The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-09-04
Tie Dispatch Flower Seed
Brings a Crop Of Solid Salts
faction as We'll as Beauty.

The effort OF the Times-D Dispatch to In
culcate in the children OF Richmond q
love for the beautiful and pride in their
surroundings has borne fruit beyond ex x
pectation. 81 az 4, J5 8a #
One Of the most Interesting pllgrimages
ever undertaken was a tour OF back yards
made recently in5&the Interest OF the
Dispatch Prize Yard Contes T. " no Sc
results are so well known that they need
not be recalled here. 5t 4 IF u E
LII is as an answer to such questions
as ''Is tho Improvement in yards mark
ed and likely to become permanent DO
the children show a spirit In the work
that is susceptible of further cultivation? z"
etc, that this article has been request
ed. @ B5s iii5 q ,3f
II In the first place. the environment OF
ages of seeds were given could only
be appreciated by being seem To say
that In almost every case they were dis
advantageous to seed growing. Is to put
1T mildly. Most. OF the children who
sent In their names as contestants Tor
the prizes were a5bsolutel ~ Ign GRANT OF
the names Of even the commonest flowers
that grow. 1t Is doubtful ifone in forty
had ever dropped a seed In the ground
for the pleasure of seeing what WouM
come OF It. In many cases the YARDS
In which the seeds were planted con-
sisted OF small areas Of hard-packed
dirt in which chickens scratched In vain.
for living and over which dogs ana
cats fought. bled and died.
In one case a small; dark paved alley
way represented all the yard there was,
and from this a little girl had removed
the bricks with her own hands to make
room for the precious seeds, In fact N
almost every instance 3discoura gements
faced the small gardeners. not only the
discouragements of wind, weather ana
ravenous Insects. which all gardeners
have to encounter, but those of barren
soil, Ignorance In tilling IT, marauding
expeditions of dogs, cats and chickens.
and, in some cases the derison OF the
,grown-ups of their families, which Isl,
perhaps, the hardest; thlns to battle WILL
after all, Il 'i&,t
Some OF the small gardens were. Of
course, absolute failures. Others owed
their frultfulness to the care OF the
mother or the father ina few In stances
the childs howsr-bed formed part OF
really luxuriant bed or garden OF flow
Jcrs, planted by older members Of the
family and cared for them but the
average yard of flowers owed It's existence
solely to the patient, peNistent efforts OF
tho child who was 5makfg n garden for
tho first time In his or her life
The Interest displayed by the G htldren
In these gardens was wonderful. Here
was something absolutely their own,
something that owed Its existence to their
care. Each flower was known by name
and 1t was refreshing to note the pride
with which my marigolds' We're pointed
out to the committee, and TO hear me
prophecies of better asters or ziniast
next year
! The little Girl to whom the first prize
was awarded had faced and conquered,
difficulties almost rs great as those which
discouraged the engineers Of the Simplon
tunnel Her back yard was q square of
hard, solldly packed dirt, which had been
trodde under foot until the upheaval of
half an inch OF Its soil looked an linz
possibility, How she accomplished It
withouttne Id OF a plck-axe or a plough
Is a mystery, but the result was much as
II a Persian rug OF gorgeous sheen mad
been dropped over herfence upon a. dust
heap. There was blaze Of color, yellows
and reds MllaElad a. only nature and