310 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  15.  1897. 
FLOWERS  FOR  SCHOOLS. 
If  one  regard  the  delight  inspired  by  the  presence  of  flowers, 
their  suggestiveness  and  influence,  there  is  no  more  fitting  place 
for  them  than  the  elementary  schoolroom.  Children  look  at 
flowers  with  clean  eyes  ;  they  are  to  them  a  source  of  wonder¬ 
ment  and  delight.  But  that  must  not  be  all.  “  The  wisdom  of 
God,”  says  Sir  Thomas  Browne,  “  receives  imall  honour  from  those 
vulgar  heads  that  rudely  stare  about,  and  with  a  gross  rusticity 
admire  His  works.”  One  wonders  that  so  few  teachers  break 
away,  at  times,  from  the  thraldom  of  grant-earning,  missing 
entirely  to  take  their  children,  in  imagination  at  least,  a  stroll 
through  “  fresh  woods  and  pasture*  new.”  I  referred  lately  to  a 
society  whose  endeavour  is  to  encourage  the  young  to  take  an 
.  interest  in  the  beautiful,  limiting  the  effort  to  the  selection  of 
engravings  from  the  old  masters.  “  Why,”  I  repeat,  “  cannot 
these  kindly  aesthetics  present  a  few  flowers  occasionally  ?  They 
would  be  far  more  highly  appreciated  than  the  costliest  engraving 
of  the  old  masters.”  But  so  much  the  more  would  they  enjoy  a 
simple  flower  if  its  structure  were  explained  and  understood.  If 
there  be  one  subject,  after  the  so-called  essential  subjects,  that 
should  be  taught,  in  country  schools  at  least,  it  should  be  plant 
life.  Not  only  would  such  teaching  be  of  direct  advantage  to  those 
whose  probable  occupation  would  be  on  the  land,  it  would  supply 
the  kind  of  instruction  most  needbd  to  cultivate  the  faculty  of 
exact  observation  and  the  habit  of  reflection.  Such  a  subject  might 
be  made  in  the  bands  of  a  thoughtful  and  earnest  teacher  a 
really  more  valuable  instrument  of  education  than  the  so-called 
three  R’s. 
It  is  satisfactory  to  learn,  that  Surrey  has  started  a  sy*tem  of 
school  gardens.  But  Surrey,  it  appears,  is  to  the  fore  in  the 
matter  of  gardening  for  schools — “  continuation  ”  and  elementary. 
Nearly  500  boys  and  youths  now  receive  practical  instruction 
on  the  soil  itself,  and  they  appear  to  be  doing  excellent  work. 
But  to  come  more  particularly  to  my  immediate  subject,  flowers 
in  the  schoolroom.  There  need  be  no  difficulty  with  regard  to  the 
expense  of  supplying  regularly  a  few  flowers  for  the  teachers’ 
desk.  In  country  schools  the  children  themselves  would  be  pleased 
enough  to  do  this.  I  remember  an  instance  in  which  an  elderly 
teacher,  fond  of  what  Charles  Kingsley  pithily  called  the  “  field 
and  wild,”  would  weekly  make  one  home  lesson  in  the  season  of 
spring  and  summer  “  a  collection  of  wild  flowers  (named),”  leaves 
of  forest  trees,  grasses,  or  Ferns.  The  children  would  be  .taught 
the  names,  and  the  structure  and  peculiarities  of  the  exhibits  would 
be  dealt  with  in  a  further  lesson.  If  these  were  of  no  other  use 
beyond  exercising  the  faculties  cited  above  the  lesson  would  be 
valuable  ;  indeed  to  the  future  farm  labourer  almost  invaluable, 
while  to  every  villager  it  would  suggest  the  means  of  opening  up 
profitable  and  interesting  ways  of  occupying  his  leisure.  One  has 
heard  of  that  little  couplet  of  Dr.  Watts  about  the  unmentionable 
one  finding  “some  mischief  still  for  idle  hands  to  do.”  He  might 
search  in  vain  in  such  a  village  as  I  am  thinking  of  for  idle  hands. 
Where  profit  and  pleasure  are  both  concerned  neither  hands  nor 
head  are  idle. 
