The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-05-17
Back Yards and City Lots
Field of Operation.
HOME GARDEN PLAN A "GO''
Over Three Hundred Dollars
Raised for Prizes,
There Will Be Exhibits of Pro-
duce Next Fall.

The home garden plan for the To-
peka school children is now in full
| operation The number of youngsters
who are changing unsightly back yards
and vacant lots into attractive minia-
| ture farms is approximately fifteen
hundred Twenty-four schools have
adopted practical agriculture as a side
study.
The plan has been worked out by c.
c. Starr, superintendent of city schools
and c. H Wilmington. instructor of
agriculture in the high school who has
assumed the duties OF supervisor of the
new plan. The Topeka Commercial
club, the Women's Commercial club
the Topeka Real Estate Dealers asso-
citation, the Clearinghouse Realty Co.
and numerous individuals who have
contributed small amounts, are foster
ing the proposition from the standpoint
of providing cash prizes. A committee
composed of membe of the three or
CARNATIONS first mentioned with Mrs.
Helen 1. Francis at it's head is now
making an active campaign for funds.
Already more than 1920 has been sub
scr1bed; five hundred dollars is wanted.
Individual Contests.
There will be individual contests in
each school. Prize money Will be dis
tributed among the schools according
to the number of pupils who have en-
tered the contest in the individual
schools by the close of school. Next fall
each school will have its own display
of produce grown by the pupils and
awards of prizes will be made.
Then several grand prizes will be
offered for the best offerings at a CEN
trail display of the finest of the exhibits
from the respective schools. The gen.
eral public will be given an invitation
to attend the exhibit.
There are three classes in which con-
testants may enter. The first class calls
for a garden 25x50 feet in size. The
second class provides for the making
of a garden 20x25 feet Glass No.
embraces flowers. and No vegetables.
All of the schools interested with the
exception of two have demonstration
gardens 5x10 feet in size where the
pupils are given instruction in the best
methods of sowing seed and cultivating
plants At the Harrison school, there was
apparently no place for a demonstra-
ton garden The principal c. H. Peter
son instructed the janitor to make a
frame 5x1O feet This was done and
the frame was filed with earth.
To Employ a Supervisor.
Last year hundreds of school children
entered the home garden contest. but
on account of the fact that there was
no one to supervise the work in the
summer months quite a large per-
centage of the youngsters dropped out
of the race for prizes
The board of education favors the |
hiring of a supervisor for the work this
summer This instructor will prob /
ably be appointed within a week or /
ten days when the teachers are chosen 1
by the board for the next school year. /
In 1912 the first season of the home
gardens. the colored children took but
little interest in the work. Conditions
have changed and now scores of them
have become enthusiastic agriculture
lists.
The rules of the contest provide that
each pupil contesting shall perform all
the work of planting and cultivating
his garden and that pupils shall also
gather and prepare their own flowers
and vegetables for the exhibit
An accurate record of all pupils in
the contest has been taken. At any
time the supervisor may call upon a
contestant to inspect his garden
Several enterprising boys have al
ready procured a number of customers
for their vegetables this summer.
They expect to make their respective
pay from a financial stand
point. In fact. radishes. lettuce and
onions are already being sold in in
stances