Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-02
OBSERVE FLOWER DAY
Children of Public Schools Ex-
hibit Their Work.
VERY PROUD OF DISPLAY
Parents and Friends Visit the Va
rious Gardens.
HARD WORK SHOWS RESULTS
Enthusiastic Youngsters Spend PEN
mics for Seeds and Implements Not
Furnished by Government.
VERY PROUD OF DISPLAY
HARD WORK SHOWS RESULTS

Parents and others having children of
teachable age, from the kindergarten to
the Normal School. are requested to take
notice that this Is Flower day in the local
pubic schools. Garden work is now a
regular part of the school training and
the work is in progress all the school
year. and in some instances during vaca-
ton. But this is Flower day, and the
schools, most of which are proud of their
work, ARE calling attention to their dis
plays with unfeigned pleasure.
1t would be a prodigious task to give
detailed account of the work, for there
are 1873 schools and nearly all of them
have something in the flower or garden
line of which they are particularly proud.
The teachers take an interest in the work,
too, and many of them have devoted days
of hard labor spading and helping to fix
the ground and have spent money out of
their own pockets for seeds and imple-
ments such as could not be procured from
the scant appropriation.
Spend Their Own Money.
Only 81 600 is allowed for all the schools
of the District for garden work. That
amount, distributed among nearly two
hundred schools, does not cover the sur
face very thickly. Therefore the teachers
in many cases have spent their own
money for the work, and the children. too.
have bought seeds and plants both for
home and school planting. Nearly every
one who has child in school remembers
that some time or other the past season
there was call for pennies to purchase
seed packets at 1 cent each. Some of
the little ones could purchase only a
cents worth. but the plutOcrats measured
their extravaganza by nickels and dimes.
Altogether there were 10000 packets or
seeds disposed of and that helped some.
Today the parents who have not seen any
of the results had chance to note now
the investment has grown.
Some of the parents had already seen
what was being done, for they haze visit
dens planted at home. Tomato cans. win
dow boxes and shell bordered walks in
very inadequate ash-filled back yard
may seem small things in the individual
case. but teachers say in the aggregate
they have wrought some wholesome but
astonishing changes in neighborhoods to
which the school garden influence has
spread.
Encroachment of Playground
There is one point on which the hard
working garden teachers felt little dis
to school. In many places. and such was
particularly SO around the Dennison
school, the playground had ruined the
garden. This. the teachers say. was wan
ton and careless. but it has unfortunately
proved true in many instances. The bor
ders have been trampled, the beds spoiled
and even the window boxes grown by the
children for winter decoration were ue-
stroyed. That the two things are not in
compatible was proved in the case of the
Edmunds School. where there Is one of
the few good gardens left in conjunction
with a playground.
Both the children and the teachers took
a very real interest in the work la year.
Around the Maury School, for instance,
the children and teachers took turns dur
ing the vacation period looking after the
school garden. Around the Potomac
School, that in the past received little
notice. there were a number of volunteer
workers, neighbors helping the children
in their work And this has benefited
the neighborhood as much as it has the
school. The Bowen has a fine garden
plot and the Hayes garden is regarded one
OF the best Of the entire number.
Dent School Fortunate.
The Dent School was fortunate in hav-
ing the children of a number of repre-
sentatives in Congress among the scholars
and they were able to secure an unusually
large number of permanent shrubs and
the like from the Department Of Agri-
culture. The department has helped ma
terlally In other ways, and there Is a big
school garden plot in the grounds just off
B street, where children have worked all
summer. Each of the children here has
an individual plot. An effort has been
made to calculate. at market prices, the
value of the produce that the children
raised and carried home. 1t amounted
this year to $3.50 in real money.
The Brookland School has been one of
the fortunate suburban institutions where
there was room to spread. A scarlet sage
hedge makes very brilliant display
This is true also of the Chevy Chase
School. which has a fine permanent
hedge. The children there voluntarily
added bird culture to their gardening and
have made the grounds haven of ref
uge for the neighborhood BIRDS Boxes
have been put out for them to nest in,
both boys and girls contributing to that
part of the work.
Good Effect in Neighborhood.
The Pierce. the Blow and the Edmunds
schools are all examples of the school
garden having a good effect on the neigh
borhood gardens. The Moore and Adams
gardens are each particularly good.
The Blow School is going to make quite