MiscellaneoTis, 



316 



[May 1907. 



interested as deeply in the children's garden movement. It will probably be remem 

 bered that the work of awarding prizes for native plants has been at various times 

 part of the work of our committee and at other times under the jurisdiction of a 

 special committee. Your chairman recommended that a new committee be appointed 

 to take charge of the native plant exhibitions. It was decided, however, by the 

 Trustees, that the exhibits of native plants were of a botanical nature and should 

 not be continued by the Society. While this is sincerely regretted in some ways, it 

 is perhaps for the best, and we are very glad to be relieved of the work. 



Children's Exhibitions. 



Members of the committee visited the two children's gardens exhibitions 

 of the Worcester County Horticultural Society at Worcester during the past 

 summer with a view of holding similar exhibitions in Boston. The exhibits were 

 successful in every way, and we were glad of the opportunity of studying the 

 methods employed. Due credit should be given to Secretary Hixon of the Worcester 

 Society for his efforts in this work. 



Carrying out this idea we are offering prizes in our new circular for 1906, and 

 hope to have two successful exhibitions, one in J une and one in September. 



Looking Forward. 



Under the new name of Committee on Children's Gardens we have a definite 

 line of work, and with an increased appropriation we expect to place our Society at 

 the head of the movement in this state. 



Our goal is reached when every school in Massachusetts has a garden and 

 every child has a home garden. We believe that if this goal is ever reached the 

 residts in happier and better children and in improved home surroundings will 

 amply repay all our efforts. We ask the hearty co-operatiou of all members of the 

 Society, and thank the trustees for their attention to our requests. The field is broad, 

 the results inspiring, and our onward movement is dependent on our energy and 

 the money at our command. May both increase in the year to come. 



Abstracts of addresses made at the Children's Garden Conference, held at 

 Horticultural Hall, Boston, December 2nd, 1905. 



SCHOOL GARDEN WORK IN BOSTON SCHOOLS. 

 By Miss Esther F. Hallowell, Boston School Garden Committee. 



The Rice School Garden on Dartmouth Street, which was started in con- 

 nection with the Boston Normal School in the Spring of 1901, may be said to be the 

 pioneer in the attempt to establish garden work in the congested districts of any 

 large city. A vacant lot near the schoolhouse was secured and the ground dug up 

 and fertilized by many loads of street sweepings. The lot was then divided into 

 individual beds, 8 feet by 4 feet, which were given to children of the seventh grade. 

 Seeds were planted and watered by them, and soon the heretofore barren ground 

 began to be spotted with green. Support for this garden both active and material 

 was given by a committee of the South End House. Later in the year the Twentieth 

 Century Club of Boston helped. The following fall there was introduced into the 

 Normal School an elective science course with practical work in the Rice Garden. 



During the summer of 1901 the Civic League Garden was established on 

 the Columbus Avenue playground. Beds were allotted to the children in the 

 order of application. In the spring of 1903, with these two gardens as examples, 

 seven new ones were established by the Women's Auxiliary of the American Park 

 and Outdoor Art Association, Later these committees merged into one School 

 Garden Committee, 



