The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-08-04
INTENSIVE GARDENING NEW
THING IN AMERICA
Whnt You Cnn Du with II Quarters
Worth of Seed aud n Bit
of Ground.


/ Intensive gardening. like intensive
| farming. is such new thing in Amer
! lea that we are apt TO scorn the pos
/ sibilities OF a small back yard. That
/ is the way il seemed 10 Il young moth :
cr who had moved from the suburbs.
/ where she had three or four acres for
/ lawn ana flowers to home in the
| city. which had az she phrased it, a
| garden spot as large as her husbands
! handkerchief. Exaggeration, OF course.
! but one must admit that n space about
( fifteen by twenty feet for a Hover Ear
den did seem hopeless to her But with
| little children 10 develop and. know
| ing that gardening is one OF the very
best ways TO do it. as she had learned
! from roth Mrs. Latter and Madame
! Montcssori. as we'll as from her own
experience, shc decided TO mike tho
/ most OF her opportunities
As Ia the Seeds and beds.
| I"ent%-hre cents worth of seeds and
800 square feet OF ground did seem Il
very iittie TO 70 Oh, but under her
! capable management there was n rras3
| plot with q digging corner for the III :
! tie boy amt girl ana an exercise cor
/ ncr for the baby AZ for flowers she
/ sccmcf to have "A fairy wand. for there
( were quantities. bushels. 1t seemed.
They had all they wanted for them
/ selves and basketfuls TO sends to tho
children's hospital
The flowers chosen were petunias
| phloX. aiyssuin. calendula and cosmos
"a five-ccnt packet Of each) The
! hower beds were made around the tiny
grass plot az a border Oh three sides
| When the beds he'd been spaded raked
and enriched with bone meal and rul-
verified sheep manure purchased at the
place where the seeds were bought
the children were allowed to help with
the planting, for AS Madame Monies
sori says. IN regard to planting seeds.
The children are Initiated into the vir-
tue OF patience and into the confident
expectation. which is form OF faith
Rnd Of philosophy Of life" In this
case, at least. experience proved that
| If the children did not learn much pa =
ticncc and philosophy before all those
seeds were In the ground. the mother
did. This. Indirectly. was OF value to
the children for patience and philo.o-
! phT arc two things that mothers can
} not have too much of. That is If the
happiness Of the family is to be con-
I aidercd.
DiNcrtlnc the I<iddIcs.
|. took some patience. too. TO keen
| little feet from stepping all over the
flower beds before the seeds came up
and little hands from pulling up the
plants. Just to sec II they were grow.
I I'iS, 'tilcE lNet were up. But mere
is where the sand pill. in a shady cor
ncr near the house was OF value. \
barrel OF 50 nd was dumped there. with
boards staked around il 20 keep il
from getting all over the grass. To be
allowed 10 get right into the sand and
dig in il and iii their pals and sand
lnolds Gall purchased at the nve-and-
Z ten-cent storcs) was such novelty
that IL kept the little hoy and girl
! busy until the plants were large
enough To he interesting. The baby
in the meantime had an exercise place
in another corner Of this ward. \ piece
OF oilcloth WAS thrown down on the
ground as a precaution against damp
ness. then a comfort WAS placed on
| this. There the baby could lie and
Kick and crow TO his hearts content.
while his mother sat near. sewing and
| reading. The lawn swing. sand pile
and baby's corner did take up pretty
nearly all the grass plot. but as the
| back yard was shady nearly all The
| forenoon they managed very we'll
! Playing out OF doors made the little
/ boy and girl tired and hungry. so
| when afternoon came they We're ready
TO cake their maps. (Naps are so neces
Sarv to keep the children's nervous
systems healthy and normal and also
10 give mothers a little rest too)
When hot Weather Came.
When tho hot weather came and the
! l''N''S It''tN 81 tErdl Cthi OF water,
| the little boy and girl had fine time.
! They put on their bathing suits and
{ handled the hose themselves, and 1t did
! no; matter a bit how much water they
got on them selves when sprinkiinG the
/ flowers and grass. And when the very
! hot days came, As they did occasional
! ~. = miniature seashore was impro-
! vised by putting a tub OF water right
beside the sand pile and letting them
padd!o and dabhle as much a. they
pleased OF course. II was not quite so
good as the real country. but il was
the next best thing, and the children
came through the summer in splendid
condition owing TO their mothers good
sense in making the most OF her back
Nard ana her care in selecting their
1000" y. n. II.