SCHOOL GARDENS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LV, Issue 13921, 27 March 1909, Page 3

SCHOOL GARDENS.

(To the Editdr.) -. Sir* — A^t the meeting of the Education Board on Tuesday -night it waf resolved, on the, motion of Messrs. Tiscl and Adlam, "Tliat the attention of th< committee And teachers of the Centra School be called to tho report on the. garden plots, the Board being very dis appointed with the lack of interest snown." ' Perhaps yon will allow nic t< jjo one further than the Board and hi me ask the members of the committed and any parents who may find it con venient to do so, to pay a visit o1 inspection to the school l garden (im mediately at the rear of the Educatioi Board's new offices) so that they ma> form their own opinions as to the con lition in which that piece of groum has been kept by the boj's. As they g< md come let them look at any other t<jgetable gardens which may be withir their lino of vision and compare then ■vith the school plot. According to th< cport of Mr. R. M'K. Morison, in .tractor in agriculture, "tlie e^nora irdor of the Central School garden wa. 1 ooor, order of plots also poor, gardej tools in fair order." The whole plan o' tho garden \fras given by Mr. Monsot Hirosolf. the teachers having implicit]' p ollowcd his instructions, althougli ii ' some respects against their fown judg nont. To quote Mr. Morison again "Although this garden was very disap pointing and quite discouraging, heinr tituatod as it' is and having had sr nuch snont on it in fencino; nnd w ••boi'oii^hly digging, it should and coulc 1 hatfe boon a mcdfl. Tliat it was noi so was much to he regrotted, ospecialb is it yns in aho]i a public nlac4." Th" -TOjnmittce is not rosponfiibic for -the ex in fpncin« — which, anyhow •s only, wliat le necessary to make r bly safe onclosureA-nor for t)i* "•XTJcnditure in so thoroughly digging Many of voiir renders can recall wha* Poverty Flat was like sorae fifteen c "iyhteen months *c;o — n wildernesss o r yellow clay after the Exhibiuon, except vhere a mat-like Kro^-th o? rat-tar' >:fass held possession of the soil. Tha 1 T^sthe ground on which tho Centra' School bnvs have attempted, and mos' '•fucoessfully too* to cente a garden with the assistance of their teaclier. •»nd un-rlpr the eliding eye and profef^ sional advice of the instructor in aprri culture. I wonder how many of you'•eaders c«n miess what Mr. lVforisc has done for the Central School during tho nast twelve months. Let me jus+ say that he has paid two visits of frorv ore to two hours' duration, the firM early in the season, when he gave tIK. «clieme for the plots with which he now finds fault, and the second on February 26, when the garden , was lookin" very much as it does to-day. I don't know what the instructor in agriculture is paid for his services, nor what advantages other schools may derive from his visits) but certainly the Gertral School could manage very we II 11I 1 without him and the cost of his visits be applied more profitably in some other direction. In saying "this I annot criticising Mr. Morison's qualifications for the position he holds, for tbr two flying visits per annum do noi I enable one to judge of them, but I cV think tbe present system is farcical Having been in close touch with the school since becoming chairman twr years ago, I Kay without hesitation tha+ the lads have done excellent work or the Sauare, not only on our own playground but also around the Technica' School grounds. It was only a few days ago that the Education Board sent the school a letter of thanks for whaf had been spontaneously done in the way of keeping the live hedges in order Both the headmaster and first assistant are themselves keen gardeners, and no* a few people have expressed to me their surprise that they have accomplished so much on such unpromising soil. — I am, etc., , F. P. CORKILL, Chairman Central School Committee. For first-class job printing call at th« Herald Office.