Construction Work for Rural and Elementary Schools Part 11

_First: Verticals._

Setting up: Begin at the center hole of the front, pa.s.s the cane up through the hole from the underside and down through the corresponding hole at the back, leaving about four inches to tie off; then up through the next hole to the right, pa.s.s to the corresponding hole to the front, continue to the right and then to the left, until all the holes are filled except the corner ones.

_Second: Horizontals._

Begin at the center hole at the left, pa.s.s the cane up through the hole and over all the verticals and down through the corresponding hole on the right, filling all the holes toward the front and then toward the back until all the holes are filled except the corner ones.

_Third: Verticals._

Begin at the center hole at the back, pa.s.s the cane up through the hole at the front, then fill all the holes to the right and the left, except the corner ones.

_Fourth: Weaving Horizontally._

Begin at the right-hand side, pa.s.s the cane over the upper vertical and under the lower vertical, pulling the upper one to the right and keeping the weaver to the back of the first horizontal: continue this until you have two horizontals in each hole.

_Fifth: Diagonals Running from Left to Right._

Pa.s.s the cane up through the front left-hand corner, under the verticals and over the horizontals, working toward the upper right-hand corner; first the right, and then the left-hand side of the frame is filled in this manner.

_Sixth: Diagonals Running from Right to Left._

Pa.s.s the cane up through the front right-hand corner and work toward the back left-hand corner, pa.s.sing the cane over the vertical and under the horizontal pairs; continue in this way until the entire frame is filled with these diagonals.

Tie all the ends securely on the under side of the frame.

_Bind Off._

Lay a piece of cane over the holes on the upper side of the frame. Take a second long piece of cane as a weaver, pa.s.s it from the under side of the frame up through a hole, over the cane, and down through the same hole to the under side again. Carry it along to the next or second next hole, pa.s.s up, over cane, and down in the same way. Continue this until the entire frame is bound around.

PART V

THE SCHOOL GARDEN

[Ill.u.s.tration]

THE SCHOOL GARDEN

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS

In the spring of 1906, at the request of President R. W. Silvester of the Maryland Agricultural College, I wrote, for publication as a _College Bulletin_, my experience of one year's work in a city school garden. The introduction of school gardens as a factor in the school curriculums was then in its infancy. Three years have shown great advancement along this line, though the main issue is the same to-day as it was then. This paper is a revised edition of the _M. A. C.

Bulletin_. That President Silvester was a pioneer in the thought that "agriculture should enter into education" is shown by the following quotation from his introduction to my article of 1906:--

"The time must come when the child of rural environment must find in the only school which ninety per cent will ever attend, a training which will give it an intelligent adjustment to its environment. With this adjustment, the future work of the child cannot reasonably expect to escape the state of drudgery. When a life's work degenerates into this condition, then contentment with it, or happiness as a result of it, becomes an idle dream. Can the accuracy of this statement be questioned? If so, it would be a great privilege for the writer to receive from some teacher a letter setting forth the particulars in which he is wrong.

"Let all who are interested in the child from the country, and every one should be, take this as a motto in this great work before us: 'The country is ent.i.tled from its state and from its county, to that consideration which will give him every opportunity to secure an education as well suited to his conditions, as is enjoyed by his city brothers and sisters.'"

A CITY SCHOOL GARDEN

If a country boy were to hear his little city brother say, "Our cla.s.s has a garden and I have a share in the working of it," the country chap would "non plus" him by quickly exclaiming, "What's that! I work in my father's garden every year and know all about raising and gathering vegetables."

But to the city child, who sees only cobblestones beneath his feet, whose view is contracted by rows of dingy houses, or who plays on a lot used both as a dump-pile and as a baseball ground, the privilege of working in a garden plat is a great one and the products of its soil a revelation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: WEEDING THE BEDS]

The aim here is to give an account of one season's work in such a garden--a garden treasured by children whose only knowledge of vegetable foods was that mother got them in the market.

Through the courtesy of the City Park Superintendent of Baltimore, sections of ground in some of the parks are placed at the disposal of the Board of Education for school gardens, and the privilege of cultivating these gardens is granted to teachers in an adjacent building.

It is of the section in Riverside Park that I am writing, and the accompanying ill.u.s.trations are pictures of this garden, taken at various times through the season.

These sections are not in prominent places, but for the most part in undesirable corners that the park gardener is willing to relinquish for the good of the cause. In Riverside Park the plat is adjacent to the summer playground, and the second year that I had the garden, at the end of June when school closed, a few of the children volunteered to attend to it during vacation.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GIRL INTEREST]

The interest of these children attracted the attention of the director of the playground and she offered to oversee the work while the playground was in session if some of her children might have the privilege of working in the garden.

This proved to be an amicable arrangement, as by it the garden was kept in good condition all summer. When school opened in September I took charge again, that the children might have the full experience. In my memory lingers a most vivid picture of a cold November afternoon when we gathered what remained of the crops, cleaned off the beds, heaped the refuse in the center of the garden, and had a most glorious bonfire, though it was not election day. We watched the last spark die out, closed the gate, and with regretful steps wended our way back to the schoolroom, to await the coming of another spring.

Our plat measures fifty by twenty-five feet and is enclosed by a fence.

The park gardener became interested in the children's effort and added to the success of the work by giving the necessary top soil, lending wheelbarrows, and offering occasional suggestions.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MAY I COME IN?]

As a preparation for the outside work we made a thorough study of soil composition and seed germination early in the winter. The children brought pieces of rock, pebbles, sh.e.l.ls, wood, and leaves as concrete ill.u.s.trations and with these before us the following lessons were developed:--

I That soil is made from the wasting away of all kinds of rock.

II That soil is made by decaying wood.

III That soil is made by decaying leaves.

IV That the above composites combine to form productive soil.

The object of the first lesson was to teach that soil is made from rock.

The pupils examined stones, pebbles, and sh.e.l.ls. They found some rough, some smooth. Through the teacher's questions--"Why are some rough?" "Why are some smooth?" "If those having a smooth surface now were once rough, what has become of the particles which must have broken away?"--the cla.s.s was led to express opinions until the final generalization was made: Soil may be formed from the breaking up of rocks and sh.e.l.ls.

Each topic was treated in a similar manner, the specific qualities of the specimen being brought out, until we were able to make the summary:--

"Soil is made from decayed rocks and sh.e.l.ls; soil is made from decayed leaves; the rocks make a coa.r.s.e soil called sand; the wood and leaves make finer soil called loam; the mixture of these soils makes productive soil."

[Ill.u.s.tration: WHOSE BED LOOKS THE BEST?]