The Washington times., 1917-03-13
LINK THE GARDEN
And PLAYGROUND
Mrs. Susie Rhodes, Supervisor,
Has Comprehensive Plan to
Further Movement.
CONTINUED from First Page,

II
structions would be given at defnit,
periods OF each day to those inter.
ested in the matter. Government ex.
perts would cultivate every variety
OF garden product on the playground
garden patch, and would give detailed
Information to the children and
grown-ups In each neIghborhood a,
to the care and nurture Of the crop,
which they might choose to plant
Prizes Each Week.
Inspectors would be sent out whose
duty It would be to visit in rotation
the gardens OF the people IN the com.
fnunity whose names and addresses
would be found in the files of the
playground office. These inspectors
would report the progress OF the vari.
Gus gardens.
''To stimulate and maintain Interest
prizes would be awarded each week
to those having the best records for
the week or to those who could show
the greatest achievement in garden
ing.
Probably the greatest stimulus
would be when the crops begin to ma
ture, when at one or more OF the mar
kets in the city stands would be main
tained where vegetables raised by
community gardeners could be sold.
These we would call playground
stands
"The playground market would
have a double advantage: on the one
hand 1t would assure to it's patrons
absolutely fresh vegetables with a
guarantee, X necessary, OF their
freshness, at q fair and honest price,
while on the other hand II would
assure the gardener q return on his
Investment OF time and labor.
=. The. children on the Fairgrounds
would be grouped into classes accord
ing to size, ability. and inclination.
Each class would be encouraged to
cultivate those vegetables for which
experience has shown It to be best
adapted For instance, II would be
entirely impracticable to have small
children cultivate potatoes, which II
longtime crop, requiring not only
considerable arduous labor, but also
q great amount OF patience and con-
slant industry. However, there are
q sufficient number Of fully grown
young men who patronize the play
grounds to insure a fairly good crop
OF tubers.
Favors shortTfme Crops.
"I dc not believe, however, that
the cultivation Of such q crop as
potatoes should be encouraged be-
cause 1t does not yield itself to In
tensive cultivation, and requires not
only q great deal OF attention, but
also a great deal OF ground. short
time crops and those which can be
profitably cultivated on q small patch
Of ground are the ones which, In my
opinion, should be encouraged.
at is safe to assume that nine
tenths OF the people who are advocat-
ing gardens will be out Of town dur
ing the summer and will leave on the
advent OF warm weather, which is at
the critical period for the project.
at is essential, therefore, K any
thing In to be accomplished that those
who contemplate leaving the city
grounds Extension Bureau such funds
or materials as they wish TO leave in
order that the work may be carried
on during their absence.
"Of course the playground Is the
logical organization to conduct chill
dren's gardens. 1t Is the center of
the child interest OF the community.
We have In attendance upward of
nifty thousand people, q large percent
age OF whom could be enlisted In the
Being an out-of-door in
stitution and having as an important
part OF its curriculum, educational and /
Industrial enterprises, IL has much of |
the machinery already at hand, and |
could therefore do a maximum Of work
at a minimum OF cost
Not . New Eenterpri,e.
Gardening by school children is by |
no means a new enterprise. 1t began In !
as early as 1874. coming to this
country. after It had been taken up in |
almost every country in the world, in |
1890. The school gardening plan was
adopted in Washington upward Of NJ /
teen years ago. but has as yet proven |
an utter failure because the school |
teacher has but a limited time in which |
10 do a great many things. and garden
ng receives but perfunctory attention.
Then. too. the public school closes at
Just the period OF the year when the
garden demands most attention.
The most successful children,s gar
lens which have been conducted have
been In Pittsburgh. Pa. where for six
years the Pittsburgh Playground Asso-
,iation has had entire charge of the
work. In Dayton. Ohio. where q very |
campaign was carried on, the
National Cash Register Company was |
he one organization which could handle
I adequately. In Duquesne. Pa, the |
Steel Company. and in Bir-
ningham. Ala, the Tennessee Coal, Iron |
and Railroad COunany auparfnfapdad |