Far  beyond,  however,  the  pleasure  of  enjoying  a  flower,  its 
beauty  and  fragrance,  is  the  knowledge  one  may  gain  of  its  struc¬ 
ture  and  uses.  One  thinks  of  Darwin  and  the  Polyanthus.  For 
the  better  part  of  a  hundred  years  florists  had  noticed  a  difference 
in  the  structure  of  the  Polyanthus,  raising  batch  after  batch  of 
seedlings,  and  contemptuously  tossing  aside  those  in  which  the 
stigma  reached  the  mouth  of  the  tube  as  “  pin-eyed,”  and  cherishing 
carefully  those  in  which  the  stamens  were  longer  as  “  thrum-eyed.” 
There  were  two  kinds  therefore,  said  Darwin,  and  there  is  a  per¬ 
manent  difference.  What  is  the  reason  for  this  ?  And  then,  after 
a  long  season  of  observation  and  experiment,  he  came  to  the 
conclusion  that  it  was  to  encourage  cross-fertilisation  and  increase 
fertility. 
Another  way  of  encouraging  a  taste  for  gardening  and  the  study 
of  plant  life  was  to  give  each  of  a  score  or  more  boys  a  single  seed 
of  a  Sweet  Pea,  Scarlet  Runner,  Nasturtium,  or  Canary  Creeper,  and 
offer  a  small  prize  for  the  best  plant  in  a  pot  raised  from  the  single 
seed.  Many  of  that  old  pe’dagogue’s  pupils  have  been  grateful  for 
thus  introducing  them  to  a  source  of  innocent,  healthful  recreation 
and  unbounded  delight.  Some  of  these  fortunate  boys  are  head 
gardeners  now,  and  although  many  of  their  schoolfellows  are 
receiving  salaries  of  £100  a  year  to  their  £50,  they  would  be  loth 
to  exchange  their  green  lawns,  bright  sweet  flowers,  and  blue  skies 
for  a  desk  in  the  clearing  house  or  the  railway  stations.  They 
would  far  rather  prefer  the  control  and  management  of  a  garden 
than  sit  all  day  long  on  an  office  stool. 
The  greatest  pleasure  to  be  derived  from  flowers  is  by  growing 
them,  watching  their  development  from  day  to  day,  and  attending 
to  their  necessities.  Nature  is  full  of  wonders  and  problems,  and 
the  gardener  of  all  others  has  the  best  opportunity  of  studying 
them.  There  is  nothing  more  marvellous  than  the  germination  of 
a  seed  and  its  subsequent  growth.  I  hold  in  my  hand  a  tiny  pellet 
of  starch,  enclosed  in  a  vellum  case,  inert,  and  apparently  lifeless. 
The  germ  is  asleep,  and  it  is  in  the  power  of  a  child  to  awaken  it 
and  watch  its  growth  to  perfection.  It  is,  of  course,  impossible  to 
grow  flowers  to  perfection  in  a  schoolroom,  mainly  on  account  of 
the  dust  and  impurities  of  the  air.  Where  there  is  no  stint  of 
light,  however,  a  simple  Wardian  case  might  be  employed,  or  a  few 
hardy  plants  might  be  grown  on  the  outer  window  ledge.  Then, 
of  course,  unless  on  the  ground  floor,  there  might  be  a  difficulty  in 
watering  them.  A  cheap  and  substantial  Wardian  case  might  stand 
in  some  prominent  position.  In  this  Ferns,  a  small  Palm,  and 
Lycopodiums  might  be  grown  ;  even  a  flowering  plant,  Fuchsia  or 
Geranium,  might  be  placed  in  the  case.  It  would  last  for  several 
days  at  least,  and  add  a  little  colour  to  the  cheerful  greenery. 
But  a  more  successful  effort  might  be  made  by  the  playground 
walls  in  growing  the  commoner  kinds  of  annuals,  some  of  them 
more  beautiful  than  greenhouse  exotics.  Some  10  to  12  inches  in 
width  of  the  pavement  must  be  removed  close  under  the  wall,  to  a 
foot  in  depth,  then  some  rubble  for  drainage,  and  good  meadow 
loam.  There  should  be  a  9-inch  board,  1|  or  2  inches  thick,  as  a 
protection,  and  to  hold  up  the  soil.  A  small-leaved  Ivy,  a  Euony- 
mus,  cut  in  and  trained  close  ;  or  Ampelopsis  Yeitchi  might  be 
planted  to  serve  as  a  background.  These,  however,  could  be  dis¬ 
pensed  with.  Then  comes  the  garniture.  Annuals  chiefly,  though 
a  few  bulbs,  Snowdrops,  Scillas,  and  Crocuses  might  be  p'anted, 
and  a  few  patches  of  the  cheerful  white  Brassica  and  Wallflowers. 
