40 
GARDENS AND THEIR MEANING 
section must plant the following vegetable seeds : beans, beets, lettuce, 
and radishes. There were ten kinds of flower seeds, however, from 
which four might be selected. The chairman of the seed committee em- 
bodied this in her report. The section voted for the following seeds: 
nasturtium, cosmos, sweet alyssum, and California poppy. 
The committee visited various seed firms in the city and reported 
their discoveries to the class. Each girl contributed seven cents, for the 
agent had agreed to supply the needs of the section for a dollar and a 
quarter. The seeds were bought by weight, not by package ; packages 
cost too much. 
The committee, with the assistance of several other girls, divided the 
seeds among the eighteen girls of the section. It was, of course, a great 
deal of work ; yet in the end it was more satisfactory. We found that seeds 
that came in packages were of a poorer- quality than the seeds we used. 
The section then elected a garden committee of three members and a 
tool committee of two members. 
The first work of the garden committee was the measuring of the 
land. The land allotted to us was in two parts : one piece measured 1 8 
by 44 feet ; the other piece measured 1 8 by 20 feet. The garden commit- 
tee divided the first piece into 7 plots each 1 6 by 4 feet, allowing two feet 
for a path at the back of the garden, and allowing for two-foot paths 
between the plots. The second piece of land was divided into three plots 
1 6 by 4 feet ; one of these plots was used as an observation bed. 
The girls chose partners. Each pair chose one of the plots, which 
they staked off with strings. Then they divided the plots into halves, 
each girl taking one half, 8 by 4 feet. The garden committee super- 
vised the work, seeing that the strings were even, and verifying all the 
measurements. 
The ground was broken in April. Each girl spaded, raked, and hoed 
her own garden. The ambitious ones sifted the soil ; the others con- 
tented themselves with taking out the big stones. It was a long piece 
of work, but the gardens were finally ready for the seeds. 
The committee tried to arrange the seeds so that the effect would be 
harmonious when the flowers were in bloom. A given number of inches 
was allowed for each plant. There were two rows of lettuce and two 
rows of sweet alyssum. Of everything else there was one row. The girls 
measured off the number of inches required for each plant, and staked 
off each space with string. The committee supervised the work, seeing 
that the measurements agreed and that the strings were straight. 
