Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1906-06-07
Lsneclal Correspondence.l

The necessity Of educating children
II, The cultivation of the soil has been
apparent to the secretary of agricul-
t,lre for a long time. He is untiring in
his efforts to further it. Trained teach
crs are necessary to accomplish it, so
with the hearty consent of the secre-
tary DR.. T. r. Galloway, chief of the
bureau of plant industry, has placed at
the command of both the white and
colorcd normal schools of the District
OF Columbia such facilities as are nee
esSary to give an elementary training
III 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
8 by 16 feet and Il strip of land for
garden purposes 10 by 800 feet to
greenhouse % by 100 feet and a garden
OF an acre and Il quarter. The depart
ment of agriculture furnishes the OPP
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. Iui ing d. AZ the students
propagate PANTS from cuttings for the
winter school'o.i.l ,..i. tlc spring gar
den, plant bulbs oUt .oCrS and for win
ter forcing, collect glrGcl and tree
seeds.
During the winter by simple expert
schooiroom 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
Aroadens. 1t leaves TIE confines Of
T. normal schools and takes in all OF
t o. public schools in the city. Arrange
n ats are made with one of the local
sA,dsmen to sell penny packages of
sod to die children for home plan ing.
MAuy Of the older teachers are net
tldineG so To aid them the board of
education, through one of the normal
schools, issues sheets of simple in
strl lctiols to aid the children to cor
rectqy plan, plant and care for the
home garden. They are encouraged to
care tor the garden during the summer
ANA to bring something they have rails
ed whs .ly by themselves ito the flower
show ia the fall. 1t may lie a growing
plant ~ bunch of flowers or a bottle of
seed.
Flowdy day is an established feature
OF Washington schools, On the 10Th
Of last September every school in the
District of Columbia invited the public
to its exhibit All buildings were open
until Clark. and where the buildings
were lighted they We're open through
out the evening. The throngs of peo
pie who visited the schools gave suf-
fcient 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,
composition, literature, drawing and
design to the garden.
Tho In pncpIlra pnIppnt piVa1 by
the department has been the offer to
the board of education of more than
an acre of lawn to be used for chill
dren's gardens The board has accept
ed the offer and will put the first six
grades of a school in the vicinity to
work upon it. Each school will spend
an afternoon week in the garden un-
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
Il 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
feet square of grains. fora%e crops and
important local products for obServa-
ton purposes
The garden will he under the imme-
hiate care of the normal school during
vacation and will be considered as n
vacation school for the southwest sec
ton of the city, thus fortunately allow
Ing The board of education to grant Il
petition from the parents of that see
ton requesting such an opportunity
Tor their children during the summer
SUSAN B. LlPE.
Washington, ID. G..
Tie Berlin (N. " grange recently
lnld n grange fair at which thp upi