Towards  the  end  of  April  the  seeds  of  Nasturtiums,  Canary 
Creeper,  Convolvulus,  and  Scarlet  Runners  could  be  sown,  and 
either  trained  to  pea  sticks,  string,  or  wire.  Where  there  is  a  will 
there  is  a  way  !  This  wall  garden,  as  one  might  call  it,  should  be 
taken  care  of  by  the  children  themselves  under  charge  of  the 
teacher.  In  most  schools  there  are  children  not  sufficiently  robust 
as  to  join  in  the  games  with  the  stronger.  The  little  plots  might  be 
cultivated  in  common,  but  the  better  plan  would  be  to  allot  to  each 
of,  say,  a  dozen  volunteers  a  yard  or  two,  for  which  the  young 
tenant  should  be  held  responsible.  I  trust  to  be  able  to  return  to 
this  subject. — Herga. 
THE  “NEW”  VEGETABLE— CHAYOTE. 
Mrs.  Milano  writes  respecting  the  new  vegetable,  Chayote — When 
writing  before  I  did  so  from  memory,  and  have  now  procured  the 
“Graphic  ”  of  March  20th,  and  forward  a  copy  of  the  paragraph  therein 
relating  to  the  new  vegetable,  “  Chayotte.”  I  shall  be  much  obliged  if 
the  Editor  will  give  any  information  he  may  obtain  on  the  subject. 
“  A  new  vegetable  has  been  imported  from  Japan.  It  is  reported  to 
combine  the  flavours  of  the  Artichoke  and  the  Asparagus,  and  to  be  as 
easily  cultivated  as  the  Potato.  The  French,  who  are  responsible  for 
its  introduction,  call  it  ‘  Chayottes,’  and  it  has  already  figured  largely 
at  the  most  recherche  and  delicate  suppers  in  Paris.  Especially  as  a 
salad  is  this  new  vegetable  to  be  commended.”— (“  Graphic.”) 
[Thinking  it  best  to  go  the  fountain  head  for  information,  we  wrote 
to  the  eminent  firm  of  Messrs.  Yilmorin-Andrieux  et  Cie,  Paris,  who 
obligingly  replied  as  follows  : — “  The  ‘  Chayote’  is  the  well  known  fruit 
of  Sechium  edule  (Cucurbitaoeae)  grown  in  the  West  Indies,  also  in 
Sicily,  Algeria,  &c.,  but  very  little  used  as  a  vegetable  outside  of  those 
countries.  Some  of  the  firms  here,  making  a  speciality  of  exotic  fruit 
and  vegetables,  receive  a  few  consignments  of  Chayotes  every  season, 
and  no  doubt  the  note  that  appeared  in  the  paper  mentioned  refers  to 
some  ‘diners’  where  Chayotes  were  tested.  It  has  been  much  vaunted 
from  time  to  time,  but  its  culture  in  Europe  does  not  appear  to  make 
much  progress,  if  any.  We  may  add  that  it  is  a  rather  peculiar  fruit, 
requiring  to  be  planted  whole,  the  roots  starting  at  one  end  and  the  stem 
at  the  other.  This  is  all  we  have  to  say  about  the  Chayote.” 
We  thank  Messrs.  Vilmorin  &  Co.  for  saying  it.  According  to 
Johnson’s  “  Gardeners’  Dictionary  ”  this  “new”  vegetable  discovered  by 
the  “  Graphic  ”  correspondent  was  introduced  to  this  country  from  the 
West  Indies  in  1816.  It  is  also  called  “  Choko  ” — to  fatten,  and  the 
Dictionary  says  “  hogs  are  fed  on  the  fruit  in  Jamaica.”  We  only 
know  of  one  place  where  it  is  grown  to  any  extent  in  England,  and 
there  it  is  called  “  Chou  Chou,”  which  is  the  Caban  name  for  this 
plant. 
Dr.  Hogg  has  said  in  his  “  Vegetable  Kingdom  ”  that  Sechium  edule 
is  called  “  Choko  ”  in  South  America.  “  The  fruit  is  green,  shining  on 
the  outside,  whitish  and  fleshy  within,  varying  in  size.  Each  contains 
one  seed,  which  is  placed  at  the  very  top  of  the  fruit,  and  is  sometimes 
an  inch  long  ;  when  it  is  ripe  it  protrudes  a  little,  and  pats  forth  many 
fibres  at  the  extremity,  In  many  of  the  West  India  islands  the 
