Skip to main content

Full text of "The Junior agriculturist"

See other formats 


University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


i? 


& 


e  Junior  Agriculturist 

A  Little  Paper  Issued  Once  a  Week 
for  the  Boys  and  Girls  of  California 


4 


VOL.    1 


Berkeley,   California,    JANUARY    30,    1911 


No.    1 


TERMS: 

Single    subscriptions,    per    term,    20c 

By   the   month 

School  Clubs,  fifteen  or  more 

Subscriptions,   each     -     -      15c 

ittances  may  be  sent  to 
C.    A.    STEBBINS 
University   of   California,   Berkeley. 


This  little  agricultural  paper  is  for 
you,  the  boys  and  girls  of  Califor- 
nia. It  is  going  to  help  you  to  un- 
tand  what  farming  is,  and  how 
much  the  work  of  the  farmer  means 
to  you  and  to  the  world.  The  schools, 
<1  the  state  are  getting 
behind  the  farmer  and  his  work  and 
we  are  going  to  ask  you  to  do  a  lit- 
tle for  your  parents,  for  your  school, 
and  for  your  neighbor. 
Right  now  is  the  time  to  begin,  for 
the  more  you  do  now,  the  more  you 
will  want  to  do  later  and  the  more 
good  ycu  do  later,  the  more  hap- 
py you  will  be. 

Some  day  you  will  read  about  lit- 
Chad"  in  the  "Little  Shepherd 
of  Kingdom  Come"  who  aft<  r  th<* 
loss  of  all  that  was  dear  to  him  but 
his  faithful  dog  said  to  Jack,  "I 
haint  nothin  but  a  boy  but  I  got  to 
act  like  a  man  now." 

So  this   little  paper  has   a  twofold 
purpose    ( 1 )    to   ask    you   to  join   our 
body    of    young    California 
by    reading    this   little    pap<  r    and    by 
following  its  BUgg<  I  n^P 

you  to  be  boys  and  girls  that  Cali- 
fornia can  be  proud  of.  In  return  we 
u  to  h<lp  us  and  to  help 
each  other.  We  are  going  to  ask 
you  to  furnish  articles  k   for 

this    paper.     Thus    each    school    will 
know    what   the   other   is   doing. 


Nothing  is  so  mean  t>. 
teach    us     Bomethii  ant  can 

teach  us  i 

us  faithfulness,  th 
us    joy,     li 
you  to  teach  your  neighbors  and 

*       •       • 

This     paper     was  planned     primar- 
ily to  reach   the  boys  and 
are     itudying     agriculture     In 
m   with  tl 

the     Inn 

For   the   b«  ii'  lit   of   those 
i    working   with   us 
junior  gardeners,  h 
bers    will    t<  11    what    tl 
doing. 

If  you  can  not  ii 
era  In  Bchool  i 

at  home  and  tell  hs  about  it  thr 
this  pa 

You  ma 
Dials,   in   your  | 
you    car«'    for   your 
how    it 
hould    be    pleased    if 

would 

p.  or  a  hors. 

us     j>. 

i     will    04 
pui  ils    who    will    do    thl 

ani- 
mal. 

Ani: 
w.  11 

ith    us    to    a 

*       •       • 
PROBLEM    QUESTIONS 

te    to   ans 


and  they  will  be  published  in  the 
Junior  Agriculturalist. 

Is  there  air  in  the  soil? 

Will  the  seed  die  if  allowed  to  dry 
up  after  it  has  sprouted? 

Does  light  affect  germination? 

Do  you  find  devices  to  render  es- 
cape from  the  cover  easy?  Try 
squash  seeds. 

How  much  opposition  can  the  stem 
overcome  in  forcing  its  way  upward? 

Where  does  the  growth  take  place 
in  the  root?  In  the  stem  of  corn? 
Bean? 

*  *       * 

ROOT  HAIRS 

Germinate  several  radish  seeds  in 
a  small  dish  containing  sand.  Keep 
the  sand  moist.  In  a  few  days  notice 
the  minute  root-hairs  growing  from 
the  main  root.  The  absorbing  sur- 
face of  the  root  is  greatly  increased 
by  the  root-hairs.  The  surface  is 
sometimes  increased  from  fifty  to 
seventy-five  times.  Without  root-hairs 
the  main  root  would  have  to  grow 
from  fifty  to  seventy-five^  times  thick- 
er. 

Lift  up  a  seed.  Notice  how  the 
root-hairs  cling  to  the  sand.  The 
minute  hairs  slip  in  between  soil 
crumbs  where  a  larger  root  would  not 
penetrate.  The  finer  the  soil  the 
more  surface  is  offered  to  the  root- 
hairs.  • 

*  *       * 

HOW  TO  GROW  BEST 
VEGETABLE 

mere  formal  prizes.  Good  work  is 
its    own    reward,   its    own   prize. 

We  do  not  want  you  ta  be  satisfied 
with  growing  a  mere  radish,  we  want 
you  to  grow  the  BEST  radish.  Any 
one  can  grow  a  radish  with  both 
eyes  shut,  but  only  one  can  grow  the 
BEST  radish.  The  BEST  things  in 
this  world  count  most.  Just  look  for 
and   do   only   the   best  things. 

We  have  been  talking  to  you  about 
prizes  and  an  exhibit  to  be  given 
near  the  close  of  the  term.  Have 
we  told  you  that  there  are  several 
schools  concerned  in  the  matter? 
The  boys  and  girls  of  Decoto,  Niles, 
San  Leandro  and  other  schools  are 
interested  in  receiving  the  reward, 
but    do    not    think    too    much    about 

How  can  one  grow  the  BEST  rad- 
ish? 

We  have  learned  that  the  seed  con- 
tains the  embryo  plant  and  its  food. 
The    large    healthy    colt    makes    the 


best  horse.  The  large  healthy  seed 
makes  the  best  radish.  First,  select 
only  the  best  looking  seed  from  the 
best  appeasing-  plants  (if  you  gather 
the  seeds  yourself).  Test  the  ger- 
minating power  as  follows:  Place  a 
moistened  blotter  in  a  common  plate. 
Add  15  or  20  seeds.  Invert  another 
plate  over  the  seeds.  Watch  results 
from  day  to  day.  Unless  90  per 
cent  of  the  seeds  germinate  quickly, 
reject  the  seeds  from  which  the  sam- 
ple was  taken. 

With  the  seeds  selected,  the  second 
step  is  the  preparation  of  the  seed 
bed.  This  is  an  important  matter. 
Seeds  need  moisture,  air,  food 
and  warmth.  One  must  see  that 
each  is  furnished  correctly.  Examine 
the  surrounding  foliage.  If  the 
growth  is  not  luxuriant,  very  like- 
ly the  soil  is  lacking  in  food  which 
must  be  supplied.  Use  rotted  man- 
ure, ashes,  or  bonemeal.  If  the  soil 
is  too  heavy  add  sand.  Squeeze  a 
handful  of  soil  and  open  the  hand.  If 
the  earth  retains  the  finger  prints 
its  moisture  content  is  about  right 
provided  it  crumbles  rather  readily. 
With  texture, water  content,  food  con- 
tent about  right,  spade  the  soil  deep- 
ly, two  blade  lengths.  Fine  soil 
means  equal  distribution  of  warmth, 
air,  water  and  food.  It  means  ease 
of  growth  for  the  roots  and  plenty 
of  soil  close  against  them.  It  pre- 
vents loss  of  capillary  water.  What 
shall  we  do?  Make  the  soil  fine, 
pick  out  all  the  pebbles  and  foreign 
matter. 

Make  straight  drills  (furrows) about 
three-fourths  cf  an  inch  deep,  sow 
the  seeds  about  an  eighth  of  an  inch 
apart.  To  insure  straight  rows,  lay 
a  rake  with  blade  up  on  the  soil  and 
press  gently.  Mark  off  two  rows  the 
proper  depth.  Sow  the  two  rows, 
cover  the  first  but  leave  the  second 
open  as  a  guide  to  the  next.  In  cov- 
ering the  first  row  pack  the  soil  gen- 
tly. This  brings  the  moisture  to  the 
seed  rapidly.  At  the  head  of  each 
row,  place  a  label  telling  the  veget- 
able planted  and  when. 

After  the  plants  appear  new  direc- 
tions will  follow. 

*       *       * 

HOW  TO   USE  TOOLS 

With  the  hand  in  the  hand  grip  of 
a  spade  the  right  farther  down  the 
handle,  using  foot  pressure  begin  at 
one  corner,  preferably  at  the  left 
hand    corner    and      spade      one      row 


Iross   then    repeat   until   the   ph 
aded.     Bach  spadeful  of  dirt  should 
•fully    broken    up,    but   do     not 
any  tool  higher  than  the  k: 
omplisning   this   purpo 
bould  be  loosened  not  less  than 
full  spade  length  and  if  a  pupil 
sir.  B    r-'sults    a    littl  ter    than 

his    neighbor    let    two    spade    lengths 
lepth    of    the   loosened   soil. 
Bach  plant  grows  In  two  ways,  from 
tie  of    the    ground    up    and 

from  the  Burface  down  and   I 
is  between  the  root  tip  and  th< 
tij).     Give   the    root    tip    fair    play    and 
of  room  for  growth. 

-round  should   be  care- 
n<  d    with    hoes    and    rak<  s    un- 
til  there  are   no   clumps   larger  than 
little    fing<  r    nail.     The   root   tip 
time    and    Btrength    by    leaving 
air  spaces  cans*  d   by   lumpy   soil  thus 
making    it      work      too    hard    for    soil 
and   robbing  it  of  moisture. 
♦       *       * 

SEED  PLANTING 

Annual    plants    are    of    two    general 

kinds,    those    to    grow    where    B 

and    those   to    be   transplanted.     Much 

arly  seeding  should   be  done 

in    boxes   and    later  the   plants  should 

moved    to    permanent  quart 

pth   and    manner  of   planting 

Is   can   be  largely   determined    by 

la    themselves.     Each     normal 

ntains    a    young    plant      and 

food  to  nourish  it     until     the     roots 

have      takt  n       held       and    the 

r«  a< ■:  urfaee,    q<  nee    the    nour- 

of  the  plant  in   a  small 
would  be  soon  exhaust*  d,  If  th< 

young 

uld    nev'  the    light 

Bhould   be  sown   on 

ad  lightly  sprinkled  with 

fine   soil   and    tin  n    pressed    firmly. 

It    i: 

iiout     thr  half   to 

u  ir   thickm  bs.    In 

iid   be 

d    through    mi 

ottom  of  each 

«  rally,  about  th   of  an    U 

four  Inches 
tall. 

binned  and  may 


be    transplanted. 

from 
At    • 

the  plant. 
The  aim     of 

it    hurri. 
form  With    this    aim    a< 

plished,  it 

Vegetables 
CARROTS      Sow     in     : 

apart, 

lightly   and   press   down   firmly.     Thin 

to   four   inches.     Ti 

to     St; 

to  fill   OUt  DOQU 

LETT  I  'i  in      rov 

lightly,    and    press 

ONIONS     Sow     in     drills 
apart   and   COV<  r   with    half  an    it. 
fine      soil.     Thin      to      four 
is    in    box 
.      Mature  in   four  mont 

PBA8     Sow  as  above  but 

to      t  v 

inches. 

BEANS      Sanir    B 

BEE  I     in      di: 

•    apart.     Thin 
inches. 
POTATOB8     Cut 

I'lont    tin 

art 
RADISH 

lnch< 

high, 

when   w 
Bhould 

.    with   th 

Cuttings    and    Slips 


breaking  until  some  are  found  which 
break  with  but  slight  report,  leaving 
no  jagged  edges.  Branches  which 
bend  and  double  are  too  young,  those 
that  break,  leaving  splintered  edges 
are   too   old. 

With  a  sharp  knife,  cut  stems  off 
just  below  the  bud.  Some  five  inches 
from  this  bud  cut  the  stem  above  a 
bud. 

Fill  a  box  with  about  three  inches 
of  moist  sand.  With  a  pencil  or  a 
stick,  make  holes  in  the  sand  and 
into  these  insert  the  cuttings  some 
two  inches,  leaving  at  least  two  buds 
exposed.  Be  careful  not  to  bruise 
the  stems  in  inserting.  Pack  the 
sand  around  the  cuttings  and  to  in- 
sure close  contact  between  sand  and 
stems  pour  a  small  stream  of  water 
directly  on  the  cuttings  so  that  the 
water  will  wash  close  against  the 
stems.  Use  a  small  tin  can  with  a 
hole  made  by  a  shingle  nail. 

A  few  days  later,  if  a  stem  is  grow- 
ing black,  or  is  shrinking,  replace 
with  a  fresh  cutting.  As  to  later 
watering,  sprinkle  with  a  spray  or 
something  which  throws  a  fine 
stream.  The  cuttings  must  not  be 
disturbed.  Keep  the  sand  moist  but 
not  soaked. 

When  the  buds  begin  to  appear, 
carefully  break  off  all  but  the  one  at 
the  top  thus  concentrating  the 
growth. 

With  the  forming  of  two  or  three 
leaves  to  each  stem,  the  cuttings 
may  be  transplanted  or  potted. 


KINDS  OF  SOIL 

The  best  soil  for  farm  and  gar- 
den crops  is  a  mixture  of  clay  and 
sand  called  loam.  It  is  called  a 
sandy  loam  or  a  clay  loam  depend- 
ing on  whether  there  is  more  sand 
or  more  clay.  Which  type  of  loam 
do  you  think  will  retain  moisture  bet- 
ter?    Why? 

Both  sand  and  clay  are  formed  by 
the  breaking  down  of  rocks,  that  is, 
they  are  of  mineral  origin.  Humus 
is  partly  decayed  vegetable  matter 
from  leaves,  stubble,  etc.  Its  pres- 
ence is  necessary  in  good  farming 
land  because  it  helps  a  sandy  soil 
to  retain  moisture  and  makes  a  clay 


soil  more  open  and  free  to  work, 
preventing  its  packing  down  too  hard 
The  rich  prairie  soils  contain  a 
large  amount  of  humus,  which  has 
been  formed  by  the  decaying  vege- 
tation. Farms  which  have  been 
tilled  a  long  time  are  apt  to  have 
their  humus  used  up.  It  is  very  nec- 
essary for  farmers  to  keep  up  the 
supply  in  their  fields  by  applying 
barnyard  manure  or  by  plowing  un- 
der green  crops. 

