The Washington herald., 1912-11-17

The exhibition included corn, peas, rad
ishes, lettuce, beets, onions and carrots.
Most interesting of all the exhibits was a
broom, the broom part Of which was
grown in one of the farm patches and
afterward made up into a broom BY one
of the boy farmers
The vegetables which were included in
the exhibit shown at the Berkeley Lyceum
were all grown in the Thomas Jefferson
Park garden, which is known among the
children as the garden of thousand gar
dens because a thousand children have
garden plots there. To be exact, the num-
Der is usually 1,017. it being possible to
lay out plots for that many children in the
park. In addition to their own individual
plots there are sixty observation plots in
which children can watch the growth Of
other plants than those which are included
in their own small patches.
In each of the small patches radishes,
beets, beans, carrots, onions, lettuce and
corn are grown. The plots are all planted
exactly alike and at the same time, as
this makes the work of instruction more
possible and has been found to bring
about the best results. In the large
observation plots all sorts of interesting
plants, many of which the children have
never seen, are grown, such as the broom
of which the exhibition broom was made,
fax, hemp, tobacco and vegetables and
herbs of many kinds.
The children do their planting in May
at the time when the oak leaves are the
size of a squirrels ear, a traditional man.
ner of determining the stage of the
seasons advance which they have learned
from the American Indians. Some of the
crops could go in earlier than this, but as
it is desired TO do the planting all at
once, so that the growing crop will come
up altogether, it is necessary to wait until
the weather is fairly settled because Of
the beans and corn.
In the Thomas Jefferson gardens there,
are two crops every year, so that at least
two thousand children can take advan-
tage of the opportunity to go into farming
on a small scale The De Witt Clinton
Park, which provides for about half that
number of children, is the only other
garden under the direct control of the
city. Under the city government Mrs.
Henry Parsons and a staff of teachers
supervise the work of the small farmers.
Better than any other municipal in
dustry the children's farm gardens demon
strate the value of the from grower to-
consumer without the intervention OF a
doctrine. This last summer
every forenoon -ound the little farmers
gathering their vegetables on the Thomas
jefferson plots. After the vegetables
were gathered the children cooked them
in the kitchen of the park building and
Immediately served a late luncheon at
which they were the principal guests.
Manufacture in connection with farm
ing has been entered into by the children
IN more instances than that Of broom
making, for the boys and girls Of the
jefferson gardens not only grow
sugar beets in the observation beds, but
make them into sugar under the direction
IF the teachers.
The children are at liberty to work In
heir gardens or to visit them at any time
between nine and five O'Clock during the
school vacation, but after school begins
n the autumn they are permitted to look i
lfter their farming only on Saturdays and
lfter school hours.
This autumn the school children who
rave not been engaged in farming have
,een given an opportunity to Asit the
gardens under the guidance of their teach
rs and as a part of their nature study
work. About four hundred children an
lour have visited the gardens in this
manner, accompanied by their class teach
rs. The teacher of farming in charge Of
he gardens acts as hostess to the visiting
hildren and gives them little talk on
he vegetables. Then the school children
re allowed TO wander around examining
he vegetables in the children's plots and
Ilso in the observation beds. after which,