Miscellaneous. \ 



THE RELATION OF SCHOOL GAR- 

 DENS TO NATURE STUDY. 



By Miss Fannie A. Stebbins, 

 Supervisor of Nature Study, Spring- 

 field, Mas?. 



(From the Transactions of Mass. Horti- 

 cultural Society for the year 1907, Pt. II.) 



If we take as a statement of tbe 

 object of Nature Study that it is to 

 cultivate iu the child an intelligent in- 

 terest in the world about him, the 

 question of the relation of the school 

 garden to Nature Study is simplified. 



We wish the child to form the habit 

 of observing, as correctly as may be, 

 series of facts, noting relations of cause 

 and effect and drawing conclusions from 

 the facts observed ; then carrying the 

 work further by working out theories 

 which he may prove or disprove. 



For the establishment of many facts 

 the school garden is the best possible 

 laboratory or workshop. The indivi- 

 dual plot supplies the added incentive 

 of the feeling of personal ownership 

 and responsibility ; and where it is 

 possible to have individual plots they 

 should be used. The child sees more 

 clearly his own relation to the plant's 

 growth, or lack of it, and feels more 

 keenly the need of care and of know- 

 ledge to precede that care. Under 

 proper guidance and conduct of class 

 plots the pupils may be stimulated to 

 repeat the experiments at home, as is 

 frequently done, where conditions a 

 little different produce different results, 

 and comparisons of such results may 

 be made extremely valuable. So even 

 if land be limited much may be ac- 

 complished by observation plots. 



One line of work that ought to be 

 carried out is the cultivation of many 

 of our most common commercial pro- 

 ducts which are considered in geography, 

 but which are only names to the major- 

 ity of the pupils. Some of the grains- 

 wheat, corn, rye, oats, buckwheat, 

 barley, etc.— can be easily grown. 

 Hemp and fiax together with some of 

 the less common products which the 

 U. S. Department of Agriculture is in- 

 troducing could well be observed. 



In one of our schools flax grown 

 by the children was soaked, and by 

 the janitor, who had done the work 

 in Ireland, worked or treated until the 

 fibre was ready for spinning, A valu- 

 able lesson or series of lessons. 



Another phase is the gathering and 

 growing of many of our formerly con> 



158 [April, 1910. 



mon wild flowers which are fast dis- 

 appearing from the neighbourhood of 

 cities, and are seldom seen by the 

 children. Many valuable lessons can be 

 learned by watching the plant through 

 its year of life ; how it breaks through 

 the soil ; how parts are protected, each 

 part fitted for its duties; the blooming, 

 with interesting peculiarities, formation, 

 protection, and dissemination of seeds ; 

 preparation for winter, etc. So the 

 child becomes acquainted with the plant 

 as he almost never does in its home 

 without. 



The production of plants can best be 

 studied in the yard where the class can 

 be taken at any time ; sowing the seeds, 

 the best manner for individual kinds ; 

 layering; budding; grafting; and with 

 the latter the study of where the sap 

 comes ; rings of growth where new wood 

 comes; real meaning of a bud, whether 

 flower or branch bud ; need of keeping 

 out fungi ; etc. ; incidentally how and 

 when to trim a tree ; to treat wounds, 

 etc. With the coming of the flowers, 

 the visits of insects, cross-pollination, 

 self-pollination or no pollination, hybrid- 

 ization, crossing squash and lemon, etc., 

 can be observed. As the cutworms or 

 other insects come, tbe suggestion of 

 studying their life histories becomes a 

 vital question that tbe best means may 

 be discovered of combating these enemies 

 in the most vulnerable stage of their 

 existence. Caterpillars which are in- 

 jurious may in their butterfly hood do 

 some good and so help balance accounts. 

 Ichneumon flies which parasite pests 

 may be recognized as helpers. And of 

 course our friend, the toad, should be 

 watched, both indoors where more 

 accurate observations can be made of 

 amount of food, etc., and outside where 

 one should be established in the garden 

 if possible and treated as a friend. The 

 garden may give opportunity to re- 

 cognize birds among our friends. 



The study of soils receives new mean- 

 ing when the effect of different kinds 

 upon the growth of plants is observed. 

 In this connection the study of capillary 

 attraction receives reinforcement in ob- 

 serving the work of a mulch. This 

 broadens out into the study of the soil 

 of the forest, its influence in the reten- 

 tion of water, the desirability of forests 

 at the head waters of rivers, and the 

 need of reforesting cut areas. 



And so one could go on multiplying 

 instance after instance where principles 

 observed in one connection receive their 

 application in another connection and 

 so make deeper and broader impression 

 on the child's mind, He comes to see 