*       *       * 
HOW   WATER   RISES   IN   THE   SOIL 

Water  rises  in  the  soil  just  as  the 
oil  in  a  lamp  rises  through  the  wick. 
The  wick  is  full  of  little'  tubes  called 
capillaries,  and  so  is  the  soil,  and 
the  water  rises   through  these. 

If  a  little  kerosene  or  gasoline  is 
put  into  a  bottle  and  the  bottle  filled 
with  soil,  the  oil  will  rise,  and  if 
lighted,  will  burn  on  the  surface. 
When  the  water  rises  to  the  surface 
of  the  soil  it  evaporates. 

Evaporation  from  the  soil  is  going 
on  all  the  time  when  it  is  not  rain- 
ing. The  soil  soon  dries  out  if  some- 
thing is  not  done  to  prevent  it.  Cov- 
ering the  soil  with  a  light  mulch  pre- 
vents evaporation.  Cultivating  cr 
loosening  the  surface  of  the  soil 
soon  after  a  rain  serves  the  same 
purpose.  Cultivating  breaks  the  small 
tubes,  so  that  they  are  unable  to 
bring  the  water  to  the  surface. 

A  soil  that  contains  much  humus 
(that  is,  vegetable  matter)  catches 
and  holds  more  water  than  one  that 
contains  but  little  humus.  Such  soil 
also  holds  moisture  longer  in  dry 
weather.  Plenty  of  barnyard  manure 
applied  to  the  soil  helps  to  retain 
moisture,  but  chemical  fertilizers  are 
of  little  aid  in  retaining  moisture,  al- 
though valuable  as  feeders  of  plants. 


> 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

A    LITTLE    PAPER    ISSUED    TWICE    A     MONTH 
FOR    THE    BOYS    AND    GIRLS  OF    CALIFORNIA 


t 


Agricul  I-:.    J.    Wickson.    D 


i> 


4 


Vol.    1 


Berkeley,   California,   MARCH    18,   1911 


No.  2 


should  be  Bent  to 
PEBBINS,   Editor 
B<  ri  allt 

altural  Education  Division 


WHY    PLANT    THE    GARDEN? 
Bef. 

:i    had    you    not    better    con 
what   you   wish   to  do   with   the   pro- 
duct? 

.Many    uses    may    be    made    of    the 
output    from    the    gardens.      (  l  | 
iooI.   (2)    may  be  ' 
to    your      pai 
to  help  I 

or  to 

are  going  to  plan  to  give  ' 
their     Thai 

ed  at 
•  I    lunch    • 

invito 
to   the   fe 
the      products      in    exhibits    tor    the 

output   at 

not  like  tl 

g    for    the    poor    of 
your     vicinity?       ! 

airing 

|8    of   hap; 
in    those   about    you. 

smiles   ai 
not    only    for    your    neighbor    bill 


yourself,     it   might   be 

grown  'is  of 

child! 

aem   all 
tertain    In    191 
only    come   but 
While   1915  Is  soi 
&ke   plan 

any    way    to    lc 

•        *        * 
SPADING 
Many   ehildr 
cultlvii 

spadii 
your 

front    of    I 

1   the 
plot    I 

ful  of  dir  My. 

Thii 

!      in- 
top    ! 
less 


SELECTION    OF    VEGETABLES 

This  long  rainy  spell  may  have 
made  many  have  the  "blues"  par- 
ticularly those  gardeners  interested 
in  starting  seeds  who  let  the  open 
days  pass  without  seeding.  However, 
let  us  smile  about  it  and  think  how 
much  good  this  water  is  going  to  do 
California  as  a  whole. 

Selfishness  is  a  bad  plant  to  let 
grow  within  oneself.  It  is  a  good 
plan  to  look  beyond  oneself  and  see 
the  other  people,  particularly  the 
neighbors. 

Since  the  growing  season  is  so 
short  before  the  close  of  school  we 
have  prepared  the  following  list  for 
you  so  that  you  may  select  seeds 
that  mature  quickly.  If  you  are  go- 
ing to  be  at  home  during  the  sum- 
mer would  it  not  be  a  good  plan  to 
take  care  of  your  garden?  If  so, 
you  could  plant  almost  anything  that 
you  desired.  Possibly  if  your  neigh- 
bor is  going  away  you  could  care 
for  his  plot  also. 

VEGETABLES 

Name       When    plant      When    mature 
BEETS 

Jan  to  May;  Aug.  to  Nov.,  3-4  mo. 
CABBAGE    (early) 

Jan.   to  March,  5  to  7  months. 
CARROT 

Any  time  except  July,  Aug.,  4-5  mo. 
SWEET   CORN 

Mar.-   June;    Sept.-Oct.,    2   months. 
CUCUMBER 

Mar.-June;  Sept.-Oct.,  2  1-3,-  2y2. 
LETTUCE 

Any   time,   2   to   3    months. 
ONIONS 

Feb.-May;    Aug.-Nov.,    9-12    mo. 
PARSLEY 

Any  time  except  July  Aug.,  2  mo. 
PARSNIP 

Any  time  except  July-Aug.  8-10  mo. 
PEAS 

Anv  time,  2  months 
PEPPERS 

May- July,  3   months. 
POTATO 

Feb.-May;    Sept.,   2   to   4   months. 
SPINACH 

Any  time,  6  to  10  weeks. 
TOMATO 

Feb.-March,  3  to  4  months. 
TURNIP 

Any  time  except  summer  months, 
2   to  4  months. 


RADISH 

Any   time,    V2   month. 
FLOWERS 
SWEET   ALYSSUM 

Oct.    and   Nov.,   3   to    4    months. 
CALENDULA 

Any   time,   3   to   4   months. 
CALLIOSIS 

Oct.-May,   3   to   4   months. 
CANDY   TUFT 

Oct.-May,    3   to   4   months. 
COSMOS 

Oct.-Jan. ;     May-July 
CALIFORNIA   POPPY 

October,  3   months. 
LARKSPUR 

October,   3   months. 
LINUM 

Fall,   3   months. 
MIGNONETTE 

Fall  and   winter,  2   to  3      months. 
NASTURTIUM 

Spring,   2    months. 
PANSY 

September  and  October,  3  to  4  mo. 
STOCKS 

September,    3    months. 
SWEET    PEA 

Oct. -March,    3   to   6    months. 
ZINNIA 

Spring,    3    months. 
DAISY 

Any  time  except  summer  months, 

3  months. 
FOUR   O'CLOCKS 

Spring,  2  to  3  months. 
GAILLARDIA 

Any  time  except  summer  months, 

4  months. 
PETUNIA 

Fall,  3  months 
SALVIA 

Fall,   3    months. 
SNAPDRAGON 

Fall   or   winter,   3    months. 
WALLFLOWER 

Fall,   3    months. 
VERBENA 

Fall    and    Spring,    4    to    5    months. 
*       *       * 

BE    A    UNIVERSITY    PUPIL 

We  wonder  what  the  picture  is 
that  rises  in  your  mind  when  one 
speaks  to  you  of  the  Univrsity  of 
California.  Whatever  your  picture 
may  be  we  want  to  tell  you  that  the 
University  is  a  great  school.  There 
are  many  fine  buildings  spreading 
over  acres  of  gronud.  There  are 
more  than  350  teachers  and  2,200 
students.  It  is  a  great  honor  to  at- 
tend this  school  and  to  be  one  of  its 
students.  However,  you  cannot  come 
now.  There  is  much  hard  work  a- 
head  of  you  before  that  time  arrives. 
But  if  you  cannot  come  today  we 
are    anxious    to    bring   something     of 


Iniversity    to    you    at    < 
nt    you    to    enroll    a  our 

iversity    pupils    to    study     B 
e   with 
•   pupil 
id    this    pa] 
1    fill    out    the    blank    on 

child 

can   but      find 
■in. 

,000    l'ni\. 

It    is 
small   band 
Will    you    Dot    do    BO?      you 
will  not  be  i  Drry   for  thei  • 

4*  4-  *    4-    *  *****  *  * 
4.  * 

.t.         CHILDREN'S    ARTICLES         4" 

4-  4*  4-    4-    ******** 

THE  ICHNEUMON   FLY 
;  pillar    was    crawl: 
ground    in    search    of    a 
re   it   could    hide    11 
ilia.      But    as    it 

lv    an    Ichneum    fly 
on    the   caterpillar 
.and   then   lav 

place. 
Wh.  found    B 

the    littb  Q    *UCb      a 

id   be- 

■rpillar    U 

tiful    bntt 

on  fly 

MY,  Nil 

•        *        * 
COTTONY-CUSHION    SCALE 

tiled     th. 

ion. 
er   some 


found    on  but 

ing   f  1  ■' 

*  *      * 
FLOWERFLY    AND     BEE 

1  bee  or 

Zl'L.V  .MIN1CI. 

*  *        * 
GOOD    CROPS 

Th-  re    exists    all 

and     : 

and  humus,  and  111 

and  colder. 

Good    soil    has    al 

third     1 
third  of  hunin 

: 

ing   oi 

*       •       • 

trees 

until 

read    all    over    the 


country.  The  farmers  could  not  get 
rid  of  them.  They  sent  over  to  Aus- 
tralia to  find  some  way  of  getting 
rid  of  them.  So  the  lady  bird  was 
brought  over  and  that  was  the  check 
for  the  cottany  cushion  scale. 
ANITA  GLILIANELLI,  Niles  School. 
*  *  * 
ANIMALS    AND    INSECTS 

Coyotes  and  rabbits  escape  injury 
from  their  enemies  by  hiding  in  the 
deep  grass  where  both  animals  being 
of  a  greyish  color  cannot  be  seen 
by  their  enemies   and  are  left  safe. 

Insects  have  different  ways  of  es- 
caping from  thier  enemies.  Some  of 
them  change  to  different  forms  so 
that  birds  flying  over  them  do  not 
meddle  with  them  for  fear  of  being 
harmed.  Others  are  very  bitter  to 
the  bird's  taste  and  when  they  see 
certain  insects  they  do  not  dare  to 
touch  them.  Some  insects  that  live 
on  trees  or  leaves  escape  from  being 
injured  in  sevral  ways.  The  worm 
straightens  himself  out  and  the  bird 
thinking  it  a  branch  leaves  it  alone. 
Green  insects  lay  themselves  on 
green  leaves  and  cannot  be  noticed 
by  an  enemy.  A  brown  insect  places 
himself  on  a  brown  leaf  and  the  bird 
does  not  notice  him. 
ALLIE  BERTOLOZZI,  Niles  School. 
*  *  * 
ANIMAL    CHECKS 

We  read  in  books  or  we  learn  from 
observation  that  every  animal  has  its 
check  in  life.  From  the  highest  ani- 
mal on  the  globe,  man,  to  some  of 
the  smallest  living  creatures,  insects, 
we  find  that  there  is  always  some- 
thing to  hinder  them  in  their  pro- 
gress in  life.  Insects  check  other  in- 
sects, birds  check  other  birds  and  so 
it  goes  on.  The  chicken  devours  an 
insect;  the  coyote  devours  a  chick- 
en; the  mountain  lion  devours  the 
coyote.  Man  kills  the  lion,  and  man 
is  checked  in  his  life  by  disease  and 
many  other  things.  It  is  observed 
and  known  that  death  has  a  check 
on  all  animals. 

It  was  not  very  long  ago  that 
parts  of  California  were  troubled  by 
the  rabbit  pest.  Rabbits  were  every 
where,  there  was  nothing  to  check 
them  and  they  destroyed  many  ag- 
ricultural crops.  The  government 
took  the  bounty  off  the  coyote  and 
the  result  was  surprising.  The  rab- 
bits which  were  known  to  multiply 
tremendously,  began  to  diminish 
Rabbits  did  not  trouble  the  inhabi- 
tants again. 

Take  another  illustration.  Not  very 
long  ago,  an  American  brought  about 


a  dozen  lemon  trees  from  Australia. 
These  trees  had  an  insect,  the  cot- 
tony cushion  scale,  which  hindered 
the  life  of  the  tree.  It  was  not  very 
long,  before  these  insects  were  on 
most  every  orange  tree  in  California. 
Californians  were  puzzled.  They 
knew  that  in  Australia,  where  the 
cottony  cushion  scale  lived,  they 
had  a  very  prosperous  business  in 
every   respect. 

Some  men  were  sent  over  by  the 
United  States  government  to  find  if 
they  could,  a  check  to  the  growth  of 
the  cottony  cushion  scales.  They 
came  back,  bringing  with  them  some 
lady  birds,  which  they  put  on  the  or- 
ange trees.  The  result  was  magnifi- 
cient;  the  pests  were  checked  by  the 
lady  bird  and  California  became 
one  of  the  leading  orange  sections 
of  the  world. 

Every  animal  has  its  check  in  life 
and  to  make  agriculutre  a  profitable 
business  ,you  should  know  all  the  an- 
imal checks. 
EDWARD    ELLSWORTH, 

Niles  School. 


TO  TEACHERS:  Lessons  in  agri- 
culture are  running  in  the  Town  and 
Country  Journal,  published  at  1005 
Market   street,    San   Francisco 


* 


'•*  *    *    *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * 

* 

Please  enroll  my  name  to  •$• 
receive  the  Junior  Agricul-  •*• 
turalist  FREE.  4" 

Name    *|* 

Address    •{• 

Grade    *|" 

Teachers  Name   •§• 

Teachers    Address     * 

*    *     *     ******** 


University  of  Californl 
Agriculture   Ex] 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

A    LITTLE    PAPER    ISSUED    TWICE    A     MONTH 
FOR    THE    BOYS    AND    GIRLS  OF    CALIFORNIA 


n> 


4> 


Vol.     I 


lifornia,  APRIL  1.   L91 1 


:t        tO 

Itor 
lalif. 

i  ultural   Education   Division 


Have  you  ever   be<  o   In  the  Greek 

you  ever 

It    full   of   people?    If  you    have 

it    impossible    to    visit 

■ 

pass. 

for  hi  I  here  this 

>le. 

of  you  t; 
is  bui 

built  in  a  circle.     The 

11    eucalyptus  ad    is 

ilrds. 
that    Mr 

and.     We   w< 

In  the 

I    lis- 
Mai 

i 

:     with     tl 

)      be 

who    had  to    do    ri 


who    • 

kindness,  men 

their 

mom 

able.     WE    ALL    LIKE 

H.-    di 

\   men   w 

and    i 

la/.y    to    work.        WE    ALL     DISLIKE 
seen  m: 
it  takes  a   l« 

Die  such   a   man  as    Mr. 
must 
you   have.      TL 

he     i! 

he   will   talk   with    ■ 
and    he   W^ 

You 

you    b 

*       ♦       » 

ful    U 


one   cent   will   do. 

