The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-10-17

n 'hroHF t Meedn neaa ahd Wsaaaerns tic
children nay ler!ng t sh1'r Tpsnhn sr
g hsso gnS Sn PafsS sca sse so Rs
children had prepared hover shows, cut
flowers hild boon brought from their owf,
home gardens, raised from seed, sold them
anrSs ss cent p1shese * ro 5hs h0 Tic
schools. = first tho seedhen objected
10 seed being sold e sclool children at
since through Tho movement their owil
sules have Increased TO per cont. AS we
entered olc school-yard, the boys, with
rakcs md acknowledgements, were }1st put ,v,,
They were n happy set, and proudly show W.
ai iiow they realized the ls1portance OF
n Nalr .joy.$ The playground was OF poor r
oss Saa xs sc 9 II 81 io4s ODD
good soil, brought Il dunrter OF Il mile N
whcelbarrows Along the fence, neat,
~. hiding It, were borders OF cosmos aru
a flowers We're strung on lid ferce cover
Ing whatever the cosmos left exposed;
4 In n &corncr Of tho. yard were nrrah g ca
G1nty q ,a vs table, y c gem ow ths
and pots or growing plants.
At tho Donn School II vegetable garden
was grown by the children. The land. one
hundred feet square, hnd been lohned by
tho owner tOrt tHc puIpVse. ~ tuu SS...S
incr house, which was entered by -FOUR
long wooden nrbors. IN this house was
rse pstagonal stand Son on wch o wers
g rnvru II, TIC home gardens and arrnng-
ID by the children themselves. There
was a great variety. The cut flowers
rranked n baskets Of dam ho,, fann 5
boys and girls at this school and they
had Just been turned intp the yard, ior
recess AZ they me idvS. ro shpots they
n rire mil living picture Tar. more en-,
tran chg than their tasty display Of
flowers In tho nrbor. We called them
and they cane orowding emgier tlon 20 tt he
garden. yYo led them IN three cheers for
Glovelnnd's school gardens In. general and
their own IN par,tlcuart a tns ehcy Kniye
Miller si'uit and and our purity was limited. and
we had reluctantly to hurry away. But
| longed for more and the next morning
went out again, Tho principal very kind.
ly allowed tho head gardener" to leave
den more thoroughly The head gar.
dener," Earl Smith. Is about IL years
old. We went Into tho garden and nc
showed me 10 beds Of vegetables, by 10
chests of garden tools. The head gardener
kept tho keys, distributed and cared for,
the tools. He has m assistant gardener
to help him.. Forty children OF the nfth
and sixth primary grades are selected to
Of ten each. Each group has captain.
Miss Miller directs all. nstructing what
to do and how. During school session
they work certain hours after school,
morning. Each child must in vacation
keep up the garden personally or by
substitute or give up the garden to
another
BACK OF her house, on large vacant
lots, generously loaned her, Miss Miller
has an exchange garden. Surplus plants
are donated by florists and people OF
means and planted here. From this ex
change garden they are passed alons 10
others without means who Wish 70 beau-
icy their homes and help as humble
citizens to to make Cleveland more
beautiful city to 1.-Two in.
3 on.my WY home stopped, at dayton ;, t,fl
National Cash Register Company, which
arc doing SO much to make the boys
manly law-ahidlng citizens On entering
head gardener. skilled man employed
by the company toginstruct the boys. lie
was very courteous and explained the
sn xsy y ye ea 9Ey 4Gys nse CIV gnE
vegetables. Although late In, the season
there were many varieties Of vegetab bios
still In the beds The boys pay 10 cents
Same things. In unif orm rows and gather
their produce under direction. Unruly
boys forfeit their beds to boys on the
waiting list. who pay them for their,
produce and work to date.
Tho preparation, fertlllzing, watering
and filling of the ground Is excellent. The
results show It. The accounts which the
boys keep showed that some had taken
from their beds $500 worth OF vegetables,
current market value, and by judicious
rotation OF crops have the beds still full
of produce. That morning, among other
things 25 boys had gathered lite pounds
sets OF rakes, hoes, spades and ttroweiss.
orderly arranged on a rack, ono for each
boy. Watering pots and wheelbarrows
were used In common. At the regular
county fair, competing with the farmers.
the boys sent eleven kinds of vegetables
for exhibition They took eight first
prizes and two second prizes: corn being
The only thing In their eleven kinds on
which the farmers beat them.
At the Patterson public school, OF Day
ton + saw, extending for half q block.
rows of little beds, s by 4 feet. These
were a solid mass Of blooming flowers.
n the spring the children had planted
vegetables, which had been gathered be-
fore vacation, and replaced by the flow
ors I saw.
are rapidly extending .over. the country;
in mind, body and soul. Any one who
thinks otherwise, but does not care TO
10 behind the times, will do we'll 10 get
ana read some Of the recent literature on
The subject W. w. GIILYTTE.
= a. hn1rnw's School, Richmond, Va.