Appendix 355 
children in many ways — in drawing new plans and plotting out the ground 
from the plans, in making paths, &c. — and it will make it more interesting 
to the neighbourhood generally. The school garden ought to be a place 
of interest to the whole village — as it is in many instances. The villagers 
should be interested in it, and then if they see that it is deserving of 
encouragement they will purchase the produce more readily, and in other 
ways contribute to its success, probably giving prizes at the local flower 
show, or for the best-kept plot, &c. 
Where the school is a small one, and there is not a sufficient number 
of boys of the proper age (over eleven years), seven plots instead of fourteen 
may be laid out, each plot being 2 poles instead of 1, with the additional 
seed or nursery bed and the fruit plot. Two boys, a senior and a junior, 
should be placed on each plot. Then by the time the senior boy leaves school 
the junior will have obtained a fair idea of how to manage his plot, and 
will be able to guide another boy, junior to himself. Therefore it will be 
seen that the system of larger plots with two boys on each has some points 
to recommend it, especially for small schools. 
There is also the collective working of the school garden; that is, the 
boys or girls take part in all the different operations all through the garden. 
Where the garden is small this system has much in its favour; there 
are not so many paths required, and therefore not so much waste of 
ground. A small garden can also be kept tidier if not too much subdivided; 
the crops can be grown in larger quantities together, giving the children a 
better idea of cropping, and there is a better chance of securing the rotation 
of crops. Against all this must be placed the loss of individuality in the 
scholars. Again, some who are lazy are apt to take advantage of those 
who are more enthusiastic, and thus the energetic ones do not get the 
credit they deserve, as their work is lost amongst the others’. 
When the plots have been planned, and the paths made, the former 
should be trenched over where the soil is deep enough. Where the soil 
is not two spits deep no trenching should be done, as it will do a great deal 
more harm than good to bring up the subsoil. In the case of shallow soil, 
double digging should suffice; that is, an opening two spits broad and one 
deep should be taken out, then the next spit should be dug over in the bottom, 
kept there, digging into it various substances according to the nature of the 
subsoil; loam or clay and cow manure for sandy or gravelly subsoils, and 
road grit, half-decayed leaves, horse manure, &c., for clayey subsoils. In 
taking out the openings all unnecessary work should be avoided. There- 
fore the boys should be arranged so that one starts at one end of his plot 