*       *       * 

THE    RELATION    OF    WATER 

TO  SOIL 

Water  reaches  the  soil  in  two 
ways,  (1)  by  the  rains,  (2)  by  irriga- 
tion. The  water  which  falls  upon 
the  soil  and  is  pulled  in  by  gravity 
is  called  gravitational  water.  If  the 
land   is    level    and    has   been   plowed, 


that  is,  plowing  around  a  hill  rather 
than  up  and  down.  A  better  method 
is  to  plant  trees.  Each  tree  has  a 
great  mass  of  roots  which  acts  as  a 
tub  to  hold  water.  Besides,  leaves 
fall  to  the  ground  soaking  in  the 
rain  and  preventing  the  soil  from  be- 
ing washed.  The  water  company  at 
Berkeley  has  planted  hundreds  of 
trees  on  the  hills  to  conserve  the 
water. 


—•rTRANifplR^TlO/SAL  LOtftf 


fftOJLO&S* 


1 1  'tifrowfMMTjJifrf 


evapor,  ati  orr- 


CAPli-UAR.V. 
WATER, 


&-ft,£W)TATlCV*AU 
WATETRj 


very  little  of  this  water  runs  off.  It 
seeps  through  the  soil,  putting  plant 
food  in  solution  and  carrying  it  to 
the  roots  of  plants.  Finally  the 
downward  progress  of  the  water  may 
be  stopped  by  a  bed  of  clay  or  hard 
pan,  or  it  may  be  lost  through  a  bed 
of  gravel.  The  soil  just  above  the 
hard  pan  layer  becomes  saturated  or 
wet  as  does  a  sponge.  When  the 
rains  stop  and  the  sun  comes  out 
the  water  begins  to  climb  back  to 
the  surface  through  the  capillary 
tubes  which  most  of  you  are  familiar 
with.  This  is  capillary  water  and 
is  most  used  by  the  plants.  The 
water  climbs  through  soil  just  as  the 
ink  works  up  a  blotter. 

If  the  water  is  not  used  by  a  plant 
and  partly  thrown  off  into  the  air  it 
comes  to  the  surface  and  is  lost 
through  evaporation.  This  loss  may 
be  prevented  by  breaking  the  capil- 
lary tubes,  by  making  mulch,  or  by 
cultivating.      (See   picture.) 

This  capillary  water  forms  as  a 
film  around  each  soil  crumb  as  your 
cap  fits  over  your  head.  It  follows 
that  the  more  soil  crumbs  there  are 
the  more  water  there  will  be.  There- 
fore the  soil  should  be  kept  fine. 

Much  of  the  water  which  falls  as 
rain  forms  the  "run  off"  which 
rushes  to  the  ocean  by  way  of  the 
rivers,  carrying  the  hills  to  the  val- 
leys, and  much  of  the  valleys  to 
the    river   beds    and    to    the    ocean. 

Floods  are  often  due  to  the  "run 
off."  The  run  off  may  be  partially 
prevented    through    contour    plowing; 


iTATUf^ATEr 


MAR.O   pA/^T-        tf* 


During  the  summer  it  is  cool  and 
moist  in  the  forest.  The  soil  is  full 
of  moisture.  The  water  seeps  into 
the  streams  causing  a  steady  flow  of 
water  or  it  bubbles  out  as  a  spring. 

Thus  the  streams  run  all  summer. 
Without  the  trees  the  water  would 
rush  down  the  hills  causing  torrents 
in  the  rainy  season  only  to  dry  up 
during  the   summer  time. 

In  regions  of  China  and  in  our  own 
country,  once  fertile  region  have  be- 
come barren  stretches  of  land  due 
to  the  destruction  of  trees.  Trees 
have  been  cut  ruthlessly,  and  forest 
fires  have  destroyed  thousands.  How- 
ever, the  government  of  the  United 
States  has  come  to  realize  the  value 
of  forests  and  laws  have  been  pass- 
ed to  set  aside  "forest  reserves" 
and  to  prevent  reckless  and  ignor- 
ant campers  and  lumbermen  from  de- 
stroying trees. 

If   you    want    to    help      this      great 
country  of  ours  of  which  we  are  so 
proud,   spare   the  trees   and   plant  as 
many  new  ones  as  you  can. 
*       *       * 

THINNING   OUT 

Sometimes  a  careless  boy  or  girl 
can  cover  up  poor  work  in  school 
but  he  or  she  cannot  mislead  Nature. 
Seeds  that  were  sown  carelessly  by 
those  who  did  not  listen  to  instruc- 
tions or  did  not  follow  suggestions 
have  published  to  all  ere  this  some- 
thing of  the  character  of  the  sower. 

We  have  seen  some  crooked  rows, 
some  rows  too  close  together,  some 
rows  partly  sowed,  others  with  plants 


crowded    together    in    bunches,      but 
of  all  we  have  seen  rows  after 
which   were  planted  just  right. 
.Most   of   these   rows   are   now    ready 
to  be  thinned.     At  the  first  thinning 
the    largest    plants    about     one 
Inch  apart     If  some  portion  of     the 
If    vacant,  transplant  the  plants 
Ihiuueci  out.     Later  the  plants  should 
n    again    to   their  final   dis- 
tance.     Thin    as    follows:        Carrots 

3  to  4   inches,   lettuce   (head)   6  to  8 
Inches,   onions,   3   to   4   inches,   peas, 

4  Inches,  be<  ts,  3  to  4  inches  radish, 
::  inches,  or  thin  as  used. 

*       •       • 

HARD     PAN     AND     IRRIGATION 

Hard  pan  is  a  layer  of  earth  just 
below  cultivation  which  is  often  im- 
penetrate hard  pan.  It  is  most  abund- 
*  is  in  summer,  particularly  late  sum- 
mer. When  abundant,  irrigation  may 
be  of  no  value  since  waterdpes  not 
penetrate  hard  pan.  It  is^ttwrabund- 
ant  In  clayey  soils  and  when  the  Ir- 
rigating  water  contains   much   lime. 

As   the    water   seeps   into    the   soil 

the  lime   is   carried   with   it     and     it 

cements    the    particles    of      clay      to- 

r  as  the  water  is  used  or  is  lost 

through  evaporation. 

To  prevent  the  formation  of  hard 
pan  the  ground  should  be  cultivated 
at  different  depths  so  as  to  contiun- 
ally  break  up  the  forming  layers. 
Humus  mixed  in  the  soil  will  often 
as  a  preventive. 


PROBLEM    QUESTIONS 
Experiment    I 
Of   what  is   soil   composed? 
h  iU  an   ordinary   bottle  one  fourth 
full  of  garden  soil.     Add  water  until 
the   bottle    is    n«  arty    full.      Shake    it 
thoroughly    and    set    aside.      Ot> 
24  hours  later. 

Experiment   II 
In   which   is  capillary  rise  of  water 
1.  sand   or  clay? 
or  the  small  ends  of  two  lamp 
chimneys    with   cloth.      Fill   one    with 
and  the  other  with  clay.   Stand 
each   in  a  shallow  pan  of  water.  Ob- 
serve  results.     The   tubes   should   be 
a;    !•  ast    1  !    inch*  s   long. 
•       »       * 
MAKING    THE    ROWS 

I  find  that  many  of  the  young 
gardeners  have  difficulty  in  proper- 
ly laying  out  the  rows  of  the  plot. 
We  all  want  to  have  the  g:c 
look  nice,  as  well  as  to  have  them 
planted  right  We  may  have  the 
bed    well    pulv<  rized    and     free 


from    clods,    but    if    the    rows    when 
planted   are   not   straight,    but   crook- 
ed   and    zig    zag,    the    appearam 
the  garden    will    not   be   sat 
So  you  had  better  take  a  little  time 
to   plan   out   what   you   are   goin 
ao,  and  how  you  are  going  to  do  it, 
before   you  sowing   the   seeds. 

Suppose  you  plan  to  ha 
rows  in  the  garden.  The  first  think' 
to  do  after  you  have  the  soil  in  good 
shape  is  to  mark  the  garden  at  one 
end  with  seven  equally  spaced  lines, 
so  that  you  will  have  room  for  all 
and  not  crowd  some  rows  while  <>th- 
ers  are  very  wide  apart.  Be  sure 
to  leave  enough  room  between  the 
rows   for  cultivating   with     the     hoe 

Having  determined  the  spa 
take  the  handle  of  the  hoe  or  a 
piece  of  string  and  measure 
ance  from  the  white  stake  to  the 
(Lark  where  you  have  indicated  the 
first  row  is  to  go.  Tak<-  that  meas- 
ure to  the  opposite  side  of  the  gar- 
den and  mark  off  an  equal  distance 
from  the  white  stake  on  that  side. 
Now  lay  the  handle  of  the  hoe  so 
as  to  connect  these  two  marks  made 
and  press  down  on  it.  You  then 
have  a  straight  line  to  guide  you  in 
making  the  furrow.  Do  the  same 
thing  with  the  second  row,  and  the 
rest.  You  will  find  your  lints  not 
only    e\e;  !  d     on     the    gat 

out  they  will  be  straight  and  parallel, 
and  the  appearance  of  your  garden 
will   be   inert  ased    wonderfully. 

A.    H.    BAIRD, 
Student    Tea< 
*       *       * 

NATIONAL    FORESTS 

If  you  have  read  tie-  preceding 
article  you  may  wish  to  know  more 
about    the    national    for  These 

are   tracts   of   timber   land   set   aside 
and  controlled   by   ''><•   astl 
ernment.     Th<  '0,000 

acres  of  national  forests  in  the 
ed    States. 

The  government  does  not   lock   up 
the   usefulnesa    of   th«s<>   acres     but 
controls  them  wisely  to  prevent  use- 
wiste  of  the  trees. 

Trees  of  certain   sizes  are  sold   to 
lumbermen  at  reasonable  prices.  Cat- 
tle are  al'  Kraze  *n   th' 
ests.      Each    settler    has      an      equal 
chance,   no  one   man   can 
forests  for  his  own  selfish  use 
erally  speaking,  the  forests 
the    most   useful    to   all    the     people 
rather  than  to  a  few. 

The     government      hires       special 
watchmen     to     patrol     the     na 
forests   to   see    (1)    that   forest   DreS 


are  not  started,  (2)  to  see  that  young 
trees  are  not  cut  for  lumber,  (3)  to 
pi  event   over-grazing   of   stock,    etc. 

*  *       * 
CULTIVATION 

Many  of  the  gardens  cannot  be  ir- 
rigated, so  recourse  to  "dry  farming" 
must  be  had.  Dry  farming  means  to 
keep  the  top  soil  open  in  order  to 
catch  the  rain  and  then  to  conserve 
the  water  by  means  of  a  mulch.  If 
you  have  forgotten  the  work  of  the 
mulch  turn  to  other  pages  of  the 
"Junior. "  In  making  the  mulch  use 
the  corner  of  a  hoe  to  break  up  the 
soil  several  inches  deep.  Be  careful 
not  to  disturb  the  plants.  Those 
whose  rows  are  far  enough  apart  to 
receive  the  blade  of  a  hoe  will  find 
the   cultivation  an   easy   matter. 

Cultivate  often  to  hold  the  mulch 
and  to  keep  out  the  weeds.  A  plot 
of  weeds  the  size  of  an  ordinary  lot 
throws  a  great  deal  of  moisture  into 
the  air  in  24  hours. 

►£•    •£•    •%     »?«     »?**f*4*4**I**I**2**f" 

4-        CHILDREN'S   ARTICLES         4- 

*  * 

•I*     »|o    »|«      •£•      •?«  *£•  »J«  &!..  •£•  *£•  •£«  Jt, 

OUR     GERANIUMS 

The  low  seventh  grade  in  the  San 
Leandro  grammar  school  has  a  room 
in  the  basement  of  that  school,  and 
it  is  there  that  we  do  all  our  agri- 
cultural experiments. 

In  this  room  there  are  several  ta- 
bles on  which  we  have  long  boxes, 
filled  with  earth  and  planted  with 
seeds.  In  two  of  the  boxes  we  have 
planted    geranium    slips. 

First  we  sifted  the  dirt  and  then 
put  sand  on  top  of  that,  and  then 
smoothed  it  over  Afterwards  we 
soaked  it  with  water  and  put  in  the 
geraniums. 

One  box  of  these  cuttings  grew, 
and  had  flowers,  but  we  picked  them 
off.  The  slips  in  the  other  box  did 
not  grow  so  well  because  we  did  not 
water  them  enough.  As  soon  as  the 
weather  settles  we  are  going  to  plant 
them  around  the  school  house. 
MILDRED    MACEY, 

106    Crark   street.        San   Leandro. 

*  *       * 

HOW    I    DISTILLED    WATER 

Mr.  Stebbins,  our  teacher  in  agri- 
culture wanted  some  distilled  water 
to  try  the  experiment  if  seeds  would 
grow  as  well  in  it  as  in  drinking 
water. 

I  was  one  of  those  selected  to 
distill  the  water  for  the  experiment. 


As  I  wanted  a  quantity,  I  took  the 
teakettle  and  filled  it  nearly  to  the 
top  and  waited  for  it  to  boil.  While 
waiting  I  washed  the  dishes  I  was 
going  to  use  in  warm  water,  to  be 
sure  they  were  clean.  When  the 
water  was  boiling  I  placed  one  of  the 
bowls  I  had  washed  under  the  spout 
and  held  another  one  over  it.  As  it 
was  cold  the  steam  condensed  and 
ccllected  in  drops  on  the  inside  of 
Lie  upper  bowl.  Soon  it  began  to 
drip  in  the  lower  bowl.  This  was 
distilled  water. 

When  the  upper  bowl  became  hot 
it  did  not  drop  so  fast,  so  I  chang- 
ed  for   cold  ones. 

It  took  me  a  long,  long  time  to  get 
a   pint.  JESSIE   H.    JONES, 

East   14th   street,    San   Leandro. 

