PARK AND CEMETERY 
Y 
Qvic Improvement 
Tl\e Cleveland Home Gardening* Association. 
What can be accomplished by a good idea, consist- 
ently developed and applied with intelligence and wis- 
dom, is well illustrated in the history of the Home 
Gardening Association, of Cleveland, O., which has 
been issued as part of the report of the organization 
for the year 1905. It has worked out a practical 
method of civic betterment through the instrumentality 
of the children, a means of arrving at results which 
has always been advocated as most promising. 
It was in 1900 that a plan was perfected for the 
sale of seeds to the school children, and this at first 
among the primary grades only ; and in this year a 
beginning was also made in the improvement of school 
grounds. For the latter a public-spirited citizen con- 
tributed the funds. The effort was so successful that 
the school authorities have since provided for this 
work. An experiment or illustrative garden was an- 
other development, the object being to test the adapta- 
bility of seeds to the most unfavorable conditions, and 
to demonstrate the proper method and arrangements 
of planting. When the schools opened in the Fall 
flower shows we^e arranged at which the flowers 
grown by the children on their home grounds formed 
the central feature. These shows are now provided 
for annually and are attractive events. 
In 1901 bulbs were distributed for the decoration of 
school rooms, and a series of illustrated lectures was 
inaugurated in the school rooms wherever possible, 
otherwise in adjacent halls. Their object was to show 
how the expenditure of a few cents for seeds, coupled 
with a little work, could produce more beautiful home 
surroundings. 
In 1902, in addition to all the other work, the asso- 
ciation undertook the improvement of a down-town 
block, to show what might be done by concerted action. 
Twenty-one out of twenty-three families in the block 
heartily co-operated. Seeds and plants were offered 
to those willing to care for them, and prizes were also 
offered for the best garden and window box. This 
was very successful. 
' In 1903, thanks to the generosity of one citizen, 
the association was able to offer prizes in bulbs for 
the best garden, window box and flower bed in each 
ward, to which was added a cash prize of ten dollars 
by the association itself for each of the three classes. 
The same year there was published a list of trees, 
shrubs and hardy plants, for the information of those 
desiring to make permanent improvements. 
In 1904 the most important work was the provision 
of school gardens for four buildings ; the Board of 
Education prepared the needed ground and the asso- 
ciation did the rest; and in 1905 the questions of im- 
proving vacant lots and the establishment of an ex- 
change garden were taken up. 
There were sold in 1905, 389,895 one-cent packages 
of seed ; 223,786 of these were distributed among the 
Cleveland public school children; 3,010 to the paro- 
chial schools; 12,000 to the Slavic alliance, and 151,099 
to schools and organizations outside the city. Of the 
gross amount, 47,648 packets were vegetable seeds 
which were added to the list. Many citizens of out- 
side states were among the purchasers. In the spring 
the association made a successful beginning in intro- 
ducing its work into Fairport, a harbor town of 3,000 
situated at the mouth of Grand river, three miles from 
Painesville, O., a third of the population being Finns. 
The experiment in establishing school gardens begun 
in 1904 was so successful that in 1905 they increased 
to eight, and at present the entire work is assumed by 
the Board of Education and put in charge of Miss Lou- 
ise Klein Miller, who has been appointed Curator of 
School Gardens, the first position of the kind created 
in the United States. The work in all the gardens is 
entirely voluntary, being done by the pupils outside of 
school hours. This work in Cleveland has attracted 
the attention of experts. 
