THE SCHOOL CHILD'S GARDEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17139, 19 April 1919, Page 4 (Supplement)

THE SCHOOL CHILD'S GARDEN.

" What are the component parte of the soil!" askerd the master, and the boy who meant to succeed in business replied. "The soil is an uninviting mixture of rubbish and dirt." He was in a minority, for the desire to make mud pies is a primal instinct. "To cultivate tho soil is natural to man," said Mr. Chittondon, head of the Royal Horticultural Society's School, to the Conference of Educational Associations at University College, London. '■ Botany," said Mr. Graham Wallas, "needs now to expand into the science of feeding all humanity." What place has the school garden in reconstruction There are some 3,000,000 new plots. Mr. Chittenden holds that a child of 10 to 13 can learn the whole management of one, beginning earlier with the care of pot plants and assigned ta&s. Teachers are apt to look on the garden as a plane which provides physical exorcise, problems in arithmetic, objects for drawing, and subjects for essays. But if it is well worked father will look over the hedge and get ideas, and Tommy may prefer doing another "stunt" in the allotment after tea to kicking his hat un the road. Ae to education, he learns to use tools. It is not entirely easy to hoe a quite straight and evenly deep drill, and add to it several similar drills. The boy learns to be neat and accurate, to calculate distance, measure space, reason out a plan, observe what he sees. He will sometimes have the joys of disoovery, of wonder, and even admiration ; he will find that effort brings proportioned reward, and that the use of being disappointed is to make you try again. But cultivation should be intensive; long blank spaces are boring. Who should instruct the schoolboy ? The gardener, who can garden? Or the teacher, who can teach? The latter quality is very important, and as Charles Reade said when his description of a shipwreck was praised, " Information can always be got." The school garden ought to promote the cookery class. Why does not the normal boy learn to cook? The scout does, and wins a badge. To boil a cabbage you have grown is very good fun, and rubs in the lesson that it is national service to increase food production. Meantime tne school garden grows its own crop of school answers for the gaiety of nations. " How should we bow carrot seed " One foot deep, so that the root may grow up quite straight." " How can we rid turnip plants of fly?"— Sweep up the flies and burn them." "Are birds desirable in a garden?"—" Yes: they are helpful to plants, especially those with long bills, a* the rook, the sparrow, and the ladv-bird." _ Inquiry might be made as to whether this boy has elder sisters.