This   is   an   original   plan     but     an 
easier  one     might  be  devised. 
*       *       * 

TESTING   SEEDS 

We  tried  an  experiment  by  put 
ting    damp    cotton    into    two    bottles. 

In  one  bottle  we  planted  seeds  and 
put  a  cover  on  the  bottle  to  keep  out 
the  air.  In  the  other  bottle  we  plant- 
ed the  seeds  but  did  not  put  a  cover 
on.  We  tried  this  to  see  which  way 
the  seeds  would  grow  best,  with  air 
or  with  out  the  air. 

By  trying  this  experiment  we  found 
out  that  the  seeds  grew  better  in 
the  bottle  with  the  air  than  in  the 
bottle  without. 

ALOUISE   RAVEKES, 
San  Leandro.     Low   Seventh   Grade. 

This  experiment  teaches  us  that  aii 
must  circulate  in  the  soil.  This  may 
be  brought  about  by  thorough  culti- 
vation. 

Mr.  Morse,  the  seed  man  of  San 
Francisco,  is  going  to  help  you  ma- 
terially by  furnishing  many  seeds 
free  to  those  who  plant  school  gar- 
dens. Write  to  us,  since  the  seeds 
are   in   our   care. 

*  * 

•£•  Please    enroll    my   name    to     4° 

•!•  receive    the   Junior   Agricul-      4* 

«!•  turalist   FREE.  4* 

*  * 
•J*  Name    4* 

*  * 
•J*  Address    4* 

*  * 
•J*  Grade    •£• 

*  4- 

•J*      Teachers  Name    4* 

*  * 
•J*      Teachers    Address     4^ 

*  * 

^*  4*  4*    4*    •j-4,4,4,*2-4#4,4# 


University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,       Berkeley.  Calif. 

Agricultuiv  ,>nt    Station,   E.    J.    Wicks.  lor 


<r 


& 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

A    LITTLE    PAPER    ISSUED    TWICE    A     MONTH 

FOR    THE    BOYS    AND    GIRLS  OF    CALIFORNIA  ^ 


i> 


\'<.l.    1 


Berkeley,   Californi  t,  APRIL  15,   1911 


Commmnlcatlonfl  should  be  sent  to 
C.  A.   STEBBINS,  Editor 
!'.<  rkeley,    Calif. 
Agricultural  Education  Division 


long  ago  a  bank  president  and 
his  dirt  (tors  were  conducting  a  meet- 
a<     Which    a     vacant    position     in 
the  bank  was  to  be  filled.     The  name 
of    a    young    man    was    proposed.     "I 
t     want     him    considered,"    said 
the  president,   "for  I   have  seen   him 
loit   ring  on  the  streets  smoking  ciga- 
rettes."     Another     applicant's     name 
read.     Again    the    president     ob- 
,.  for  this  man  he  had  seen  en- 
ter offices    in    the   city    in    an    ungen- 
linally    a    man     was 
who    suited    all    concerned. 
Thus   the   Hrs1    two   men   lost  oppor- 
se  they  forgot  that  the 
of    husim  ss      men    were      upon 
ta<  m. 

If   fcr    no   other   reason    than    this, 

>s    you    to    remember    that    you 

are   being   watched   by   business   men 

s   by   fri-  nds.     The   Dusiness 

man    wants    the    young    man    who    is 

who   does    not 

have    time    to    smoke   cigarettes   and 

to  loiter  about  the  streets,   who 

a    gentleman.         The       DU 

>er  watching   the  boys   who 

to     make   such    men.     The   boy 

who    (ices    his    work    well,    who    acts 

"on    the   square,"    who    tips    his      hat 

to  girl  and  lady  friends  and  his  eld- 

on  the  way  to  a  good  position. 

some    one    is    watching    him. 

The      business      man      knows    that 

ver  you  do  now,  as  a  boy,  you 

are    pretty  sure  to  do  as  a   man  so 

0   now,   as  are 

>ur  friends. 

*       »       * 

Daring    the    month    of    March 

of  blind  childr.  n  twice 


to  teach   tin  in  about  our  song  birds 
1 1 1 < 1 1 • . ■  1 1    have    a    great 
«  f  joy   shut   out    of   tl 
Von    would   think   it   a   peat  hardship 
to  have  to  be  blindfolded  one  d. 

The  fii>t  day  we  told  them  ahont 
the  habits  of  the  birds  showing  them 
how  orach  value  they  are  in  help- 
ing to  control  the  destructive  in 
sects.  The  stuff*  d  skins  of  tin-  I 
which    many   of   you    have  seen,   were 

then  handled   by  the  child! 

On  the  second   day   we  all   went  out 
into,  the    fields.     When    a    bird    sang, 
the  children  were  told  its  name 
were   allowed    to    handle    the    sti 
skin    of    a    similar    bird.     Thus      they 
earned    »!!<■    songs   of  eight  difi 

our   next    visit,   the   child- 
ren  will   remember  these  bi 
jetter   than    you    would. 

The    next    time    your    tooth    aches 

ar    something    else    goes    wrong   just 

chink   of  these   blind    childr.  n   and    b<- 

ful   that   vein    troubles   are     so 

"ii. 

*       •       • 

We   wish  to  tell   the   Berkeley  gar- 
deners  that   four  banners    have  been 
irder.  d.     Two  to  be  used  as  reu 
to    the    two    grOnPl     lur.  iiiL-     the 
,ar.l<  ns    on     the     ('Diversity    campus 
wo  to  go  indi- 

.  idual    gardens.      ED*  li    gS  I  deal  n. 
the  gardens    will    I  I    and    the 

ill   be  Down   in  tli 

will     remain     tie  re 
from  day    to    day    so  Ion?  as  I 
gardens    are    tin-    heat     However,    if 

-,n    Si:  other    gai 

are  judged  the  best,  the  baDDers 

it  will    DOl  he   work   to 

manner  but  it  will  take  work  to  keep 

The      banners    have    arri 
the  above  Itten,     Mr     Haird's 

and    I  Mater's 

iiners  for  the  firs' 


second  best  groups.  For  the  best  in- 
dividual garden  banners  were  given 
to  Joseph  Hooker  and  Roscoe  Scam- 

mon. 

*  *       * 

At  the  present  writing,  we  think 
the  gardens  at  the  Niles  school  are 
the  best.  The  boys  have  built  a 
fence  around  the  plot.  The  gardens 
are  uniformly  laid  out,  raised  about 
three  inches,  and  are  producing  a 
fine  growth  of  vegetables.  We  are 
going  to  have  a  picture  of  the  gar- 
dens in  the  "Junior"  before  long. 

Some  day  if  a  big  auto-truck  rolls 
up  to  your  school  filled  with  chil- 
dren, greet  them  as  gardeners  from 
Niles,  for  seventeen  of  them  are  plan 
ning  to  rent  such  a  car  so  as  to  vis- 
it the  other  school  gardens  of  Alame- 
da County.  We  like  this  idea.  The 
children   of  Niles   are   "up-to-date." 

*  *       * 

The  Decoto  gardeners  have  made 
a  large  cardboard  bird  chart.  Col- 
umns have  been  made  for  (1)  the 
name  of  the  bird,  (2)  when  seen,  (3) 
winter,  permanent,  or  summer  resi- 
dent, or  transient,  (4)  where  it  nests, 
(5)  kind  of  food,  (6)  protected  or  un- 
protected, (7)  name  of  the  pupil  who 
sees  the  bird  first,  (8)  time  of  arriv- 
al or  leaving. 

Several  "summer  residents"  have 
just  arrived,  (1)  the  russet-backed 
thrush,  (2)  the  plain  tit- mouse,  (3) 
the  chipping  sparrow,  (4)  the  black- 
headed  grosbeak.  We  think  the  var- 
ied thrushes  have  gone  north. 

*  *       * 

One  class  at  San  Lorenzo  is 
putting  in  a  lawn  in  front  of  the 
school  house.  The  fifth  grade  chil- 
dren are  growing  flowers  and  ger- 
aniums to  place  about  the  building 
besides  growing  vegetables  in  their 
gardens. 

*  *       * 

We  wish  to  correct  an  error  which 
was  made  in  the  last  number  of  the 
"Junior."  In  the  article  on  "Hard 
Pan  and  Irrigation"  two  lines  were 
interchanged  and  one  left  out.  The 
article  should  read  that  "hard  pan 
is  MOST  abundant  in  clayey  soils." 

*  *       * 

If  nothing  happens  the  "California 
Junior  Pins"  will  be  ready  for  dis- 
tribution before  long.  They  are  go- 
ing to  be  given  to  you. 

*  *       * 
THE    SEED 

A  seed  is  an  embryo  plant  pro- 
vided with  food,  usually,  and  a  cover. 
The  embryo  sleeps  within  its  cover 
until    awakened    by    moisture.         The 


moisture  is  necessary  in  order  to 
carry  food  to  the  small  plant..  We 
learned  in  the  previous  lesson  that 
there  is  moisture  in  the  soil  so  it 
follows  that  the  first  effort  of  the 
seed  is  to  bury  itself.  Observe  a 
seed  closely  and  you  may  see  that 
its  shape  is  such  that  it  may  readily, 
with  the  help  of  winds  and  rains, 
work  its  way  into  the  soil.  Many 
seeds  have  mechanical  arrangements 
which  aid  in  burying  them.  Alfilaria 
seeds  ha^e  a  screw-like  '  attach- 
ment which  helps  them  to  work  in- 
to the  soil  ana  into  your  clothing. 
The  fox-tail  has  seeds  which  pene- 
trate your  clothes  very  readily.  Birds 
nelp   to   bury   seeds. 

Vvith  the  seed  buried  by  nature 
or  by  man,  the  water  enters  a  lit- 
tle opening  in  the  seed  called  the 
micropyle.  This  moisture  sets  up 
action  in  the  seed,  sugar  is  made, 
and  more  water  is  drawn  through 
the  seed  cover.  The  experiment  which 
most  of  you  have  seen  with  the  wal- 
nut shells  taught  you  this.  The  cov- 
er which  up  to  this  time  has  been 
.lelpful  to  the  seed  is  now  a  hin- 
drance and  the  seed  tries  to  rid  it- 
self of  its  coat.  Finally,  the  cover 
splits  and  the  little  plant  pushes  its 
vvay,'  a  part  upward  to  become  the 
3tem  and  leaves,  a  part  downward 
to  become  the  roots.  The  plumule 
oecomes  the  stem  and  leaves,  the 
radicle  becomes  the  roots. 

In  order  to  form  roots  and  leaves, 
food  is  necessary.  The  chick  comes 
from  the  egg  and  runs  about  immed- 
iately to  find  its  food.  The  little 
plant  cannot  do  this  so  nature  has 
placed  its  food  close  at  hand,  in  the 
Jeed  leaves,  or  cotyledons.  In  the 
3ase  of  the  bean  the  seed  draws  for 
a  long  time  on  the  seed  food,  some- 
times until  the  plant  is  four  or  six 
inches  high.  By  this  time  the  roots 
have  formed  and  have  begun  to  draw 
upon  the  soil  for  mineral  food,  the 
eaves  have  begun  using  the  air  for 
food.  The  pansy  seed  has  very  lit- 
tle plant  food  for  its  embryo.  The 
bean  has  a  great  deal.  These  facts 
tell  us  something  about  the  depth 
to  plant  seeds.  The  small  seed 
planted  deep  would  not  furnish  the 
embryo  enough  food  to  help  it  to 
the  sunlight.  We  know  a  general 
rule  to  use  in  planting  seeds.  It  is, 
plant 'seeds  as  deep  in  the  ground  as 
three  to  five  times  their  diameter. 
Seeds  should  always  be  planted  deep 
enough  to  rest  in  moist  soil,  regard- 
less of  the  rule.  We  have  seen 
children  plant  seeds  in  dry  soil.' 
Since  moisture  is  essential  to  plant 
growth,   no   results   can,    thus,  be  ob- 


tained.  Large  seeds  may  be  hur- 
ried in  g<  rmination  by  soaking  in 
water  the  night  before  planting. 
on. mi  good  n  suits  may  be  obtained 
by  digging  the  row  for  the  seeds,  by 
filling  with  wat  r,  and  after  the 
lias  si  aked  In,  by  sowing  the 

in    the    trench. 
We    hope    that    you    have    remera- 
•■i .is   are   grouped      into 
I   the  number  of  their  coty- 
For      instance,    monocotyle- 
dons are  plants  haying  one  cotyledon 

as  corn;    dicotyledons  haw 
seed  the    bean;      polyootyle- 

have     many     cotyledons,     the 


QUESTIONS 


1  What    is  a  seed? 

2  What   awakens   the   seed? 

How   does  the  seed  bury  itself? 
*     How  does  the   water  first  enter 
the  seed? 

5  What  happens   when  water  first 
•  ntt  is   the  seed? 

6  What   dees    the   seed   try   to   do 
with   its  coat? 

7  When     is    the    food    stored    for 
the  small   plant? 

8  v  the    rule    for    planting 
seeds?      What    determines    this    rule? 

How        may      germination        be 
hurried? 

1"  How  are  plants  grouped? 
Many  of  our  gardeners  will  re- 
cognize that  some  of  the  material 
found  in  tin-  last  two  milliners  cf 
the  "Junior"  reviews  the  lessons 
given  by  the  student  teachers.  This 
ing  to  help  you  to  remem- 
ber what  is  taught  you. 

•j*         CHILDREN'S    ARTICLES         4 
f  * 

•  ]•     .%     .*«      •£•      ►•-•*-   •  ■  -     *-  v   *V»  »J-   *«• 

HOW    DEEP    TO    PLANT   SEEDS 

1    v<  ry    interesting    for 

i    have     always       planted     my 

things    so   deep    in    the    ground    that 

uning    up. 
I    ha  mow   far 

to  plant  seeds.  We  had  an  <  xperi- 
and  quit.'  far  d  >WU  we  plant- 
ed a  set  d  and  a  little  higher  up  an- 
other until  we  planted  another  seed 
lit  place.  The  01  8  in  the 
right   •  •  high  now.      The 

re   still   struggling   to  g 
to    the    light     I    remember   one    tin* 
I    had    some    very    I  i<  e    seeds    and    I 
W<  it    out    at  d    dug    a    great    hrle   and 


dropped   them   in.     It  is  over  a 
now  and  1  have  had  nothing  from  my 
seeds.     I  have  learned  how  far  down 
to  plant  my  seeds  and  the  next  time 
I  shall  know  and   d 
some    flowers.     I    fa  the 

rub-    which   is  to   plant    tin-   | 1    from 

three  to  fi  dia- 

meter. 

