Miscellaneous. 



152 



;[Peb. 1908. 



features of the Christiana People's Co- 

 operative Bank, Limited, and there 

 would appear to be no reasen why similar 

 organizations should not be started in 

 Jamaica and other parts of the Empire 

 for the benefit of a deserving people. — 

 West Indian Bulletin, Vol. VIII, No. 3, 

 1907. 



HINTS FOR SCHOOL GARDENS. 



We have received from the Imperial 

 Department of Agriculture for the West 

 Indies a copy of a useful little work 

 entitled " Hints for School Gardens," by 

 A. H. Kirby, b.a., Agricultural and 

 Science Master, Antigua, which is 

 published as No. 48 of the well-known 

 Pamphlet Series. 



In the introduction the writer points 

 out that the real purpose of instruction 

 of school garden is not merely for the 

 purpose of showing how to grow vege- 

 tables, although this knowledge is 

 gained incidentally, " but it derives its 

 value from its usefulness in training the 

 intellectual faculties, especially those of 

 observation and correct inference, and 

 its power to do this is the best indi- 

 cation of its real worth." 



Throughout the work the writer 

 appears to always keep the above 

 object in view. 



He also advises that " pupils should be 

 put through a good course of box and 

 pot culture, and should thoroughly 

 master the principles underlying it 

 before they are allowed to proceed to 

 the cultivation of plants in pots." This 

 advise seems excellent, and as only a 

 small outlay is required in box and pot 

 culture, this form of object-lesson might 

 well be adopted in all schools, not only 

 as preparatory to work in a school 

 garden when the school possesses one, 

 but also in those schools which at present 

 are unable to afford the initial expen- 

 diture in establishing one. 



The first part is taken up with clear 

 and concise instructions for carrying 

 out the different operations in raising 

 and subsequently caring for plants 

 grown in pots and boxes. The rule 

 given for performing each operation in 

 this method of cultivation are followed 

 by a brief explanation giving the reasons 

 why the instructions must be carefully 

 carried out if success is to be attained. 



These short and clearly-worded ex- 

 planations are in every way admirable 

 and will serve to give the pupil a good 

 acquaintance with the requirements of 

 plants in general. In fact, the whole of 

 this part forms an excellent introduction 

 to the chief facts of plant phisiology. 

 The boy who has gained some knowledge 



of the way in which plants live, what 

 they feed upon and how and under what 

 conditions this food is absorbed has, 

 apart from its educational value, already 

 gained a sound grounding in the first 

 principles of agriculture which cannot 

 fail to be of great practical benefit to 

 him later. 



Then follows a course of Preliminary 

 Lessons for the commencement of plot 

 work, which includes instruction in the 

 formation of a school garden from the 

 very beginning. The pupils are taught 

 in the different lessons how to prepare 

 and mark out the ground, to plant 

 hedges and to make up the plots and 

 beds. The raising of seedlings for 

 planting in the plots is assumed to have 

 been learnt already in the lessons on pot 

 and box cultivation. 



The third section of the pamphlet is 

 occupied with special instructions for 

 growing all of the ordinary vegetables 

 and economic plants, other than trees or 

 shrubs. Here again it will be almost 

 impossible to improve on the short, 

 simple and precise directions given for 

 each kind of plant, which include the 

 distances apart and methods of planting 

 and subsequent treatment, as well as the 

 time usually taken for the crop to arrive 

 at maturity, and the kind of soil which 

 has been found to be the most suitable. 

 A chapter on the various methods of 

 Budding, Grafting, and Pruning, written 

 in the same clear style, closes the work. 



The pamphlet can be thoroughly 

 recommended for its general arrange- 

 ment, clearness and practical utility, and 

 we have no hesitation in pronouncing 

 this work to be the best that we have 

 met with, dealing with this subject. It 

 should be in the hands of every school 

 master who has anything to do with a 

 School Garden. It is obtainable at the 

 Daily Chronicle Office, and the low price 

 of 4d. at which it is published will place 

 it within the reach of almost auyone. 

 Journal of the Board oj Agriculture of 

 British Guiana, Vol. I, Nos. 1 & 2, July 

 and October, 1907, pp. 41-48. 



CHILDREN'S GARDENS AND THE 

 PUBLIC. 

 By Frank M. Marsh, 



Superintendent of Schools, Fairhaven 

 Mass, 



I am always glad to speak upon this 

 question of children's gardens, because 

 of the fact that it seems to me to be a 

 movement which perhaps above all 

 others may be an entering wedge to 

 really enrich the school life of our boys 

 and girls, and at the same time, plant 

 roots and ideas which may result in a 



