GAEDENING FOR WOMEN 237 



Superintendent of Education, wiiose faith, in all branches 

 of nature -study has been fully justified by his works, 

 Nova Scotia has taken a leading place in establishing 

 school gardens. In 1903 there were 52 school gardens in 

 the province. Last July 79 in all were reported. The 

 special courses in agriculture and nature -study, recently 

 provided for teachers, has had a considerable influence 

 in promoting the school garden movement, though outside 

 the Macdonald gardens few are yet more than temporary 

 efiorts of the teacher for the time being. 



It is apparent that three leading motives underlie the 

 origin and growth of school gardens in Europe : — (1) to 

 provide a convenient means of supplementing the 

 teachers' income, thereby simplifying the problem of 

 maintaining the public school ; (2) to promote a practical 

 knowledge of horticulture and agriculture, thereby increas- 

 ing the national prosperity ; (3) to furnish means and 

 material for the practical study of botany as a desirable 

 department of scientific knowledge. 



The vast majority of European school gardens look to 

 utiHty. Of the few that recognise the importance of the 

 educational end, nearly all stop short at the acquisition of 

 a certain amount of scientific information and the habit 

 of careful observation. On the other hand, the Macdonald 

 School Gardens, while designed to encourage the cultivation 

 of the soil as an ideal life-work, are intended to promote 

 above all things else symmetrical education of the individual. 

 They do not aim at education to the exclasion of utility, 

 but they seek education through utility, and utility through 

 education. The garden is the means, the pupil is the end. 



