CHILDREN'S GARDEN COMPETITIONS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 19983, 18 July 1930, Page 18

CHILDREN'S GARDEN COMPETITIONS.

EDUCATION BOARD'S .NEW SCHEME. Home garden- competitions amongst school-children wore discussed at last night's meeting of tho committee of the Canterbury Horticultural Society. The Education Board, who proposed to inaugurate the competitions, had written through .the Chief Agricultural Instructor, Mr J. Brown, asking for assistance in judging, and intimating that they would welcome the provision of a special trophy. After discussion it was decided to reply expressing the Society's willingness to help, and a subcommittee was appointed to meet the Headmasters' Association, and possibly the Board, in conference. The Chief Agricultural Instructor 3 letter, which contained tentative suggestions for the competitions, stated that tbey were intended for City and suburbap. schools, where sufficient apace waß not available for satisfactory garden work in the ordinary school course. In those cases the home gardens provided the necessary practical work required by the school course, and in addition they aroused the interest of parents in that phase of the children's education, bringing the home more directly into touch with the school. He therefore recommended that a scheme such as he detailed should be brought under notice of all City and suburban schools, with a recommenda-tion-from the Board to the headmasters and teachers generally, for its promotion amongst their pupils. Mr Brown outlined the scheme, which covered flower and vegetable gardens, children being permitted to choose either. In this connexion competitors would be allowed assistance in draining and digging, while systematic records would have to be kept. The preliminary judging of the gardens should be done by the, school staff, outside ' assistance being welcome and beneficial. i At least two visits should be made to the gardens by the judges, one after sowing and planting, and the other towards the end of November. The final I judging of selected gardens was to be I made by the Education Board's instructors, and each school was to determine and provide its ovfn prizes in the competition. It was desirable that to stimulate the schools some sort of trophy should be.provided, and the Canterbury Horticultural Society might be approached. for that purpose, the cup to be awarded - annually to the school which stood first in the competition. Mr Brown suggested that the Board allocate prizes to the schools on the same basis as those in connexion with the Maefarlane Shield : competition, i.e., first £1 10s, second &1, third 10s. When the Society had discussed the matter the following motion was put and carried, on the proposal of the chairman,- Mr O. W. B. Anderson:— That this Society is favourable to the idea, and that a sub-committee be set up to meet the Board and the Headmasters ' Association, if they were willing for such a conference. A sub-committee was elected, consisting of the chairman and Messrs C. Rides and W. Balch.