WELL  \  PARWBLL 
High   5th   Grade.  .land. 

•  *       • 

PLANTS    NEED    LIGHT 

To    be    sure    that    a    plant    n 
light,  rimenl   in  our 

class   room.      \\V    had    | 

ii    in    a   box.      We    put    a 
I    box   over   a 
box    kept    th-    tight   from'  the   p 
About   two    weeks   after    we    too 
off  to  see  what   th.-  result    was 
plant    had    turned  yellov 

that    did     not     ha\e 
o\.r   th,  m    w ,.,-,.    green.      This   ei 
m  nt  show.-;  that  a  plant  needs  light 
VERNA   JBF 
"th   Grade,   Washii  hool, 

Oakland 

»      *       * 

PLANTS   NEED    HEAT 

The    plants    need    heat.        if      you 
plant   some   seeds    in    the  shade 
th<  n    plant    some    in    the      sun 
w.il     find    that     the    one    you    pn 
the     sun      will      tome    up    Brat      We 
d   this   by    planting   some  seeds 
in  two  cans.     We  put  one  away  from 
mi    and    one    in    the    sun.         Tin 
oi.e  in  the  sun  Is  lots  larger  than  the 
other    one. 

JAMES   REED, 
A  5th   Qr  Oakland 

Possibly  the  presence  of  more 
had    more   to   do    with    rapid    growth 
than  the  difference  in  heat.     This  ex- 
periment     hardly      proves    that    heat 
the  controlling  factor  alon< 

•  •      • 

A   SEED 

A  seed   is  an    tiny    plant    surround- 
ed      by       food.  It       needs     i> 
of  air.   m«  and  good 

pyle,     cotyledons     and   em 
!         lowing  how  the  seed  net  d<  d  air 
we    tied    some    seeds    i 
put    tie  m    into   a    I 

we  pot  in  the  cork  to  shut  out 
we  took  a  glass 
put    some  and    seed 

and   did    not 
out  the  air.     The  on<  s  we  put  into  a 
glass   have   come   up   very 

.    and    the   one    we    put     in 
the  not     sprouted,     so 

that    showed    thai    a   seed    ne-ds   air. 


This  tells   us   that  soil   must  be   pre- 
pared so  that  seeds  will  get  air. 
HOPE    REIGNER, 
B    5th    Grade.  '  Oakland. 

*       *       * 

CAPILLARY  TUBES 

The  sand  has  very  large  capillary 
tubes  and  the  water  does  not  go  up 
steadily.  It  goes  up  quickly  for  a 
little   while   and   then   it  stops. 

The  clay  has  very  small  capillary 
tubes  and  the  water  does  not  go  up 
so  quickly  but  it  goes  up  slowly  and 
surely. 

The  way  we  experimented  was  to 
put  two  tubes  into  a  glass  of  water, 
one  small  one  to  represent  the  clay 
capillary  tubes,  and  one  large  one 
to  represent  the  sand  capillary  tubes. 
The  water  climbed  higher  in  the 
small  tube. 

The  humus  which  is  decayed  wood, 
leavesa  nd  roots  of  trees  contains 
the  plant  food. 

WALTER   VEWAIS 

A    5th    Grade.  Oakland. 


HOW 


*        *        * 

MADE   A   HOTBED 


In  making  a  hotbed,  first  se- 
lect a  good  place  where  the  sun  will 
shine  all  day;  then  dig  the  ground 
five  inches  deep,  and  throw  the  dirt 
out;  next  fill  in  with  fresh  manure; 
next  cover  the  manure  with  three 
inches  of  good  sandy  loam.  Then 
take  some  boards  and  make  a  sort 
of  an  enclosure  around  it,  one  side 
being  about  one  foot  high,  towards 
the  east,  and  the  other  side  about 
two  feet  in  height.  Cover  it  with 
a  cloth  for  a  few  days  then  sow 
the    seeds. 

The  ground  in  the  bed  is  warmed 
by  the  manure  under  the  soil,  the 
seeds  and  plants  planted  in  this  bed 
will  grow  rapidly,  and  in  a  short 
time  will  be  ready  to  transplant.  • 
MANUEL  FAUSTINA 

San  Leandro  School. 
*       *       * 

MY   GARDEN 

One  corner  of  our  school  yard, 
about  fifty  feet  long  and  thirty  feet 
wide,  has  been  set  aside  for  our 
vegetable  garden. 

Some  cf  the  boys  divided  it  into 
twenty-five  garden  plots,  each  eight 
feet  long  and  five  feet  wide,  with  a 
path  two  feet  wide  on  three  sides. 

Each  of  us  has  chosen  one  of 
these  plots  for  his  own  garden  which 
we  must  dig,  plant  and  take  care  of. 

We  had  just  begun  digging  when 
the   rain   came   and    made   us    stop. 

I  am  going  to  plant  radish,  let- 
tuce,     and      peas      in   my    garden.     I 


know  I  shall  enjoy  taking  care  of  it 
and  watching  the  plants  grow. 

When  our  plants  are  grown,  we  are 
going  to  exhibit  them. 

JOSIE  ANDERSON 
San   Leandro    School. 
*       *       * 

WHAT  CULTIVATION   WILL 
DO    TO    THE    SOIL 

I  am  a  pupil  in  the 'eighth  grade  of 
the  Niles  Grammar  School  and  have 
found  by  experience  in  my  own  lit- 
tle garden  that  cultivation  is  very 
aeedful  to  the  soil.  All  soil  must 
be  cultivated  in  some  way.  If  it  be 
a  little  garden,  a  hce  or  stick  will 
do,  and  if  a  large  farm,  a  cultiva- 
tor will  be  necessary.  If  it  were 
aot  for  cultivation  all  the  moisture 
would  escape  from  the  soil  through 
the  capillary  tubes  that  are  in  the 
soil,  and  the  sun  would  absorb  it  all. 
The  capillary  tubes  are  the  little 
.paces  in  the  soil. 

Cultivation  prevents  this  because 
when  the  soil  is  cultivated,  it  breaks 
ill  the  capillary  tubes  in  the  soil. 
This  prevents  the  water  from  es- 
caping. 

If  the  soil  is  not  cultivated  often 
enough,  it  will  become  very  hard  be- 
ause  cf  the  evaporation  of  the  wa- 
:er  or  moisture  in  the  soil,  and  irri- 
ation  will  become  necessary,  or 
;he  plants  and  seeds  will  not  grow. 
.Vhen  you  once  irrigate,  you  will 
nave  to  keep  it  up,  so  it  is  by  far 
the  better  plan  to  cultivate  your 
land  for  it  will  save  you  the  trou- 
ble of  irrigating. 

ZULMERA  DOMINICI 

Niles    School. 


*  * 

•J*  Please    enroll    my    name    to      •£■ 

•!•  receive   the   Junior   Agricul-      4* 

4-  turalist   FREE.                                •$• 

4*  4* 

4-      Teachers  Name •?• 

4-  * 

•J*      Teachers    Address     4» 

*  * 

•*•     Grade    4« 

f  .                           -fr 

•J*     Name    4» 

*  * 

•J*     Address    4* 

-}•  »!"•  4*    4*    •2"  ***  *I*  •"!"•  "I*  "l"  "I*  *!* 


University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,       Berkeley.   I 
Agricultural   Experiment  Station,   E.   J.    Wickson,   Director 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 


A    LITTLE    PAPER    ISSUED    TWICE    A     MONTH 
FOR    THE    BOYS    AND    GIRLS  OF    CALIFORNIA 


i> 


^ 


Vol.     1 


Berkeley,   California.    MAY    20,    i:»!l 


Communications   Bhould   be  Bei 

C.  A.    STEBBINS,   Editor 

B(  rkeley,    Calif. 

Agricultural   Education    Division 


It     is    only    necessary    to    visit    the 
1     to    determine     what    a     town, 
what     a     community     is.       if     the 
1     yard     and     the     school     house 
v.  are  unattractive;   if  paper 
is   scattered    about,    windows    broken 
and      everything     points   to   careless- 
then    we    know    what    the    com- 
munity is.  for  such  a  school  is  lik.'  a 
big    looking    glass    and    reflects    the 
life    of    the    district.      Thus    the    ne- 
1    school   advertises   a   careless 
communis 

The     grocery  man      advertises      his 
wares,    the      contents      of    his 
through    window    cards    and    newspa- 
pers.       Bach    individual    has    his    way 
of  not  oi  &  the   people   what 

he  may  have  to  sell,  but  what  he 
is  as  a  man.  Each  boy  and 
uiri  indexes,  or  tells,  to  his  or  b  r 
ins  or  her  charm  ter,  by 
little  'signs"  we  have  read 
"hung"  out  by  our  gardener* 

to   re- 
port   at    2.15    i>.    in.      Tl  s   and 
two  girls  have  rep                  eral  da.-s 
behind   time   B                 is   first 
tunity      slipped      away.      It      is    not 
to    toll    how,    we    all    read 
n.      The    unive 
bildren  t 
coming  on  the  campus  to  wort 
they    have   been   asked    not   to   climb 
.   but  some  sill   do   so.    How 
shall     we     read     th                         We     do 
not    liko   to    Bee    bad    sisns.   so   h  t    us 


turn  to  those   which  are  more  pleas- 
ing.    We    have   *•■■ 
carefully  laid  out.  well  culUval  «1.  |n- 
tloua  boys  and 
girls.     Wa  bave  Been  boya 
careful    to    return    tools    and     willing 
to    let   others    use   these   tools 
in  the  gard<  n.     We  ha 
and    girls    patiently    working,    Bi 
but      little      and      accompliahini 
great   deal.      We    hi  a      hit 

lifted  to  student  t 
indexes,    or    Bi 

Not  only  do  they  tell  boy 

is   now,    but    what    be   is   to   be  as  a 
man.      What    signs    are     you      I 
ing   out    by    your   .. 
speech,  and   by  your   work? 
•       •       • 
We  hav.  .1  a  great  many  in 

teresting  letters  from  our 
friends  asking  for  the  "Aroior 
many  that  it  will  be  Impossible  to 
send  individual  answers  We  want 
to  thank  you  all.  No  doubt  you  will 
do  your  part  and  try  to  follow  some 
of  the  suggestions  the  little  paper 
brings  to  you      our  BUbscrlptiot]  list 

Owing    so    rapidly    | 

mit     our    re  .:>•  t<> 

those  who  have  gardens  at  hot, 
tjool    at    tha    beginning   of 

term. 

In    September.    w< 

lifornla  Junior 
gardeners    who    will    ha  as   at 

will    send    the    ".Junior"    ami    imiivi- 

to   arrange   fcr   an    exhibit,   to   show 

■ 
children    can    do.         Mr       Morse 
man,    has    put    up 

seeds     expressly     for 
ior    gardeners.      1 
will    be   sent   free,    as    long 
last  to  those  children    who   will 
gardens    at    school         Thus    you    are 
furni  a    paper.      a 


pin,  and  a  lot  of  good  times  grow- 
ing the  seeds.  But,  better  than  all, 
you  become  a  member  of  a  great 
university  class  that,  collectively 
speaking,  is  going  to  help  California 
to  become  a   great  state. 

Now  is  the  time  to  begin  to  help 
if  you  do  not  wish  to  wait  until  Sep- 
tember. Thousands  %  of  teachers 
from  all  over  the  United  States  are 
coming  to  San  Francisco  in  July  to 
attend  the  National  Educational  Asso- 
ciation. Hundreds  of  these  teach- 
ers are  interested  in  gardens.  They 
are  going  to  hold  a  meeting  in 
Berkeley.  Since  these  teachers  are 
interested  in  children's  gardens  and 
in  children,  should  not  the  California 
Junior  gardeners  entertain  them?  We 
are  going  to  give  them  a  big  vege- 
table dinner.  The  vegetables  are  to 
be  grown,  prepared  and  served 
by  our  gardeners.  Thus  we  shall 
want  many  vegetables  for  the 
dinner  and  many  flowers  for  decora- 
tion. We  are  going  to  make  the 
sweetpea  the  principle  flower. 
Will  you  help  us  by  starting  a  gar- 
den at  home  and  by  sending  us  many 
sweetpeas  and  vegetables  for  the 
dinner  to  be  held  about  the  tenth 
of  July?  If  you  wish  to  help,  send 
your  name  and  address  telling  what 
you  can  give.  Sweetpeas  may  be 
obtained  rather  easily.  Ask  your 
mother   to   help   you. 

*  *       * 

We  have  been  fortunate  the  past 
few  days  in  traveling  with  the  South- 
ern Pacific  railroad  and  the  Uni- 
versity of  California  demonstration 
train.  There  are  ten  cars  in  the 
train  and  each  car  contains 
an  exhibit  and  men  and  women 
to  teach  the  people  how  to  farm 
and  how  to  live  better.  At-  each  town 
many  people,  including  school  chil- 
dren pass  through  the  train.  One  car 
contains  several  hogs,  another  car- 
ries chickens,  ducks  etc.  One  shows 
cereals  cf  all  kinds,  another  carries 
an  exhibit  which  teaches  the  people 
not  to  use  community  drinking  cup?, 
common  towels,  etc.  It  also  points 
out  the  danger  of  the  housefly,  mos- 
quito, tse  tse  fly,  etc.,  to  the  public 
health.  The  people  are  much  inter- 
ested and  get  a  great  deal  of  help 
from  the  train.  If  you-  have  an 
opportunity,  be  sure  and  visit  it. 
more  about  the  work  of  the  demon- 
Next  term  we  are  going  to  tell  you 
stration  train. 

*  *       * 

The  gardeners  should  thank  Mr. 
C.  Runckel,  of  Niles,  for  making  it 
possible  to  issue  this  little  paper. 


Mission  San  Jose. 
Mr.  C.  A.  Steb'bins, 
University   of   California,- 
Berkeley,   Cal., 

Dear  Sir:  —  Today  we  har- 
vested our  third  crop  of  radishes 
a*  our  school  experimental  garden. 
The  "prize"  radish  was  grown  in  the 
plot  cultivated  by  Marinna  Sezario 
and  myself.  We  are  sending  it  to 
you  for  comparision  with  those 
grown  at  other  schools. 

