NEW LIFE IN OLD SUBJECTS 
l6l 
History Class came to act 'Julius Caesar,’ ” " The Way to in- 
stall a Salt-water Aquarium,” ” How Two Girls found a Market 
for their Sweet Peas.” Such titles indicate no fanciful situa- 
tions; they are firmly linked to the children’s real occupations. 
Let us see if this is not so. 
HOW I EARNED SOME MONEY LAST SUMMER i 
After the ground had been plowed and harrowed and I had raked 
over a piece of ground about seventy feet by six feet, so there were no 
big lumps in it, I took the line and made a little furrow close to the line. 
Then I scattered the seed into it, making five such rows for about thirty 
feet, and only two rows after that for potatoes. 
Then there was a good deal of watching for the first sign of the plants. 
When they could be seen easily, I went up and down the rows loosening 
the soil, so that they could grow more quickly. I planted about a foot 
of lettuce then later on I transplanted it getting about fifty cents for it. 
I planted about thirty feet of cauliflower. When they became large 
enough to transplant I dug them up leaving one good one every foot and 
those that I dug up I sold to my father for one half a cent each. I sold 
him about seven hundred so I earned three dollars and a half. When 
they were large enough, I tied the outer leaves and sold them. When the 
heads were nicely bunched and solid I got about two dollars for them. 
I had also planted some beets but they were ill-fated. The man was 
cultivating some of father’s trees and cultivated them under. I planted 
some more but they were taken for beet greens while I was away. The 
weeds grew pretty fast but with half an hour a day they were soon 
conquered, then onions and carrots brought me some money, perhaps 
four dollars. 
Then there was another way of earning money and that was by pick- 
ing berries. I got two cents a quart and a backache for picking straw- 
berries and earned about four dollars in all for them. For raspberries 
I got two cents a pint. I earned about three dollars for them. In all 
I earned for my summer’s work seventeen dollars. 
Among all the subjects acceptable for school exercises, 
gardening takes high rank in introducing practical issues. It 
1 School composition passed in by Beatrice Field. 
