and biennials as ver- 

 benas, Chinese pink, pentstemons and 

 pansies are often started indoors very 

 early under glass. 



Certain seeds may well be started in- 

 doors at the present time. Celery, toma- 

 toes, cucumbers, kohlrabi, radishes, lettuce, 

 and peppers may all be started indoors. 

 Try larkspur, asters, pansy, zinnia, sweet 

 alyssum and petunia seeds in flats or under 

 glass. Usually about the middle of March 

 sweet pea seeds may be planted outdoors. 



Hi 



The Hyannis Normal School garden at planting time. 

 The students work with the children 