We  are  raising  twenty  different 
kinds  of  vegetables  and  fifteen  kinds 
of  grain  in  our  school  plots  and  each 
of  the  pupils  have  been  given  seeds 
to  take  home.  The  home  gardens 
are  as  good  as  those  at  school. 

We  have  learned  much  about  rais- 
ing vegetables  this  year  and  are 
able  to  show  our  parents  how  to 
plant  properly  and  how  to  save 
money  by  growing  many  things  for 
the  table.  .  Please  come  and  visit 
our  school. 

Yours  Respectfully, 
DELPHINE    FRATES. 

The  "prize"radish  is  a  wonder  and 
too  good  to  eat.  It  hangs  in  our 
office,  labeled  "The  Best  Radish 
Grown  by  California  Junior  Garden- 
ers." The  Niles  children  have  grown 
some  almost  as  large.  Next  term 
each  one  will  have  to  work  hard, 
for    competition    will    be    close. 

Thank  you  for  the  invitation  to 
visit  you.  We  shall  do  so  at  the 
first  opportunity. 

*       *       * 
Franklin    School,    E.    Oakland,      Cal. 

Professor  Stebbins, 

Dear  Sir: — We  received  "The 
Junior  Agriculturalist"  a  few  days 
ago  and  have  found  the  articles  in 
them    very   interesting. 

The  pupils  of  our  class  are  experi- 
menting in  home  gardening.  Some 
of  us  are  growing  vegetables  while 
others  are  raising  flowers.  We  are 
all  doing  our  very  best  to  make  this 
work  a  success,  for  it  is  very  inter- 
esting and  a  pleasure  to  be  among 
the  plants  and  take  care  of  them. 
This  subject  is  comparatively  new 
to  most  of  us.  Snap  shots  of  ten  of 
the  best  of  these  gardens  will  be 
taken  by  our  teacher  and  if  they 
turn  out  well,  we  shall  send  you  the 
prints  of  them.  We  have  not  a 
school  garden  but  hope  to  have  one 
sometime   in   the  future. 

Yours   Respectfully, 

NELLIE  MORRILL. 
6   B.   Grade 


We  are   very  glad   indeed,   to   have 
Inch    good    reports    from    the    Frank- 
lin   School.        Do    not    fail    to 
(the   pictures. 
♦       *       ♦ 
HAT    PLANTS    NEED    FOR    FOOD 
Water  and  soil  food  are  the  chief 
part  of  a   plant's   diet    -Manure    make* 
soil   rich;    If  you  haven't  this,   buy   it. 

Soil  food  and  air  food  are  what  the 
s  need  and  so  it  makes  a  good 
Deal  of  difference  to  a  plant 
finds  plenty  of  food,  in  its  home  or 
not,  the  ground  should  be  broken  in- 
to small  enough  pieces,  for  the  roots, 
not  being  gimlets,  find  it  hard  to 
push  their  way  through.  So  when 
real  gardeners  are  making  ready 
home*  for  the  plants  they  dig  the 
0  that  the  roots  will 
have    B  (inething   nice   to    work   in. 

When  the  soil  is  the  result  of  the 
blending  of  several  materials,  it  is 
called  a  loam,  and  the  relative  pro- 
portion of  sand  or  clay  produces 
what  is  known  either  as  sandy  loam. 
Or  <lay  loam,  depending  upon  the 
different    kind   of   sand   or   clay. 

If  a  large  quantity  of  vegetable  or 
animal  matter  is  to  be  found  in  the 
soils,  such  matter  is  called  humus. 
When  humus  is  in  large  proportions, 
it  forms  a  class  of  soil  called  muck. 

In  order  to  show  the  movement  of 
water  in  soil,  arrange  a  couple  of 
glass  tubes  or  straight  lamp  chim- 
neys such  as  are  used  with  differ- 
ent burners,  and  in  each  place  a  dif- 
ferent kind  of  soil,  in  one  a  pure 
sand,  in  another,  a  mixture  of  sand 
and  clay,  in  another  a  sandy  loam. 
and    in   still   another,  some  leaf  mold 

Note  the  time  and  the  distance 
to  which  the  water  rises  in  each  of 
the  chimneys  through  the  different 
soils  This  rise  of  water  through 
the  different  soils  is  called  capil- 
larity. Do  not  go  and  fuss  with  the 
earth  while  it  is  wet.  Air  is  necess- 
ary in  the  soil  in  order  to  make  it 
a   proper   place   for   the     growth     of 

MARGARET    GLOOR. 
fth    B.  Whitti.  r  School. 

*      *      ♦ 

AN    EXPERIMENT 

One  day  at  our  school  in  Niles, 
Calif.,  Prof.  Stebbins.  our  agricul- 
tural teacher  gave  us  an  experi 
which  goes  to  show  that  leaf  capil- 
carry  nourishment  to  all  parts 
of  the  plant 

First,  he  took  a  small  glass  cf 
•rater  and  placed  a  small  amount  of 
red  ink  into  it.  This  was  to  color 
the    water    red. 


'*/, 


Next  he  took  a  lily  leaf  which  had 
a  medium  length  stem  and  pla< 
into   the   glass   of   water.     In    a 
days  he  cut  the  leaf  into  many  parts 
and    each    part    was   slight lv    colored 
along     the     veins   showing   that    tin 
colored    water    was    carried    through 
the  stem  to  parts  of  the  U 
BARRY    walk. 
Eighth  Grade  \iles  School. 

•      •      • 
CULTIVATION 

Many  gardens  or  farms  cannot  be 
watered,  so  some  recourse  must  be 
had,  in  order  to  keep  the  soil  moist 
underneath.  i„  <M<I.  r  to  do  this, 
cultivation  is  necessary.  Cultivation 
is  done  by  hoeing  or  with  a  <  ul 
tivator.  It  breaks  the  capillary  tubes 
that  are  all   through    n  it   is 

through    these   tubes   that   the    I 
comes     up     to     the     surface  of     the 
ground     and   evaporates.       it    p 
would    cultivate    their    land    oft 
irrigation    would   not   be  necess.< 

In  cultivating,  one  must 
careful  that  he  does  not  harm  his 
plants  in  any  way.  If  the  plants  are 
close  together,  the  side  of  the  hoe 
should  be  used  to  make  sure  you 
don't  cut  any  of  the  other  plants.  If 
the  plants  are  far  apart  the  blade  of 
the  hoe  is  used. 

Cultivate  often,  to  hold  the   mulch 
and    keep    weeds   out.      A   garde 
farm   of   weeds   throws   a   great 
of   moisture    into    the   air    in    t  v. 
four  hours.       ZKL.mkka    DOMENICI. 
Eighth  Grade  Niles  .School. 


DOMESTIC     ANIMALS 

The  progress  of  a   nation   is   mea- 
sured   by    the    kind    of    tlTeetOCk    OT 
people  in  it.     If  the  livestock  or  peo- 
ple in   it   are   poor,    that    nation 
not  prosp 

The  farmer  must  also  have  good 
livestock  on  his  farm,  if  he  wants  to 
prosper.     Slowly,  di  y  degrees 

we  develop     the  possibilities   of 
animals.     Animals  are  used  for  work 
Without    them,    we    would       have     to 
find    other    means    for    plowing    and 
harrowing  orchards. 

Animals  are  used  for  milk  sin 
cows,    reindeer   and    goats.      Wi 
milk,    we    would    have    no    buttt  r    or 
cheese  and  many  other  things.     Can 
you  find  a  substitute  for  milk? 

Animals  are  used  for  pleasure,  as 
horses  and  ponies.  True,  the  auto- 
mobile and  airship  have  been  in- 
vented, tut  you  could  never  find  a 
more  gentle  or  surer  way  of  riding, 
than  behind  a  horse. 

Animals  are  used   for  food.     Beef, 


which  we  get  from  the  cow,  is 
the  most  digestible  of  all  meat. 
Poultry,  games,  and  most  animals 
are  also  used  for  food.  There  is 
not  an  animal  in  the  universe  that 
is  not  used  for  food.  Man  was  once 
used   for  food   by   cannibals. 

You  may  go  to  Europe,  Asia  and 
many  other  countries;  in  them  you 
will  find  different  animals,  but  all 
working  for  the  same  domestic  need. 

EDWARD    ELLSWORTH 
Eighth  Grade.  Niles  School. 

*  *       * 

THE   COTTONY  CUSHION    SCALE 

Once  upon  a  time,  there  came  in- 
to California,  some  small,  smooth, 
white  insects  called  the  Cottony 
Cushion  Scales.  These  insects  stayed 
on  lemon  and  orange  trees  and  had 
come  over  from  Australia.  The 
growth  of  these  insects  spread  so 
fast,  that  all  these  lemon  and  orange 
trees  had  begun  to  die. 

When  the  people  of  .California  saw 
all  these  trees  in  such  a  bad  condi- 
tion, they  wondered  what  could  have 
happened  them,  so  later  they  found 
out  that  it  was  the  Cottony  Cush- 
ion Scale  that  had  spread  so 
fast.  Now  they  wondered  how  they 
could  get  rid  of  them,  so  some  one 
went  over  to  Australia  to  get  some 
other  insect,  which  was  its  check. 
So  they  found  out  that  an  insect, 
called  the  lady  bird,  was  its  check. 
They  got  these  lady  birds  into  Cali- 
fornia, and  at  last,  they  get  rid  of 
these    Cottony    Cushion    Scales. 

FLORA  LANFRI, 
Eighth   Grade,  Niles   School. 

*  *       * 

BIRDS    SEEN     AROUND     NILES 

The  white-crowned  sparrow,  or 
striped-head  as  it  is  sometimes 
called,  is  a  winter  resident  of  this 
part  of  the  county.  It  is  found  in 
the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains  any 
time  of  the  year.  The  male  is  a 
bluish  grey  colored  bird  with  two 
white  stripes  on  the  top  of  its  head. 
The  female  has  just  a  brown  head, 
and  a  body  like  the  male. 

It  is  a  little  larger  than  the  Eng- 
lish sparrow.  Scientists  who  have 
studied  this  bird  say  that  it  does 
more  good  than  harm  but  I  don't 
believe  them. 

The  ether  day  I  awoke  about  7 
o'clock  and  went  out  to  see  how  my 
radishes  were  getting  along.  I  saw 
about  twenty  cf  these  picking  and 
scratching    up    my   garden. 

The  California  Towhee  or  brush 
robin,  is  a  very  useful  bird  in  this 
community.     It  is  of  a  brownish   hue 


with  a  tinge  of  orange  under  its  tail. 
They  live  on  insects  most,  though 
they  have  a  small  percentage  of 
grain  on  their  list. 

The  Red-Headed  Linnet,  Goldfinch 
and    Oriole    are    summer    residents. 

The  Alaskan  Robin,  Western  Ev- 
ening Grosbeak,  and  Wax  Wing  are 
transient  residents. 

The   Alaskan    Robin   is    here      only 
once    in    a    while.      As    there      was 
great     cold     in     Alaska  this   year   it 
came    down    clear    to    Monterey. 
'    RONALD   HUNT, 
Eighth  Grade,  Niles   School. 

Ronald,  you  should  not  condemn 
the  white-crowned  sparrow  until  you 
have  studied  it  thoroughly  as  "sci- 
entists" have  done.  Possibly  you 
are    wrong. 

*       *       * 

HOW     WE     LAID     OUT     OUR 
GARDENS 

When  we  got  ready  for  our  gar- 
dens, our  school  principal  gave  us 
a  plot  of  ground  fifty  feet  long  and 
thirty  feet  wide. 

After  a  few  days,  our  school  teach- 
er selected  three  boys  beside  my- 
self to  divide  the  plot  into  small 
gardens.  To  do  this  we  drove 
stakes  at  each  corner,  then  we  put  a 
string  around  the  plot.  After  put- 
ting the  string  around,  we  measured 
eight  feet  on  the  long  side,  and  put 
in  a  stake;  then  we  measured  two 
feet  and  put  in  another  stake.  This 
two  feet  was  where  the  path  was  to 
be.  When  we  had  finished  the  long 
side,  we  went  to  the  short  side  and 
measured  five  feet  and  put  in  a 
stake,  then  we  measured  two  feet 
and  put  in  a  stake.  When  we  had 
finished  all  the  sides,  we  put  the 
string  across  the  plot  and  staked 
it  out  eight  feet  one  way  and  five 
feet  the  other  way.  By  doing  this, 
we  made  gardens  eight  feet  long  and 
five  feet  wide  ard  a  path  two  feet 
wide  on  three  sides. 

HENRY    M.    HALE 

San  Leandro  Grammar   School. 


University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,   Berkeley,  California 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Director 


& 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

A    LITTLE    PAPER    ISSUED   TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR    THE    BOYS    AND    GIRLS  OF    CALIFORNIA 


*9 


4 


VOL.  n  BERKELEY,  CALIFORNIA,  Si-iT.  23,  1911 


ommunications    should    be    sent    to 
C.  A.  STEBBINS,  Editor, 
Berkeley,  Calif. 
Agricultural  Education  Division 


PLANS    FOR    1911—1912 

The  beginning  class  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  California  numbers 
Freshmen.  Our  California  Jun- 
ior hardening  class  numbered  about 
1000  last  year  but  this  term  we  hope 
to  have  at  least  3000  pupils  enrolled. 
In  order  to  add  numbers  to  this  Uni- 
versity gardening  class  ask  your 
teacher  to  organize  a  California  Jun- 
ior Gardening  Club.  I  am  sure  he  or 
she  will  do  so.  If  you  read  what  fol- 
lows  you    will   know   what  to   do. 

Call  a  meeting,  adopt  the  following 
constitution  and  elect  your  officers. 
Send  to  the  editor  of  this  paper  a 
request  for  a  printed  constitution  and 
enrollment  blanks.  Fill  out  the  blanks 
return. 

CALIFORNIA 
BOYS'    AND    GIRLS'    JUNIOR     GAR- 
DENING    CLUB 

By-Laws    of    Local    Club 

ARTICLE   I. 
Name  of  Local  Club. 
THIS  CLUB  shall  be  known  as  the 
California   Junior   Gardening   Club   of 

School  District   County 

of 


ARTCILE    II. 
Regulations. 
This  club  shall  be  governed  by  the 
Constitution    of   the     County     Junior 
Gardening   Club   of  California,    issued 
by  the  Division  of  Agricultural   E 
tion  of  the  University  of  California. 


ARTICLE    111. 

General    Officers. 

