New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1915-06-03

school and promises b0tee1 ulloE5z
standing between parent and teacher.
1t obviates many of the troubles OF
the school garden, such as that of
stealing, fencing, protection. limited
funds, summer vacation, insufficient
land, and others. The home garden
furthermore usually provides suffi-
cient ground to grow. enough produce
to supply the home and to put the
enterprise on commercial or bust
ness basis. The child with a garden,
embracing $500 square feet or over
is able to raise at least ten dollars
worth of produce and to obtain a fair
idea Of the possibilities of gardening.
Such proposition tends TO broaden
the childs vision.
The home garden also is usually
large enough to keep the child occu-
pied while out of school and at an
occupation that is welcome and I'M
der the eye of the parents. 1t pro-
Vldes at the same time for a closer
companionship between parent and
child and encourages the idea of mu-
tual helpfulness.
Teachers Employed for IL Months.
In general the Bureaus recon-
mendation to schools regarding Tome-
garden work is to engage in leach
graded school one teacher who is pre-
pared by training and experience to
take charge of the garden work for
the whole school. Such tea cher should
be engaged for twelve months and
with the understanding that she
should devote the regular number of
hours to teaching the usual school
subjects, or better. all the elementary
science subjects in several grades, and
that the garden work should be done
after school hours, on Saturdays and
holidays, and during the summer va
cation. Arrangements may, if desired
be made to give vacation to the
garden teacher during the winter.
Such a teacher will demand a high
er salary to- compensate her for the
extra service. In a large city where
many such teachers have been EN-
ployed the services of garden spe-
cialist as supervisor would be help
full.
In the larger schools, where the
enrollm ent exceeds three hundred
one or more additional teachers will be-
necessary, for one teacher should mo-
be expected to supervise properly
more than about $50 back yard gar.
dens. Experience has shown that a.
much produce can be raised from thi.
number of well-supervised gardens a.
from twice the number of gardens in.
adequately supervised
Getting Land.
'"The teacher should assist the pu.
| pills by way of securing land when
back yards are not available Near.
by vacant lots may usually be pro.
cured for the purpose. The teacher
also assists the children in plannins
their gardens and ordering their
seed IN advance of the planting sea-
son. She instructs them in the start
INK of plants in the window and In
hot-beds and she demonstrates the
methods of fertilizing, spading, rak
| ing, hoe1ng, watering, wedding, thin.
nfng. marketing, and canning Early
In the season she works with group.
OF children. One afternoon she viii
announce that the children in a Ger.
tain block will meet in John Smiths
backyard for demonstration in pre-.
pairing the soil and planting the seeds
The following afternoon she will re.
peat the performance in Mary Jones
! back yard for the benefit of the chill
dren in that section. This program
is continued until the field has bee,
| covered. After the spring rush sh,
j works with the individuals, maxim,
sure that they are keeping up
succession of cropping and are maxim,
the very best use of their land AM
| their Efforts
Ihese recommendations, ACCORDING
to DIR. Jarvis, are intended for tn
ordinary city school. In a few O
the larger cities, on account of a,
i absence of back yards the plan ca,
! not be worked out perfectly, but 1,
most cities there are more back yard
| and vacant lots available than is gen
/ orally believed. In the more con
gested cities the effort should be t;
approach as nearly as possible thi
! ideal. All the available land shout,
be utilized and the typical school-gar
den with its small plots may be tn,
nearest approach. The resourcefu
teacher usually will find a way.
It is the hope of DR.. Jarvis tina
all who are interested in the promo
ton of this important work will benz
their efforts toward standardizing TIN
garden work in schools