The Prescott daily news., 1916-05-01

sueo, throuSH US president; Pres idents of District Leagues represent ing the eleven districts; Directors of Home Gardening; principals, teach CTS, parents, pupils; the newspaper.
 Similar work to that of Chatta- nooga, though in most cases not so carefully organized, is being done in 32 cities this year through special appropriation by Congress in 1915. In describing the movement for home gardening directed by the school, Dr. P. P. Claxton, Commissioner of Edu- cation, declares:
 After the school day is finished and during the long vacation period, millions of American children are idle. Without proper occupation, these future citizens of the United States are thrown on their own resources for amusement until school begins again.
 Ut seems manifestly the duty of the public schools to furnish employ ment for these millions of idle young people. The schools are established and maintained for the purpose of educating children into manhood and womanhood and for preparing them for citizenship.
 "The Bureau of Education, after much careful thought and research work, has evolved a system of home gardening done under the direction of the schools that seems to offer many opportunities iJr this sort of instruc- tion and for filling satisfactorily the child's idle hours.
 "The Bureau recommends that there should be in each school throughout the country at least one teacher who knows gardening both scientifically and practically. This teacher should be employed twelve months in the year, should teach elementary science in the school during the school hours and should, out of school hours, direct the home gardening of the children between the ages of 10 and 15 years.
 "If possible, the teacher should have the assistance of an expert gar dener so that the work may be done in the most practical and profitable way. The teacher and the gardener should help the children find the plots of ground near their homes best suitable for garden work, aid them by some cooperative method in having the lots properly plowed and pre- pared for cultivation, help them se- feet seed and show them how to plant, cultivate and harvest, so as to obtain the best results. The teacher should spend the afternoons and Sat urdays of winter, spring and fall, when school is in session, and all of the vaeation days of summer, visiting the children in their homes, directing their work, and giving to each child such help as it most needs. Once g week or oftener during the vacation months, the teacher should assemble the children in groups for discus sion of their work and of the prin- ciples and methods involved.
 Vegetables, berries and fruits grown should be used first as food for the children and their families, then the surplus should be marketed to the best advantage. Through the Ihelp of the teacher this can be done in a cooperative way. Ten or 15 cents worth of vegetables each day from the gardens of 200 children would amount to S20 or $50. In sum- mer and fall, when the surplus is large and can not be marketed to ad vantage, the teacher should direct and help the children in canning and preserving for winter home use or for sale. The canning and tomato clubs have already shown what can be done in this way.
 Ut is difficult to estimate all the results of this plan once it is in full operation throughout the country. For the children it will mean health, strength, joy in work, habits of in- dustry, an understanding of the value of money as measured in terms of labor, and such knowledge of the phe- nomena and forces of nature as must be had for an understanding of most of their school lessons.
 "This plan in full operation would oGor o ,,a1uobIo e,,pnIamant +o tho