Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-09-30
SCHOOLS ALL ABL00M
Great Exhibit of the Children
Gardeners.
INTERESTING DISPLAY
FIRsT-YEAR EFFORTS ARE WELL
REWARDED.
The Little Farmers Had Everything
From Carnations to Peanuts, and
Want More Next Year.

their home gardens. That this innovation
in the line of school exhibits was appre-
ciated was shown by the hosts of parents
and friends who visited the school corri-
doris in the afternoon. Not a building In
all the divisions, white or colored was
without its display. The enthusiasm of the
pupils over the products of their own hor-
ticultural skill was not greater than was
the establishment of the visitors at the
magnitude of the results.
This exhibit is the first attempt to show
to the public the extent of the school gar
den movement, which In the last three
years has transformed the unsightly clay
beds formerly known as the school yards
into centers for the development of civic
pride and individual taste.
Through the assistance of the department
or plant industry the normal schools of
the city have been enabled to give such
specific instruction to young teachers that
the student body as a whole has received
reliable instruction in planting and nurtur-
ing plants.
Miss Susan Sipe, in charge of the work at
the Normal School No. /, has so directed
the effort that the movement has become
general, and in the early part of last spring
there Were distributed through the super
vising principals to all pupils more than
2oo0tO packages of seeds. These were not
used at the school buildings. where the OPP
poftunitles are necessarily limited. but were
eestiitO ifoLic, 50 tudL the rear yaTQS OF The
homes of some 5000 pupils became Access
series to the floral and agricultural inter-
ests of the schools. Yesterday the result
OF this movement of home gardening, which,
IKE the school center, was supervised by
the teachers. was made apparent by the va
rlety OF vegetables and the profusion of
plants and flowers which the young horti-
culturists placed on exhibition
The exhibit is said to prove the success of
the Idea, and the garden industry will be-
come permanent feature of school work.
Cranch School.
The four rooms on the first floor of the
Cranch School were turned over to the chill
dren of the different grades to be decorated
with palms and rubber plants goldenrod
and ferns from the fields and woods and
mowers and vegetables of their own raising
Against really luxuriant background of
green were massed the fruits of the labors
Of the successful pupils.
Last spring over two thousand packages
of seed were distrib ated among the chill
dfen or this building. and, though some
failures We're reported, in many cases sue
cess had come grouped on tables in each
room We're tomatoes of large grth and
mammoth beetS, while lima beans carrots
lettuce, string beans, parsley and celery
bade fair to rival in attractiyeness the clus-
tiers of marigolds. banks of red and yellow
nasturtiums. large flaming zinnias, beauti-
ful dahlias and clumps of coreopsis near
at hand One seventh-grade pupil filed a
large Dish with vegetable of every variety
from her own vacation garden
Altogether the exhibit showed that good
beginning has been made and that the home
garden feature of the public schools has
come to stay.
Tyler School.
large gathering of parents and friends
! or the children of the Tyler build
| ing viewed the flower exhibition held in the
| hai and lower rooms of the building Nu-
merous potted plants and trailing vines
made tasteful decorations, but the center
| of interest lay in the brilliant showing of
| flowers of all descriptions grown nv ,ba
| children from seeds furnished in the snrInp
| and also in the well-cared-for and -four
| ishing gardens beautifuying the school
grounds.
Under the direction of the PRINCIPAL Mrs
| Peabody, such enthusiasm has been ere
ated that plants of many varieties other
| than those raised from seeds furnished to
| the schools have been cared for by the
children and find conspicuous places among
! the exhibits
In addition to the flower exhibit, neatly
! labeled bottles showing the seeds of plants
! when nave already matured were also dis
played. '
The small lawn at the front of the build
| ing mas shown, perhaps, more than any
thing else the growing interest taken L,,
] the boys in the work of IMPROVEMENT Al
| though limiting their Fairgrounds. they
| view it with pardonable pride and 1t has
= iaatl lts.x-
/ by the janitor.
The committees in charge were as fol-
| lows: Decoration. Misses Erb, Graham,
Inonssen. Brewer and Russ Reception.
| Misses Simpson and Davis, assisted by sixth
grade girls. Press, Misses Douglas and
| Fawcett.
The Buchanan
| At the Buchanan Miss McCauslen. prin-
cipai. the scene was one of rare taste and
| beauty, resembling an actual entrance into
fairyiand and rejecting unspeakable credit
| on the dfligent efforts of the teachers and
/ children
Much has been noted during the season
| of the attractive appearance of the we'll
| kept grounds surrounding the building.
| where rich Towering nasturtiums many
hued asters, graceful cosmos. climbing
| vines and f1ourishing shrubbery combine to
! make the Buchanan one OF the notably
| beautiful buildings
| In the hall yesterday magnificent paIms
| and splendid rubber plants. kindly lent
| by the parents. formed pleasing back
| ground to the more interesting products
/ raised by the pupils themselves AS the
visitor entered the west front he was
| amazed at the abundance of the exquisite
| display, massed in artistic and effectfye
| arrangement in the main corridor
| The exhibition comprised chiefly pIa nts
/ flowers and vegetables cultivated by the
| children, showing constant and faithful
thought and care during the long. hot SUM
| mer.
| Their harvest reward was great yester-
| day. however, and the wearisome toll Was
| forgotten as they proudly produced the
| wonderfully satisfactory fruits of their
| labor Everything was neatly and uni
| formiy labeled with tiny white cards bear
| ing the name and grade of the children
| who placed specimens on exhibition on
| hardwood table near the center could be
; seen many varieties of seeds, results of the
| seeds planted in the spring, such as dow-
| erfng bean. gladiolus, balsam, morning
| glory. scarlet runner and balloon vine On
| a nearby table We're heaped various kinds
| of vegetables, lima beans. beefsteak toma-
| toes, celery, beets, parsley, squash, corn
| and potatoes.
| Grouped to the best advantage on ta-
| bourettes and stands were numbers of pot
| ted asters. begsnias, nasturtiurns, gera-
| NUNS and other suitable plants submitted
| by the young scholars to show their COM
| mendabie skill in soil cultivation
| The artistic training was applied
throughout in the beautiful arrangements
| of the generous contributions, one spe-
| cial1y striking effect being accomplished
| by a grouping of airy purple asters around
| a snow white bust of Apollo. all against
| background of dark green foliage
| Many appreciatiye visitors encouraged
| the workers by their unlimited praise and
| expressions of admiration. Acting upon