Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-06-01
YOUNG FARM ERS.
One Thousand Children Plant Seven
Kinds of Vegetables in New York
Park

one thousand children got back to
the soil" yesterday by planting seven
varieties of vegeta bles in thousand
plots Of ground in Thomas jefferson
Park, at East ll4th street They We're
assisted in the planting by one hun
dIcd teachers from the Teachers
Training School and others from the
summer garden school of New York
University. The work was under the
supervision OF Mrs. Henry Parsons,
who directs the school gardens of the
Park Department in Manhattan and
Richmond. Henry Griscom Parsons,
her SON who is director of the chill
dren's garden course in New York I'm
iverslty, personally supervised the
planting.
Besides the thousand youngsters who
did the planting there were two or
three thousand who lined the railing
outside the two-acre field which has
been set aside for the garden work in
Thomas Jefferson Park. They viewed
with envy the five hundred boys and
five hundred girls as they marched in
To the held and took their places, which
were designated by small stakes bear
ing numbers
When the signal was given for the
juvenile farmers to enter the grounds
there was no disOrderly rush. That
had all been obViated by the plans of
Mrs. Parsons to have ii a fnost order
~ return to the soil The children,
who were from public and parochial
schools in the 18th and 10Th districts,
were formed in line. and at the head
of each school delegation was ban
her carrier The order once given to
march to the plots. the children
| marched TO their respective sites and
| awaited the word to plant.
The Yegeta bles furnished for the &C.
casion included such old standbys as
beans, beets, radishes, lettuce, carrots,
onions and corn. After planting some
Of each kind of seed. the teachers in
charge of the separate delegations then
saw to ii that the youthful advocates
of farm life did not plant onions and
carrots in the same holes. Never were
mere Jealous farmers seen than were
busy for an hour in Thomas Jefferson
Park As fast as the carrot seeds were
planted the teacher in charge would
announce some other vegetable pass
ing around the seeds as she did So
We will now plant BEANS" said the
teachers in a chorus And there was
an answering ono from the children.
"Beansi"
Among the spectators We're num-
Der Of the parents of the children. who
ssoiIed with satisfaction at the sight
OF their youngsters assuming the re-
sponsibilities of truck farmers, for the
success of the garden will depend
largely on the attention of the plant
ers. Commissioner Slower was also
there te see part OF the planting.
The new farm garden is much larg-
er than the one IN De Witt Clinton
Park, which was established nine years
ago. The successor of the latter farm:
garden caused Mrs. Parsons to call on
Commissioner Slower for space for an
other one There lie fifty thousand
School children in the two districts
from which the thousand young farm
efS hail The purpose of the farm gar
dens, Mrs. Parsons said, was not to
teach children agriculture or farming
pnt TO teach the private care of public
property and TO have the children be-
come acquainted with the vegetables
which they see every day in the mar
kets of the city.
1t was not until long after the seeds
were all planted that the Youngsters
| could bring themselves to leave the
neighborhood. Many were the ex-
| pressed hopes for rain to bring out the
vegetables in rush The children
must go over their garden plots once
| a week to weed and care for them.
When the crops are matured they will
get the produce. No prizes, however.
VIII he given for the best plot, for il
| is rule of the farm garden that there
shall be good plots all around.-N Y.
Tribune