The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-19

training them until fall, when the COW
eted prize is given for the best school
yard. This prize is frequently a picture
of the school room wall, and when 1t is
| presented with a speech made by some
distinguished citizen the enthusiasm of
the children knows no bounds.
This school work is only one feature
of the flower garden fad. Noticing that
the children who are most enthusiast
tic over the school grounds are those
living in the slums with little garden
ground around their poor dwellings, the
Improvement League offers seeds and
! prizes for home gardens. AS a result
| every little spot of ground is utilized.
| Often pretty garden springs up
around some tumbled down tenement.
old barns are transformed by vines
and the boys, who are frequently boot
| blacks and newsboys carry water long
: distances to irrigate their flowers.
Many of these gardens would do
honor to a rich mans residence, and
when the prize garden is photograph
ed the whole neighborhood enjoys the
distinction This year many places are
offering prizes for various sections of
their towns, as they hope in this way
, the work may become more univer-
sal and different parts of the town be
:. beautified.
Stockbrdge, Mass, was the pioneer
in this movement. The parent society
has a clause in it's constitution which
| says that any child may become a
member by paying 25 cents or its
equivalent in work. Children are en-
couraged to do the labor, and in this
way become interested in planting or
protecting a tree or trimming shrub
berry
AT Honesdale, Pa, the children are
SO interested in growing flowers that
haa fal<
IN order to keep the streets clean they
pick up the stray pieces of paper and
deposit them in receptacles placed for
the purpose at the street corners.
one encouraging thing about chill
drens flower work is the desire of
older people to help when they hear of
results. In several places, among them
Mohtclalr and other New Jersey towns,
the florists donated thousands of SAL
Was and cannas to the children of the
villages, with circulars telling exact
~ now TO care for them Large seed
nrms often donate quantities of seeds
and in some cases offer generous
prizes.
Another phase of the movement is
undertaken by real estate dealers who
ofter prizes to the children of their
tenants, thus making lots more deslr-
able in the section of the city which
they handle.
Missouri has become so Interested In
this movement that special tables are
provided at the county fairs for chill
dren's flower exhibits, and two towns
Carthage and Bethany, talk of having
botanical gardens to supplement the
children's work.
The flower and vegetable garden at
Dayton o., which one enterprising
firm has maintained for years for the
peneft OF the children of it's employees.
mas attracted attention from sociolo~
Elsts. AS a result a Pittsburg firm is
following in the same footsteps.
The children receive every encour-
agement in their efforts. One disinter-
ested citizen in a town where the bows
and girls were struggling to beautify
barren school grounds offered IS each
to the boy and the girl under 16 years
of age in the four quarters of the
town who could show the best flower
garden planted and tended by them.
All contestants We're obliged to file an
application of their desire early in
June, when the premises were exam
ined. In September the lots were
visited, and the judges decided which
children were winners, the soil, sur
roundings and care being taken into
consideration.
Now new plans are being made in
order to keep up the work during the
winter months. In many cities the
flowers and plants which have beauti-
fed the parks and public squares will
be distributed to the children at the
close of the summer. Lists will be
made of the names OF the children and
the plants committed to their care. In
some cases the plants win be kept in
the public schools. but more often they
will be cared for in the poorest Of
homes. In the spring flower shows
will be held and prizes offered for the
most fiourishing plants.