The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-09-19
new YORK FLOWER CHARITY
4 Very Fine Thing, Highly Praised by
The Secretary Of Agriculture,
CHILDREN ARE MADE INTO FARMERS.
On tho Gould Farm at Lakewood y. D.
They Learn seed Time and Harvest.
Taught Scientific Farming by
scientific Instructors.

To the mind Of the uninitiated flower
mission is sentimental tnlnBi urdIlN5
with the finer qualities of human haiui e
and fostering the emotions talhcr lPah
the practical side Of life.
But the women who have been engaged
iu New York city for the past three years
upon the work of a flower mission could
tDI Won a different story. so c0uld lhe
men who have assisted them, for IL Is De-
D04u- more tnan woman Work-a
general field for the labor OF phiianlhro-
The flower mission as 1t stands in New
YORK to-day. and as 10 is represented az
the flower show which takes place every
autumn. Us a practical hard-WOIkinB con-
Germ, having for its object the teaching OF
agriculture in all It's practical forms.
Progressive agriculture ls taught, ana
the child who graduates from a hover
mission knows as much about FARMING as
many an agriculturist who has titled the
soil for three generations. ms turning
of a flower mission into practlcai chda-
nes began, IL may be said, az LaheNood,
where Mrs. George Gould hlred q piece OF
land and with her sister-n-laW, heleH
Gould, donated IL TO an orphan I'M
where poor children go 20 1--we ana learn
TO till the soil. a course OF STUDY was
mapped out. by which the pupils learned
the months Of sced-time ana harvest
They We're taught what vegetables were
hardy. They learned that peas Mould
grow up through the snow ANA DC ready
TO send forth their blossoms az the ing IT,
ing Of the ice upon the ground. lhey
learned also that lima beans were teHuet
THINGS and could not be planted IN Gle
mates where there was danger o' june
frost.
These things are learned by a farmer
at great expense. Experience ls nus only
teacher, and the Gould faculty main
tanned that one reason for the chronic
poverty Of the farmer was his lack OF ac-
tual knowledge OF agriculture.
There were many letters written 10 the
Secretary OF Agriculture at Washing Ton,
and many advices received from the De
partment concerning fruits anu seedS.
and acting on this the children learned
what 10 plant and when to plant u, ana
what kind Of soil would produce certain
things.
1t is a matter Of statistics that in Ger
tain parts % North Carolina ;he finest
cold-weathcr fruit can Doe raised all sum-
mer. such as winter apples and November
! pears ana mat IN other parts the tropical
canlaloupf grows freely. These facts
are all capable Of being put In book form
and studied by young people who think
/ OF going into farming. and this s what
| the Fruit and Flower Mission aims 10 DO.
one or the patrons of the flower MIS-
/ sion Is n son OF Gen. Grant. who is one
/ OF the famous california FARMERS fN.
before going ont on his ranch. studied
] practical agriculture. and ne and his wife
| to-day are further.ng the cause of a
| flower farm on the Pacific coast, where
] poor children can go and learn 10 10
} something outside OF the Oyerstocked
/ trades.
| The Flower Mission IS not for tho poor
alone ana II is not always q mission.
In our practical country everybody learns
/ 20 do something well and about the only
field that is not fuiiv vyori,sd e that az
| farming. This fact appeals 20 lnis'll-
/ gent people and such men as PlerpJnt
! Morgan and John D. Rockefeller are En-
| couraging young people who must earn
| their living 20 take courses OF study In
! these open-door flower schools.
A very nourishing one Is maintained on
/ the east side, where at a kindergarten
| children are taught the art OF planting
| seeds. Az another kindergarten this
is carried further. Every year about this
time Mrs. Grover Cleveland and party