314 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



June, 1912 



Conducted by Ellen Eddy Shaw 



Connecticut's Contribution to the 

 School Garden Movement 



VERY early in the school garden move- 

 ment, Connecticut established a gar- 

 den at the Willamantic Normal School. 

 For twelve years, the Hartford School of 

 Horticulture has continued to give to the 

 boys of the Watkinson Farm School (on 

 adjacent property) and to about a hundred 

 city children, boys and girls, school garden 

 instruction; to Hartford Teachers in Sat- 

 urday classes, and, recently, to New 

 Britain Xormal School students in visiting 

 classes, training in school garden -work; 

 and to adult men and women of Hartford 

 at nominal fees small plots of ground, use 

 of tools, seeds and expert advice in plant- 

 ing them. This school (in charge of Mr. 

 Stanley H. Rood) was founded and endowed 

 by the Rev. Dr. Francis Goodwin primarily 

 for the benefit of the Farm School boys. 

 For them, there is a graded course in 

 horticulture of four or five years. City 



children, who continue their gardens for 

 several seasons, follow in a general way this 

 course. Their individual plots vary from 

 10 x 20 to 10 x 50 ft. This was the first 

 school garden in the East, if not in America 

 to demonstrate that every garden should 

 aim to possess, even though on a very small 

 scale, individual plots, observation and 

 experimental ones to contain typical flow- 

 ers, vegetables, decorative and economic 

 plants; that there should be plant group- 

 ings (whether as annuals and perennials, 

 as plant families or colonies, etc.); and, 

 wherever possible, that there should be 

 small fruits, tree nursery, grape culture, 

 and culture under glass. This garden 

 like many European ones, keeps bees. 



In addition, the City of Hartford sup- 

 ports from April to October two school 

 gardens for some 300 children. They are 

 taught by public school teachers who are 

 selected from a list of those who have 

 attended the School of Horticulture. 



The Connecticut State Agricultural Col- 

 lege at Storrs offers a summer school course 

 in agriculture and nature study with 

 practice in the children's gardens. 



Xew London in 191 2, will have in con- 

 nection with her public schools five gardens 

 each accommodating about 30 children of 

 the second and third grades. The Oral 

 School for the Deaf, Mystic, has a school 

 garden somewhat like the Trinity Garden 

 School, Xew Haven, in its general scheme 

 of planting and that stress is laid upon its 

 decorative side. 



Inspired by hearing that the Oral chil- 

 dren were to have a garden and encouraged 

 by their visiting teacher of drawing, the 

 children of West Mystic, Poquonnock, 

 Xoank and Monument School, Groton, 

 took up gardening. Xoank school had a 

 garden and there were in all some 280 

 home gardens. 



Gardening interest in Xew- Britain cen- 

 tres more in home gardens since they prefer 

 to keep the front of their school grounds 



New Haven Orphan Asylum garden; 36 children with vegetable gardens. 6x8 ft.: flower gardens. 3x3 ft. 



for flowers or shrubs and the rear for 

 playgrounds. However, the principal of 

 the East Street School has had a garden 

 for 250 children the past season. 



Waterbury has two large gardens for the 

 use of the regular classes in her public 

 schools to the number of between 700 and 

 800 children. 



Xew Haven has from 200 to 300 children 

 interested in home gardens through the 

 prizes offered to school children by the 

 school garden committee of the Civic 

 Federation. The gardens are inspected 

 by Xormal School students. 



Trinity Parish, Xew Haven, has for the 

 last two years conducted a school garden 

 in connection with its summer work at its 

 Vacation Cottage at Morris Cove, some 

 few miles out of the city. The garden 

 accommodates some 70 to So children. 

 The garden is laid out with large, cool 

 cement summer house, with rustic per- 

 gola and with a large number of flowers 

 and economic plants. A large cottage 

 garden adjoins the children's 8x16 ft. plots. 

 Informal instruction upon the life in the 

 garden is given. It has interested many 

 of the Cottage visitors and others from the 

 summer colony and elsewhere. The chil- 

 dren of the Morris Cove Public School are 

 admitted. 



The Xew Haven Orphan Asylum has a 

 compact 80 x 80 ft. school garden for 36 of 

 the older children (under 18) with 6x8 ft. 

 "farms" and t,xt, ft. "flower gardens" 

 for each child. In its borders are many 

 flowers and a considerable number of the 

 economic plants of which the children hear 

 in school. M LomSE Greene, 



State Chairman of National School 

 Garden Association. 

 Xew Haven, Conn. 



Suggestions for this Month's 

 Work 



SOW seeds of beans, beets, radishes, 

 peas, lettuce, sweet corn and cucum- 

 bers in June. 



(2) In the fkwer garden sow seeds of 

 ten-weeks stock and pansy. It is well to 

 consider the appearance of the garden in 

 August. Late August is usually a shabby 

 time in the flower garden. So make a 

 second sowing of such annuals as marigold, 

 phlox and nasturtium. 



(3) As soon as the weather is settled 

 the house plants may go out doors. Put 

 the pots and all into the ground in a rather 

 shaded part of the garden. This is a 

 good way to provide for the school house 

 plants during the long vacation. But 

 ferns do far better if left within the school 

 house to be cared for by the janitor, if this 

 be a possible arrangement. Ferns get 

 badly wind tossed. 



(4) If the house plants and the outdoor 

 plants need a little extra stimulus try ni- 

 trate of soda. One teaspoonful to three 

 gallons of water is the right proportion 

 for use, or put a pinch of the salt into a 

 quart of water. Use this once a week. 