The  officers  of  this  Club  shall  be 
a  Supervisor,  President,  Vice-Presi- 
dent, Secretary  and  Treasurer. 


ARTICLE  IV. 

Supervisor. 

The  teacher  shall  be  supervisor, 
having  the  general  supervision  in  all 
local  club  work  and  power  of  exer- 
cising authority  in  proper  manage- 
ment of  the  Club. 

ARTICLE  V. 

Duties  of  Other  Officers. 

All   other   officers     shall      perform 
|  such  duties  as  are  usually  assigned  tc 
j  such  officers   in  other  parliamentary 
bodies. 

The  President  shall  preside  at  all 
meetings  and  the  Secretary  shall 
keep  the  minutes  and  records  of  all 
such  meetings.  The  Treasurer  must 
care  for  all  funds  collected  and  shall 
only  pay  out  the  same  upon  the 
written  order  of  the  President,  ap- 
proved by  the  Supervisor.  The  Vice- 
President  may  act  as  President  in 
the  absence  or  disability  of  that 
officer. 

ARTICLE  VI 
Reports. 
The  Secretary  shall  submit  a  gen- 
eral report  to  the  Manager  of  the 
County  Club  on  or  before  June  1st 
of  each  year  and  shall  make  such 
special  reports  as  may  be  called  for 
from  time  to  time  by  the  County 
Manager  (County  Superintendent  of 
Schools)  or  some  one  appointed  by 
him.  or  by  the  Instructor  of  the  Di- 
vision of  Agricultural  Education  of 
the  University  of  California  in 
charge,  located  at  Berkeley. 


ARTICLE  VII. 
Regular  meetings  shall  be  held 
each  week  as  desired  by  the  Super- 
visor while  the  school  is  in  session. 
Meeting  for  garden  work  may  be 
considered  a  regular  meeting.  Spec- 
ial or  called  metings  may  be  had 
upon  call  of  the  Supervisor,  the'  re- 
quest of  the  President  through  the 
Supervisor,  or  a  written  request  of 
three  members  of  the  Club,  approv- 
ed by  the  Supervisor. 

ARTICLE  VIII. 
Quorum 
A  majority  of  the  members  of  the 
Club    shall    constitute    a    quorum    for 
the  transaction  of  any  business. 

ARTICLE  IX. 
Fees  and  Dues. 
There  shall  be  no  entrance  fees 
or  annual  dues,  but  the  right  to 
assess  a  fee  of  not  more  than  twen- 
ty-five cents  per  member  may  be  ex- 
ercised by  the  Club  upon  motion  in- 
dicating the  purpose  for  which  funds 
are  to  be  raised;  provided,  a  two- 
thirds  vote  of  the  quorum  present 
supports  such  motion  for  assessment. 

ARTICLE  X. 

Relation  to  College  of  Agriculture. 

The  local  club  may  receive  any 
special  privileges  offered  by  the  Di- 
vision of  Agricultural  Education  of 
the  University;  namely,  (1)  the  "Jun- 
ior Agriculturist",  (2)  a  club  pin  or 
button,  (3)  seeds,  (4)  permission  to 
enter  "growing"  contests,  etc. 

ARTICLE  XL 
When  feasible,  a  "Garden  City" 
shall  be  organized  on  a  self  govern- 
ment basis  with  a  mayor,  council, 
and  other  officers  in  charge.  (Write 
to  the  Division  of  Agricultural  Edu- 
cation, Berkeley,  for  further  informa- 
tion.) 

ARTICLE  XII. 

These  by-laws  may  be  amended  by 
a  two-thirds  vote  of  members  pres- 
ent at  a  regular  meeting. 

Did  you  read  Article  XI?  It 
speaks  of  a  "Garden  City."  In  Berk- 
eley, at  the  campus  gardens  we  shall 
have  a  mayor,  councilmen,  etc.  to 
govern  the  gardens.  Vegetables  and 
flowers  will  be  placed  on  sale  at  the 
"Garden  City"  market.  A  banking  in 
stitution  will  be  started  with  the 
children  in  charge.  We  expect  to 
make  at  least  $500.00  on  the  sale  of 
products. 

Ten  per  cent  of  this  money  will  be 
long    to    the    bank,    the   rest    will    go 


to  those  who  earn  it.     We  hope  that 
you   will   start  a   garden   city 

CONSTITUTION    TO    GOVERN    THE 
"GARDEN    CITY" 


ARTICLE  I. 

The  name  of  the  garden  at 
shall  be  the  "Garden  City." 


ARTICLE  II. 

The  object  is  the  betterment  of 
citizenship  among  its  citizens  and 
the  development  of  body,  mind  and 
morals. 


ARTICLE   III. 
Any  boy  or  girl  of  the  ages  of  six 
to   sixteen   may   become  a   citizen   by 
owning  and  caring  for  a  garden. 


ARTICLE  IV. 
The  officers  shall  be  mayor;  city 
council  of  6  members;  garden  com- 
missioner; street  commissioner;  wa- 
ter commissioner;  tool  commission- 
er; city  clerk;  two  police  officers. 
(City  clerk  should  be  appointed  on 
basis  of  ability  and  efficiency.) 

(a)  They  shall  take  office  Sep- 
tember 1st  and  February  1st  of 
each  year.. 

(b)  They  shall  be  elected  on  the 
Monday  preceding  the  above 
dates  by  popular  vote. 


ARTICLE  V. 
The    duties    of   these    officers    shall 
be  those  usually  devolving  upon  such 
officers. 


ARTICLE  VI. 

Recall:  A  petition  signed  by  qual- 
ified electors  equal  in  number  to 
twenty  per  cent  of  the  entire  vote 
cast  for  Mayor  at  the  last  preceding 
general  election  at  which  a  Mayor 
was  elected,  demanding  an  election 
of  a  successor  of  the  officer  to  Le 
removed,  shall  be  addressed  to  the 
Council  and  presented  to  the  City 
Clerk. 

Grounds  of  Recall:  Reasons  for 
the  recall  of  an  officer  shall  be 
stated  in  the  call  for  the  new  elec- 
tion. 

ARTICLE  VII. 
Gardener*  shall  work  at  least  one 
hour  two  days  a  week — Wednesday 
bet  wee  r  t.u  hours  of  2:15  and  4:30 
and  Saturday  between  9  and  11.  Dur- 
ing the  season  each  shall  work  ten 
hours  for  the  public  good. 


ARTICLE    VIII. 
For  lease  of  the  individual  plot  and 
for    other    privileges,    each    gardener 
shall  give  ten  per  cent  of  the  output 
of  his  garden. 

ARTICLE    IX. 
The     "Garden     City     Bank"    shall 
handle     all     financial     activities  con- 
nected with  the  "city". 

ARTICLE   X. 
The   officers   of   the    "Garden    City 
Bank"    shall    be    appointed    by      the 
Garden  Director. 

ARTICLE  XI 
A   "Garden   City"   market   shall    be 
lished    at    which    the    output    of 
the  gardens  may  Le  placed  on  sale. 


ARTICLE  XII. 
The  City  Council  shall  meet  as  re- 
<>d    by    the    Garden    Director    at 
which    meeting   all   officers   shall    re 
port. 


ARTICLE  XIII. 
Amendments   can   be   made  to   this 
council,  upon  a   week's   notice,     with 
approval  of  the  Garden  Director. 

If  you  read  Article  X  you  found 
certain  privileges  that  come  to  you 
as  a  gardener.  We  have  but  2000 
pins  and  "first  come  first  served  ' 
in  other  words  those  who  "join  the 
first  get  the  pins.  Mr.  C.  C. 
Morse  of  the  Morse  Seed  Company, 
San  Francisco,  has  promised  to 
Ista  s^eds  free  for  our  big  class 
of  3000  pupils.  However,  if  you  wish 
to  start  a  garden  at  home  you  will 
have  to  buy  your  seeds.  Seeds  are 
given    only    for    school    gardens. 


THE    VEGETABLE     LUNCHEON 

You  may  have  heard  of  our  veg- 
etable luncheon  at  Hearst  Hall.  The 
vegetables  were  grown  by  our  Berk- 
eley gardeners  although  many  pota- 
toes and  flowers  came  from  Gardena. 

Three  long  tables  were  prettily  dec- 
orated. At  each  plate  were  a  menu 
card  and  a  cornucopia  made  by  the 
gardeners.  In  the  cornucopias  were 
beautiful  sweetpeas.  The  menu  cards 
were  turnips,  radishes,  and  carrots 
done  in  water  colors  by  the  Whittier 
School  children.  The  room  was  dec- 
orated with  potted  ferns,  palms  and 
flowers. 

The  children  helped  in  the  kitchen 
apd  waited  on  the  table.  Twenty 
children    from    the    Franklin     School 


of  Berkeley  and  four  from  San  1 
dro      furnished      splendid    orchestral 
music. 

Some  200  teachers  were  the  gi 
of    the    gardeners    and    they    all    »-n- 
joyed  the  afternoon  very  much. 

This  year  we  want  to  repeat  the 
luncheon  before  the  close  of  school. 
The  best  children's  orch.  itra  will  be 
asked  to  furnish  music.  The  most 
original  menu  card  design  will  be 
used.  The  luncheon  this  time  will 
be  for  the  gardeners  themselves  not 
for  the  teachers  unless  invited  as 
special  gutsts.  So  if  you  want  to 
be  with  us  grow  an  excellent  gar- 
den. 

One  of  the  best  features  of  the 
luncheon  was  the  way  some  of  the 
chiluien  h<  Iped.  Many  gav<«  tln'ir 
services  in  pr<  paraiion  but  a  few 
only  staid  to  help  "clean  up."  It  is 
an  easy  matter  to  start  but  not  so 
easy  to  finish.  We  like  those  boys 
and  girls  who  "stay  on  the  Job"  un- 
til it  is  done. 

•£•     .*•     •$•     .*«     .'«     ♦*«     »|«     *|*     •£•     *|« 

NOTES 

.[.    »'.    »|-    »*..',    »\    .*..].    .\    ,|. 

Mr.  If.  B.  Hill  formerly  of  Uplands, 
California,  and  now  principal  of  the 
Ontario  High  School  writes, 

Record    of   the    Upland    Schools    in 
Gardening,  school  year  1910,   1911. 
No.   pupils   who  had 

home  gardens 149 

No.   pupils   who  did   home  gar- 
dening as  a  result     of     school 

gardens 83 

No.     of    individual    gardens  at 

schools   (about) 550 

No.  doz.  radishes  harvested,  1481  5 -1- 
heads   of   lettuce   .    190   1-2 

onions 17  1-2 

carrots 81  3-4 

beets 48  1-4 

turnips 1 1 

No.  feet  of  lettuce 644 

The   statistics   quoted   above     were 
reported  by  the  children  themselves; 
raised  much  more. 

Besides  all  this,  we  established 
school  flower  gardens,  e.  g.  we  plant- 
ed 4  doz.  rose  bushes  and  dozens  of 
other  shrubs  and  trees.  We  grew 
2000  pansies,  etc.  At  one  time  we 
had  more  than  a  dozen  different 
kinds  of  flowers  blooming  in  the 
school  yards. 

During  two  years  of  agriculture 
work  we  have  planted  on  our  school 
grounds  more  than  100  trees,  and 
we  have  transformed  the  school 
yard  from  a  barren  spot  to  a  place 
of  beauty. 


The  children  of  the  LeConte  school 
Mr.  Imrie  principal,  have  an  excel- 
lent set  of  gardens. 

We  visited  the  Emerson  School  gar 
dens  lately.  Mr.  Vergon,  the  princi- 
pal has  an  acre  of  ground  in  vege- 
tables and  flowers.  Later  we  will  tell 
you  what  is  taken  from  the  plots. 
The  children  have  corn  about  eight 
feet  high,  pole  beans  nearly  twen- 
ty feet  high  and  other  plants  in 
proportion. 

Some  of  the  children  in  the  Frank- 
lin School  of  Berkeley  are  going  to 
start  gardens  at  their  school. 

The  editor  will  be  glad  to  hear 
from  the  gardeners  at  any  time. 
Tell  us  what  you  are  doing  and  the 
best  letters  will  be  published  in  the 
"Junior." 

The  campus  "Garden  City"  at 
Berkeley  is  to  be  open  on  Saturdays 
9 — 12  and  Wednesdays  2:15 — 4:30  for 
the  boys  and  girls  from  6  to  16  years 
of  age.  

CHAPTER    |.     The   Soil. 
Exercises 

All  exercises  should  be  performed 
at  school  or  at  home. 

1.  Place  in  a  medium  sized  bottle 
a  small  amount  of  garden  soil.  Add 
water  until  the  bottle  is  nearly  filled. 
Shake  well  and  set  aside. 

2.  Examine  closely  samples  of  clay 
and  sand.  Roll  each  about  and  feel 
both.     Note  the  size  of  the  particles. 

3.  Secure  a  sample  of  garden  soil. 
Note  the  pieces  of  decaying  leaves 
and  other  vegetable  matter.  Heat 
over  a  flame  a  small  tin  of  garden 
soil.     Note  the  burning  and  the  odor. 

4.  Obtain  samples  of  sand,  clay, 
and  garden  soil  and  expose  them  to 
the  sun  for  an  hour.  Which  is  the 
warmest;  the  coldest? 

What  Soil  Is. 

Do  you  know  what  soil  is?  A 
great  many  children  and  a  great 
many  fathers  and  mothers  think  soil 
is  merely  "dirt".  Dirt  which  can  be 
washed  from  hands  and  faces  and 
which  seems  so  much  in  the  way. 
But  soil  is  more  than  this.  It  is 
filled  with  little  plants  and  animals, 
and  many  wonderful  things  take 
place  in  the  soil.  It  is  a  great  fac- 
tory and  store  house  where  material 
is  made  and  stored  away.  Look 
about  you.  Where  did  the  iron  anc 
lumber  come  from  which  built  your 
desk?  The  soil.  Where  did  the 
linen  come  from  which  makes  the 
girls'  dresses?  It  comes  from  the 
fiber  of  the  flax  plant  that  grows  in 
the  soil.  From  what  is  glass  made? 
It  is  made  of  sand  which  is  part  of 
the  soil.  Ask  your  teacher  to  tell 
you  how  linen  and  glass  are  made. 
The  soil  furnishes  all  you  need  to 
make     you      comfortable   and   happy. 


