The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-21
PUBLIC SCHOOL ROOF GARDENS.
New Idea Zoe In-tructing Children
in Horticulture.
l(From a. New York Errninr Post

(From the New York Evening Post)
| There have been several propositions
made looking toward the application OF
| this idea of public school roof gardening
IN New York. Naturally. the roof has at
| tracted the attention of those who would
J provide the teachers and students with
gardens The difficulty in such garden
would be the high winds and storms
Whlch would menace the safety of the
pants, but this danger could be guarded
| against somewhat by arranging wind
breaks IN the shape of high walls around
| the borders An expert school architect
whose plans have recently been accepted
Tor two new school buildings. has this to
| say abont the possibility of school gardens
| on roofs:
1t is altogether a new idea. and one
that We have not considered in the ma st
in our plans. The spring term of school
IS naturally short. and many plants would
hardly get thoroughly started before the
summer vacation would cut short all such
studies. Consequently. / should think a
practical school garden on a roof should
include forcing frames. where seeds could
De planted in midwiuter. Such frames
under glass could be arranged around the
sides of the roof, and protected from the
winds by the high walls of the buildings
In this way plants could be raised on the
roof from early March until the summer
vacation.
These forcing frames should be sup
piemented by rows of boxes filed with
uirt where new seeds could be sown or
TO which the growths in the forcing
frames could be transpianted. Not only
ANIMALS. but perennials could be grown
The latter could be taken into the school
house in winter"
In number of the schools there are
potted plants which annually brighten
the schoolrooms with their blossoms
Most of these have been presented to the
teachers by the children at Easter or
christmas; and instead OF permitting
a 10 off hs
they have cultivated them year after
year. One teacher said lately:
Most children love to cultivate flower
ing plants, and these few L have create
no END or interest among the scholars.
we have also made ARRANGEMENTS to raise
plants from seeds. carpenter has pro-
vided us with boxes to fit the window
sills or the sunny side of the room and
already some of the boxes are planted
with flower and vine seeds | did not
purchase the seeds. l left it to the chill
dren to>bring them.
THE seeds are planted at different times
and as each variety is planted we make a
special study of that plant. reading up ali
We can ind about 1t in practical books
ana IN historical and poetical literature.
Then as the seeds come up we pull sever
al OF the plants up by the roots to examine
more closely into the terminating process
of the seeds This we continue during the
whole period of the growth of the plants
Then, when the flowers come, we are ali
rewarded for our labors and we feel as If
We knew the plants from their infancy.
~ taking different plants each year our
children get pretty practical knowledge
of plant growth
Another method of experimenting the
school gardens in city is to make use
OF the parks and outlying country districts
for studying plant growth. On the Pali-
sades plant growth Is provided in riotous
luxuriance for all who can take advantage
of it, and children under competent in
structors find food for thought and study
there that greatly broaden and stimulate
their ideas of life
we collect specimens of everything we
can find. explained a teacher in pri-
Vate school. who has made speciality
of these excursions. Some of the chill
dren are interested in bugs and insects.
and they go armed with their nets and
bags. Others only care for flowers and
plants. and they botanize to their hearts
content. Most of the boys think more
of animals, and they hunt the rocks and
woods for anything alive from lizard
to a rabbit Everything caught must be
brought up for study, and no one claims
absolute ownership When through with
the animal it is released again. Some
times we keep 1t a week or two in our
school museum, and then we take it back
to its home and free it"