August, 1908.] 



153 



Miscellaneous. 



gets down to the individual cultivator, 

 and so the whole country is being per- 

 meated with new ideas and stimulated 

 to new action. The village associations 

 are financed entirely by the cultivators 

 themselves. The district assosiations 

 are assisted both by imperial and local 

 funds, but the total amount spent on 

 them from these sources in 1905 was only 

 1*42 lakhs and 3 - 45 lakhs respectively. 

 "The object of Government," Sir F. 

 Nicholson says, " is gradually to shift 

 the work of agricultural development 

 from the shoulders of the Government 

 to those of the people themselves, recog- 

 nising that it is not that which is done 

 for the people, but that which is done 

 by the people that is truly beneficial, 

 and that real progress can come only 

 from within. This is a proposition of 

 universal application, and more espe- 

 cially in India where the tendency of a 

 bureaucratic Government is to work 

 independently of the people, it requires 

 to be constantly borne in mind. As yet 

 perhaps primary education is not so 

 widely diffused in India, nor has it a 

 sufficiently practical bent as to admit of 

 the general establishment of village 

 associations, but a real attempt might 

 be made to found them in some of the 

 more advanced districts where the 

 spread of primary education among the 

 agricultural population affords the best 

 hope of success. — Indian Agticidturist, 

 Vol. XXXIII., Calcutta, May, 1908 No. 5. 



THE SCHOLARS' GARDEN AND 

 WHAT WAS DONE WITH IT. 



By A. C Neatb, 

 Late Melbourne Botanic Gardens. 



When visiting the A. N. A. Exhibi- 

 tion in February, 1901, we inquired 

 into the subject of school gardens in 

 Victoria, and were afforded some inter- 

 esting information on the matter by 

 Mr. Ambrose C. Neate, for many years 

 associated with Mr. Guilfoyle, the 

 Curator of the Melbourne Botanic Gar- 

 dens. Mr. Neate writes, enclosing a 

 letter from two young horticulturists, 

 "Frank and Florrie," who appear to 

 have profited greatly by his instruction. 

 He says :— 



"The accompanying sketch of the 

 'Scholars' Garden, &c," is in the main 

 outcome of a talk— a while back— with a 

 large gathering of both lads and lassies of 

 from eleven to fourteen years of age, in 

 one of the public schools here; and, 

 though delivered in this conversational 

 form, with a view to eliciting responses 

 20 



from the young people, this object was 

 the more certainly attained, because the 

 writer exhibited during the talk quite a 

 score of (Vick's New York) coloured 

 plates of well-formed garden flowers, 

 on which also remarks were made and 

 questions asked. 



" The interest seemed to be so well 

 maintained during the three-quarters of 

 an hour's converse, and proved what has 

 long been testified by others, that the 

 love of flowers is inherent, and only 

 needs a little encouragement to prove 

 it a welcome aid to Christian conduct 

 with associated education both in the 

 public schools and 'home' life of our 

 boys and girls. 



" If you would approve further notes, 

 they (Part II.) will be sent, say, as 

 now, for the perusal of the Queensland 

 cousins of 'Flora' and 'Frank,' as to 

 the operations likely to be entered upon 

 after the summer heat has vanished, and 

 in preparation thereafter until spring 

 time approaches. 



" These notes, will be partially sug- 

 gestive, or, at any rate, they will be 

 perused (in part from my original jot- 

 tings) to show sympathy with the young 

 people as to gardening pastimes, linked 

 with and leading up to their personal 

 interests in floriculture generally ; and, 

 where pospible, associated with such 

 encouragement as may (will ?) be forth- 

 coming in connection with their very 

 own school garden. 



"The Scholars' Garden and what 

 was done with it. 



Part I. 



" The Character of Our Ground. — It 

 comprises the family home, and has a 

 garden plot in front and at the side, 

 with a spare piece at the back ; the soil 

 is sandy loam, about 18 inches deep, 

 with a clay subsoil. 



" My father said that my brother and 

 myself might have a piece which is near 

 the fence— about 36 feet long by 12 feet 

 wide, with a partly sunny aspect — buton 

 condition that it shall contain not only 

 pretty flowering shrubs, but be also 

 plentifully stocked with annuals and 

 perennials in season, and that it must be 

 kept clean and quite free from weeds ; and 

 further, that we may have all the spare 

 water available for the summer time 

 with supplementary help from the hose 

 and water taps when necessary. 



" Well, about Our Commencement. — 

 We had some trouble as to the plan, 

 and asked father's advice. He at once 

 marked out the ground for us, and 

 gave us a good cheery young gardener 



