Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1904-05-23
SCHOOL GARDENS IN CITIES.
Nature Study and Gardening as Edu-
cationaI Factors.

Helen Christine Bennett In Review
of Reviews.-Facing the Hudson, on
the west side of New York city, is a
piece of condemned land awaiting inn
provement, ironically called De Witt
Clinton park. The most vivid i'm,
agination could not have conceived a
more desolate spot than this was in
the summer of 1902. The idea of a
farm in that unfavorable spot might
have made the inquirer slightly
skeptical; but had he stayed to see,
the changes wrought by the school
farm were little short of marvellous.
The children's ready hands, assisted
by those of older brothers and sisters,
and by workmen from the park de-
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 out, and plots marked, and after
days of earnest work, the farm" was
ready to receive the seed. Twenty
five children filed in at 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 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's
school farm in New York city, con-
ceived and directed by Mrs. Henry
Parsons, a member of the local school
board of the 18th school district of
Manhattan.
One hundred and twenty-five farm
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 1908.
Through the long, hot days OF July
and August you might see them water
ing, wedding, hoeing, or quietly sitting
around the central flower plot listen.
ing to a nature-study talk by the at.
tendant teacher. Improvements upon
the surrounding land followed rapidly
in the wake of those upon the farm
Toward the east the park department
had placed a huge, open-air gym
nasium and playground. Toward the
west, a tiny country seat, with a II
by 1S-foot farmhouse, a green lawn
and flower beds, pavilion, a pig-pen
and chicken-house had been added
to the farm property. Still farther
west stood a sand tent and a second
canvas formed a resting place for
tired mothers. A typical afternoon
might have shown so or 100 children
busy in the garden; in the pavilion, a
sewing class and a group weaving
baskets for farm produce: in the tiny
house, tea being served by neatly
aproned housekeepers, while on the
lawn the boys played croquet.
The history of the making of the
New York garden is that of gardens
in many cities. Back yards are no
longer unsightly. In some cases, the
stone tagging of the schoolyard has
given place to miniature gardens or
great beauty. Bare lots have become
beautiful, and hundreds Of boys and
girls have grown daily stronger,
happier, and better. America has only
begun to realize her opportunity in the
value of school gardens as an educa-
tional force among the thousands OF
children in her crowded cities. An
effort is being made to attract the at
tention of educators to the model
school garden" which. directed by
Herbert ]. Hemenway of the Hartford
school Of horticulture will be a most
attractive ceature of the worlds fair
at ST. Louis. If the public education
association Of Philadelphia succeeds in
its efforts to have at least one school
garden opened in the summer of 1904
the garden movement will have been
at least inaugurated in four great
eastern cities,-New York. Boston,
Philadelphia. and Washington.
The first school garden in America
was started in Boston by Henry s,
Clapp in 1890. The garden was