New-York tribune., 1906-08-25
DIARIES OF YOUNG GARDENERS.
Some Realistic Pictures as Drawn by Chill
dren in De Witt Clinton Park.

These breathless days In the famous farm
gardens in De Witt Clinton Park. The first crops
having been harvested with passionate Joy by the
nearly five hundred young farmers who had
brought them 20 maturity. the second crop has
been planted and tiny onions. Brussels sprouts
and beets piercing the brown soil of the little
plots. from the pergola on the one hand 20 the
bathhouse on the other Each child plants seven
vegetables in his garden
"Say. misss. can't have one er them graves?
demanded an earnest-eyed urchin ot an official yes
terday.
They do look awfully like graves. those garden
plots especially when child sticks little Anerf-
flag into the head of his, as one yOungster did,
The children in that part OF the city take It hard
iy when they fail to get garden at the appor-
tiOning Of the plots Lawrence was one OF those
who grieved. For three summers Lawrence sat on
the fence. asking patheticany at short intervals
when kin have garden?"
They got tired of Lawrence that they kept
driving him off. but he would always come back.
and at last this summer. he became old enough
TO receive plot. He has a round moon face and
looks as if he didn't know beans, but that's mis-
take: he IS one OF the smartest youngsters In the
whole collection
ct decided the garden had 70 be stirened up this
summer" said Mrs Henry Parsons. founder OF
the gardens 'so I gave out some rules and said
to the children: Now. I'm going TO throw the re-
spOnsibty Of keeping these on you There are az
OF you: that's too many to watch. Each OF you
must write these rules the front page Of your
diary, and then you must that you keep them
'"rhe rules Honesty. truthrUlness. courtesy.
Justice No second tag will be given out IL you
lose your tag you lose your plot. Don't forget
your pencil
EFT is wonderful what great moral Improvement
has taken place In the gardeners" said Mrs. Par
sons I'm telling about e.
Each child must write out these rules in his or
her diary. After that It is all voluntary. Some
children keep their diaries infinitely. noting EACH
days performance the weather, the state OF the
crops. etc. At any time Of the day youngsters can
he lying their stoInachs in the paths draw
ing pictures OF their plots of some pet vegetable
One lad hauled out a bench and, planting himself
upon Il az full length. proceeded 70 sketch each
onion, bean and beet.
Sometimes the little fingers get mixed up on the
hard names and the pages get 20 be as pIentifully
'cucnbres'' as the plots with the real thing.
Some OF the Illustrations too are weird, as when
one youngster portrayed the laborer who prepares
the gardens with the bad words" coming out OF
his mouth in a black haze.
These long. midsummer days bring some strange
but delightful visitors 70 the farm gardens. Last
week a little girl came along with her skirt gath
cred tightly around her to form a sack IN front-
Wont you take my chicken she pleaded.
Can't replied Mrs. Parsons; II would scratch
up all seeds
That's aust it," returned the child. He's got
his toes all crumpled up under him. and the doctor
saws he can't get well unless he has a garden 70
scratch in. We've had him out on the ire escape,
but he'll get we'll there. So please!
too much respect for our seeds 20 want them 20 De
scratched up she repeated, and. disappointed. the
girI turned away. But that conception OF the park
as sanatOrium for crippled or ailinS animals haunts