Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1904-05-19
SCHOOL GARDENS IN CITIES.
Nature Study and Gardening as Edu-
catonal Factors.

eational Factors.
Helen Christine Bennett IN Review
OF Reviews Facing the Hudson, ON
the west side of New York city, is n
piece of condemned land awaiting i'm,
pruvemont ironically called De witt
Clinton park The most vivid i'm,
aginatlon could not have conceived Il
more dcsolate spot than this was in
the summer of 1902 The idea of u
farm in that mfayorahle spot might
have made the inquirer slightly
skcptiCal, but had he stayed To sec,
the changes wrought by the school
farm We're little short of marvellous
The chldren's ready hands, assisted
by those of older brothers and sisters,
and by workmen from the park dc.
partment of Manhattan, accomplished
wonders, Stones and rubbish vanish,
ed, The hard earth yielded To the
pillow and harrow Load after load Of
rich loan was brought A fence IN.
closed the selected space. Walks were
laid cut, and plots marked and after
days of earnest work, the farm" was
ready to receive the seed Twenty.
five children filed In al the gate and
received a practical lesson In plant,
ing from the gardener Teachers
meanwhile registered names and
properly tagged each farmer" These
tags, upon each OF which the name OF
the child and the number of the plot
assigned were registered were
certificates of ownership to be pre-
scented AT the gates as n pass TO enter,
The lesson over, the children marched
to their respective plots and planted
the seeds given to them as they hal
been shown how to do by the gardener
New groups followed them and soon
in that desert waste rose an oasis OF
living green, orderly, neat and
picturesque, the first children q
school farm in New York city, con.
eeivod and directed by Mrs, Henry
Parsons n member of the local school
board of the 18th school district OF
Manhattan,
One hundred and twenty-five fnrm,
ers cared for their plots during the
first season, but in the following
spring so many requests for farms
were received that the park authorities
decided to enlarge the space allotted
so that nearly 800 boy and girl farm
ers, varying in age from eight to Is
years, were happily employed during
the second summer-that Of 1903
Through the long, hot days of July
and August you might see them water
ing, wedding, hoeinR, or quietly sitting
around the central flower plot listen
Ing TO a nature.study talk by the at
teGiant teacher, improvements upon
the surrounding land followed rapidly
in the wake Of those upon the farm
Toward the east the park department
had placed huge. open.air gym
nasium and playground Toward the
west a tiny country seat, with /.
by lS.foot farmhouse green lawn
and flower beds, pavilion. pig.por
and a chickenhouse had been added
TO the farm property. Stlll farther
west stood a sand tent and a secont
canvas formed q resting place fol
tired mothers a typical afternoon
might have shown so or 100 children
busy IN the garden, In the pavilion q
sewing class and group weaving
I baskets for farm produce; III the tiny
house, tea being served by neatly
|aproned housokeepers, while on tn,
lawn the boys played croquet
j The history Of the making Of tn,
New York garden Ii that Of garden,
In many cities Back yards are M
longer nnsightly. In some cases, tn,
stone tagging Of the schoolyard hal
given place 70 miniature gardens o
great beauty Bare lots have become
beautiful, and hundreds Of boys ant
girls have grown daily stronger
happier and better America las only
begun 70 realize her opportunity In Tho
value Of school gardens as an educa
tional force among the thousands 81
children in her crowded cities Al
effort Is being made to attract the at
tentlon 81 educators to the mode
school garden" which. directed by
Herbert J. Hemenway OF the Hartford
school Of horticulture. viii be a mos
attractive eeature OF the worlds fail
al st. Louis n the public education
association or Philadelphia succeeds II
/ Its efforts to have al least one schoo
garden opened in the summer Of 1904