The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1906-05-11

Graded Schools Have Practical In
struction In the Improvement of
School Grounds and In School Gar
dens.
Especial Correspondence
The necessity Of educating children
In the cultivation of the soil has been
apparent to the secretary Of agricul-
ture for a long time. He is untiring in
his efforts to further it, Trained teach
ers are necessary to accomplish it, so
with the hearty consent of the secre-
tary DR.. B. T. Galloway, chief of the
bureau of plant industry, has placed at
the command Of both the white and
colored normal schools Of the District
Of Columbia such facilities as are nec-
essary to give an elementary training
In horticulture and agriculture. BY
thus inspiring the young teachers its flu
ture in the education of the young is
assured. During the last three years
the work has grown from greenhouse
o by 16 feet and strip of land for
garden purposes 10 by 300 feet to
of an acre and quarter. The depart
ment Of agriculture furnishes the op-
portunity for the work and the schools
the teachers. Two hundred and ten
students are in the classes this year.
Each one of these students is thus pre-
pared to teach the subject in the city
schools. During the fall the students
propagate plants from cuttings for the
winter schoolroom and the spring gar
den, plant bulbs outdoors and for win
ter forcing, collect garden and tree
seeds.
During the winter by simple expert
ments that may be performed in any
schoolroom the students learn of the
kinds of soil, the water holding power
of soils and means of altering such
power, conservation of water and plant
physiology.
AS spring approaches experiments in
termination seed testing and seed
planting follow, as well as planning
home gardens, gardens around school
buildings and vacation gardens. At
this season of the year, too the work
broadens. 1t leaves the confines of
the normal schools and takes In all of
the public schools in the city. Arrange
ments are made with one of the local
seedsmen to sell penny packages of
seed to the children for home planting.
Many of the older teachers are not
trained, so to aid them the board Of
education, through one Of the normal
schools, issues sheets Of simple in
structions to aid the children to cor
rectly plan, plant and care for the
home garden. They are encouraged to
care for the garden during the summer
and to bring something they have rails
ed wholly by themselves to the flower
show in the fall. 1t may be growing
plant, bunch of flowers or bottle of
seed.
Flower day is an established feature
of Washington schools. On the Goth
of last September every school in the
District of Columbia invited the public
to its exhibit. All buildings were open
until dark, and where the buildings
were lighted they were open through
out the evening. The throngs of peo-
pie who visited the schools gave suf-
6cient proof Of the appreciation Of the
public for the movement.
Civic improvement is thus encouraged
and also by school ground improve
ment. Three years ago there was but
one garden connected with schools In
the District. Last year 100 of the 124
graded schools made an effort to i'm
prove their surroundings. The teach
ers are urged to relate whatever is
done outdoors to the subjects taught
In the schoolrooms. Skillful teachers
relate geography, arithmetic, spelling,
literature, drawing and
design to the garden.
The latest encouragement given by
the department has been the offer to
the board of education of more than
an acre of lawn to be used for chill
lren's gardens. The board has accept
ed the offer and will put the first six
grades of school in the vicinity to
work upon 1t. Each school will spend
IN afternoon week In the garden I'M
der the regular grade teacher, who will
be instructed from the normal school.
She will be expected to relate the work
closely to the regular schoolroom work.
The time spent In the garden will be
4 part Of school time and not after
hours, as has been SO frequently done
before, thus making an added burden
On the teacher. Each child will have
plot entirely his own. varying In size
according to his ability. Beside these
Individual plots there will be plots ten
[eet square Of grains, forage crops and
important local products for observa-
Ion purposes.
The garden will be under the imme-
late care Of the normal school during
and will be considered as a
vacation school for the southwest Sec
Ion OF the city, thus fortunately allow
ng the board OF education to grant a
petition from the parents of that Sec
Ion requesting such an opportunity |
or their children during the summer.
SUSAN B. LIPE.
Washington, d. G.
rY<x-