New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1916-05-27
COOPERATING FOR HOME
SCHOOL GARDEN WORK.

nat1anOOHa, Irnn., mas or
gained a plan for introducin.
: school and home gardens that i
: considered one of the best We
devised for interesting various
community groups in home garden
work.
The Chattanooga plan. accord
ing to reports received by the Blu
rcau Of Education Of the Depart
mcnt of the Interior. enlists Fed
eral. State. city, and local asso
citation agencies in the work. The
following are actively represented
in the movement for school gar.
dens: United States Department
of the Interior. Bureau of Educa-
ton. through the Commissioner
and an assistant in home and
school gardens; City of Chatta-
, nooga, Department of Education
and Health. through the Commits
sioner Of Education and Health,
Superintendent of Schools and
Garden Supervisor; Federation of
School Improvement Leagues,
through its president Presidents
of District Leagues representing
the eleven districts; Directors of
Home Gardening; Principals,
teachers, parents, pupils; the
newspaper.
Similar work to that of Chatta-
nooga, though in most eases not
SO carefully organized, is being
done in 81 cities this year through
a special appropriation by Con-
gress in 1915. In describing the
movement for home gardening di-
rected by the school, DIR. p. p.
ClaxtOn, Commissioner of Educa-
ton, declares:
After the school day is fin
ished and during the long vaca-
ton period, millions Of American
children are idle. Without ,rct-
err occupation, these future citi.
zens Of the United States are
thrown on their own resources for
amusement until school begins
again.
It seems manifestly the duty
Of the public schools to furnish
employment for these millions of
idle young people. The schools
ere established and maintained
for the purpose of educating chill
dren into manhood and woman
hood and for preparing them for
citizenship.
"The Bureau Of Education,
after much careful thought and
research work. has evolved sys-
TEN Of home gardening done un-
der the direction of the schools
that seems to offer many oppor-
tunities for this sort of instruction
and for filling satisfactorily the
child's idle hours.
1.-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 school hours and
should, out Of school hours, direct
the home gardening of the chill
dren between the ages of 10 and
Is years.
eff possible, the teacher should
have the assistance of an expert |
gardener so that the work may be |
done in the most practical and
profitable way. The teacher and
the gardener should help the chill
dren find the plots of ground near
their homes best suitable for gar
den work. aid them by some So
operative method in having the
lots properly plowed and pre-
pared for cultivation, help them
select seed and show them how
to liant. cultivate, and harvest. so
as to obtain the best results. The
teacher should spend the after
moons and Saturdays of winter.
spring. and fall. when school is
in session. and all of the vacation
days of summer, visiting the chill
dren in their homes, directing
their work. and giving to each
child such help as it most needs.
Once a week or oftener, during