Nearly  everything  about  you  came 
from  the  soil.  Examine  them  and  see 
if  this  is  not  true.  You  should  know 
more  about  this  soil  which  includes 
so  much. 

Examine  the  bottle  after  completing 
Exercise  1.  The  largest  and  heaviest 
particles  at  the  bottom  are  sand. 
The  finest  particles  just  above  lying 
on  the  sand  and  floating  in  the 
water  are  clay.  The  little  particles 
of  leaves,  twigs, etc.,  resting  on  the 
clay  and  floating  on  the  surface  of 
the  water  are  humus.  Thus  soil  as 
a  cold  dead  thing  is  made  of  clay, 
sand  and  humus,  but  soil  as  we  wish 
to  know  it  contains  more  water,  air, 
little  plants  and  animals  and  their 
dead  bodies.  Estimate  the  relative 
amount  of  sand,  humus,  and  clay. 
80-100  percent  sand  means  sandy  soil. 
60-80  percent  sand  means  sandy  loam 
40-60  percent  sand  means  loam. 
20-40  percent  sand  means  clayey  loam 
0-20  percent  sand  means  clay. 

Characteristics  of  Sand,  Clay  and  Hu- 
mus. 

The  sand  particles  are  the  larg- 
er and  they  roll  about  more  read- 
ily than  do  the  clay  particles. 

Sand  contains  little  food  for  plants 
but  it  makes  soil  loose  and  open  so 
that  air  and  moisture  may  be  ob- 
tained by  plants.  Sandy  soils  plow 
easily.  Sand  is  heated  readily  by  the 
sun  as  you  learned  through  Exercise 
4,  hence  it  makes  soils  warm. 

Clay  is  made  of  very  fine  particles. 
When  it  is  moist  it  helps  to  bind 
sand.  Clay  is  a  storehouse  for  plant 
food.     It   is,  cold   in   temperature. 

Humus,  which  is  decayed  vegeta- 
ble matter  resembles  clay  more  near- 
ly than  sand  in  size  of  particles, 
warmth,  etc.  Trees,  flowers,  and  oth- 
er plants  add  humus  to  the  soil.  Hu- 
mus is  very  necessary.  It  holds1  sandy 
soils  together  and  loosens  soil 
containing  a  great  deal  of  clay.  Hu- 
mus is  a  food  storehouse  for  plants. 

A  brick  chimney  is  made  by  pil- 
ing one  brick  upon  one  another.  Na- 
ture piles  sand  particles  and  clay 
particles  in  such  a  way  as  to  form 
"chimneys",  or  tubes,  in  the  soil. 
The  tubes  made  by  the  sand  are 
larger  than  those  built  by  the  clay 
and  the  humus.  The  proper  name 
for  the  soil  funnels  is  capillary  tubes. 

QUESTIONS 

1.  What  is   soil? 

2.  Which  is  the  heaviest,  sand, 
clay,  or  humus? 

3.  Why  are  foothill  farms  usually 
sandy?  Why  are  there  so  much  clay 
and  humus  in  valley  soil? 

4.  Of  what  use  are  clay,  sand,  and 
humus   in   soils? 

5.  What  are  capillary  tubes?  Are 
the  capillary  tubes  smaller  or  larger 
in  sand  than  in  clay? 


/ 


University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley,  CalifirrUtfYJ VEhit 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Director   X^eu 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

^A    LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED    TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol.  1. 


Berkeley,  California.  October  L6,  r.ui 


No.  7 


Commuuications  should  be  sent  to 

C.  A.  STEBBINS.  Editor 

Agricultural  Education  Division 

A  Patriotic  Garden 

kai.I'H   L.  BA1LJB1  . 

Tweattett    Btreet    Seawefli    Lea     \n-.i.- 

it    the   20tn   of  April    I   spaded    up 
irden  and  a  few  days   later  got  it 
ready  to  plant  seed  and  worked  out   my 
design,     when   my   garden   is   finished   I 
shall  '  s^e  star  outlined  in  white 

Mowers    and     tilled     in     in     blue     with     a 
large     flower     in     the     center.        Bel 

Intl   I    will    have   first    red,   then 

white,  then  blue  twice  Prom  the  large 
to  each  of  the  points  of  the  star 
I  will  extend  strings  and  have  red, 
white  and  blue  running  up  tnene  strings. 
Wallace  Gray,  whose  paper  you  will 
And  in  the  bunch,  and  1  have  a  garden 
er  ami  lu-  expects  tc  make  a 
■mall  star  and  a  crescent. 

are    trying;    t<»    make   a   beautiful 

n    of    th»wers   and    by    working   to- 

DOt  help  but  succeed. 

I   have  been  reading  some  of  the   let- 

n   this  subject  and   am   very  much 

interested. 


First  Hints 


\  i.iti:    BR*  K90VT, 
rwewtftetl     Mrt-ti     n,|,,h»I,     Lea     Anaele* 
first    thing    you    do,    if    It    is    not 
good    soil    and    hasn't    been 
of,    is    to    soak    the    ground    well 
with   water   and   get   it   ready  for  spad- 
ing.      When     you    have    it    soak*, 
good,  take  a  spade  and  spade  the  whole 
plot,      Th.-n    spray   it   thoroughly 
;md    when  you  are  ready   to   n 

n  mark  it  off.  If  you  have  any 
fertilizer  handy  you  could  put  it  on 
your  garden  and  spade  it  under, 
you  are  ready  to  put  your  seeds  In, 
ght  and  even  grooves  about 
half    an     inch     deep.  ng     to     the 

seed    you    intend    planting. 


A  School  Garden 

vintii)    \  \i  (.11  \\. 

I"«nli«lli     Mr.c|      s,.|,„„l.      I  os      \nKrlr» 

Our  garden  has  a  path  going  through 
.id.Ue    of    it.  tias    a 

In  part  of  the  garden  to  plant 
take  care  of.      We   were  golnu    to 
■     lawn     in     part    of    the    gardei 
couldn't,    so    it    was    divided    Into 
and  given  t..  the  eighth  grade  to    • 
•  •  of   the   pupils  have  borooi 
flowers  around    their  garden   and   some 
have  figures  made  in   flowers. 

The    kindergarten    has    Its    plot    fixed 
up    like    a    farm.      At   one   end    it    has   a 
little      house    with     walks      and     I 
around     it     and    a    barn    behind     it. 
i hen  it  has  the  vegetables  at  one 

All     through     the    garden     there    are 
walks    dividing    it     into    plots. 


v\  vi  n;i{    <.i   in  itii. 
Twentieth    stveel    BeaaeL    Lea     interim 

Inst.    I    would    like    to    till    you    about 
one    of    the    foes    of    man    and    ho 
destroy   it.     The   dlabrotlca   is  a    I 
Which     is     sometimes     m  for    a 

ladybird.      It   is  a  great   I 
den,  feeding  on 
Another  hi  etle  whi< 

times    mistaken    for    a    ladybird    I 
striped  he. -tic  wi  Icta  Is  fo 
and     tomato     vines.       It     is    some 
called    the  squash   bupr.      The  only 

I  Is  to  pick  them  off 
by  hand,   or  go  out  early 
ings  with  a  can  containing  a  little 
oil    and    shake    them    off    the    vine- 


!  BOB    I    \n  I  'in. 
TvpeatlaU    its  sal    |el ■  <>«    4a«afai 

Our  garden  has  been  a  success  be- 
cause of  the  work  we  children  and 
teachers  have  put   Into  i  rat  had 

the  ground  and  harrowed.     The 

pupils    then    leveled    it    off    and    bu: 
the  paths  In   the  center  high' 
off    tl  The    ground    was 

divided   off  and   so  much   was  glv 
each   room.     We  sowed  all  t) 
it  in  grass,  but  the  grass  did  not 
It    took    too    much    tlm*>    to 
it   grow   well,   so   th*»  lawn   was  dug   up 
and  all   the   ground   given   to  our  room 
We    are    t  >iths    and    therefore 

should  hav  md  I  think 

we    will.      We    have    ne.i  thin*? 

planted     In     our     garden     that     yo  | 
think    of   and    hope   some   time    to   see    you. 


Capillary  Attraction 


The  Properties  of  Soil  Water 


BERTHA    BRONDY, 
Twentieth    Street    Sehool,    Los    Angeles 

Water  will  rise  through  almost  any 
I'orous  substance  as  a  wick,  a  sponge 
or  the  soil.  The  force  which  causes 
oil,  or  water,  or  any  other  liquid  to 
rise  through  a  porous  substance,  is 
called   capillary  attraction. 

The  water  in  the  soil  is  always  at 
work.  During  rain,  or  whenever  the 
surface  soil  is  wetter  than  the  soil  be- 
low,   the    water    passes    down    into    the 


soil  until  it  reaches  a  layer  that  it  can 
not  pass.  After  a  rain,  the  water  pene- 
trates into  the  soil.  Then,  when  the 
sun  comes  out,  it  draws  the  water  out 
of  the  soil  and  it  evaporates  into  the 
air. 

The  passing  off  of  water  from  a  wet 
surface  into  the  air,  is  called  evapora- 
tion. In  dry  weather  water  evaporates 
from  the  surface  of  the  soil,  and  other 
water  from  below  rises  to  take  its 
place.  In  wet  weather  the  water  in 
the  soil   tends  to   move  downward. 

If  you  take  two  bottles  about  the 
same  size  and  fill  one  bottle  up  to  the 
top,  and  leave  the  other  one  empty, 
then  put  a  wick  into  the  full  bottle  and 
extend  it  over  into  the  other  bottle, 
you  will  notice  that  the  water  passes 
through  the  wick  from  the  full  bottle 
into  the  empty  one  until  there  is  an 
equal  amount  of  water  in  both  bottles. 


ALMA    DILLARD, 
Los   Angeles.      Twentieth    Street    Sehool 

Soil  water  is  a  subject  well  worth 
discussing,  so  I  will  write  some  points 
about   it. 

Soil  water  takes  up  and  dissolves 
nearly  every  substance  that  we  see  in 
daily  life,  including  air.  Soil  water  is 
important  because  it  contains  the  chief 
plant  food  and  it  acts  as  a  carrier  of 
all  the  other  plant  foods  that  come 
from  the  soil. 

Soil  water  contains  many  different 
gases,  nitrogen,  carbonic  acid,  oxygen. 
It  causes  iron  to  rust  under  water.  The 
substance  that  is  most  abundant  in 
water  is  lime.  There  is  salt,  a  little 
potash,  phosphoric  acid,  sulphuric  acid, 
magnesia,  iron,  etc.  Nitrogen  is  most- 
ly taken  from  humus  by  the  plant.  It 
is  dissolved  in  the  soil  water  in  the 
form  of  saltpeter. 

The  dissolving  action  of  water  is  due 
to  carbonic  acid  gas.  Well  water  con- 
tains more  solid  matter  than  river 
water.  Soil  water  is  very  different 
from  rain  water;  it  contains  all  the 
plant  soil  foods  in  solution. 

For  the  best  growth  of  crops  the 
water  content  of  soil  should  be  at 
about  50  to  60  per  cent  of  the  water 
capacity  of  the  soil. 


How  He  Works 


By   RAY   WALLACE 

In  my  garden  I  intend  to  plant  pota- 
toes, radishes,  onions  and  carrots. 

The  first  thing  I  shall  do  will  be  to  get 
the  ground  in  good  condition,  and  then 
I  shall  put  my  potatoes  in.  They  should 
be  about  five  inches  in  the  ground,  and 
as  they  grow  I  will  hoe  them.  Some 
people,  when  they  plant  potatoes,  hill 
them  up  the  first  thing,  but  I  think  they 
grow  better  if  the  ground  is  just  level, 
and  as  the  stalks  grow  up  hoe  them  and 
then  pull  the  dirt  around  them.  If  the 
cutworm  bothers  the  potatoes  I  am 
going  to  experiment  by  putting  lime 
on  top  of  the  ground  in  the  morning. 

When  I  plant  my  radishes  I  will  get 
my  dirt  real  fine  and  then  plant  the 
seeds  in  rows  about  one  inch  deep  and 
cover  them  over  with  fine  dirt;  but  first 
I  want  to  see  that  the  seeds  are  not  too 
thick,  because  when  they  grow  up  they 
will  be  in  bunches  and  then  they  will 
not  grow  well.  If  you  put  the  seeds 
half  an  inch  apart  they  will  be  all  right. 
You  don't  have  to  measure,  but  just 
guess  at  the  distance.  Your  judgment 
ought  to  tell  you  how  far  apart  to  plant 
them. 

When  I  plant  the  onion  seed  the  dirt 
ought  to  be  fine,  so  when  the  sprouts 
come  up  they  will  not  encounter  any 
lumps.  They  ought  to  be  planted  about 
one  inch  deep  and  covered  over  with 
fine  dirt. 

For  my  carrots  I  will  have  the  soil  in 
good  condition  and  plant  them  about 
one  inch  and  a  half  apart  and  one  inch 
deep.  Every  night  and  morning  they 
should  be  sprayed  with  water  and  the 
weeds  kept  down  and  the  dirt  loosened 
so  as  not  to  form  a  crust. 


an  gardens,  like  clean  citi<  ii  each  citizen  d  share 

of  the  work.  Not  long  ago,  Mayor  Wilson  of  Berkele)  organized  a 
paign   for  "Clean    Berk  Ml    citizens   were   requested   t'»   see   thai   the 

Is  were  cleared  away  in  front  of  their  homes  and  on  the  vacant  lots  near 
them,  and  three  days  iside  when  this  should  be  done.    .\>  a  result 

of  this  effort,  some  parts  oi  the  en  mich  more  atl 

not    hard    to   find    places    where   the   Citizens    tailed   to   do   their   part       \\  . 
more  ashamed  of  these  had  looking  -pot-  than  ever  now,  and  perhaps  s 

will    he    found    to   clean    them.    too. 

Have  you   heard  how   the   boys  and   girls  in    New    York   city   were   0 
i/ed  into  Street   cleaning  vquads?      Tiny  did  not  do  the  heavy   work   ■ 
mg,   hauling,   etc.,   hut    they   made   it    their   business   to   pick    up  every   piece  of 
paper,   -tick   of   wood   or   refuse   of  any    -ort    and  put   it   in   • 

provided  <>n  all  streets  by  the  city.    The  result  was  wonderful,  and  everybody 

was  proud  of  what  the  children  did.  If  boys  and  j^irl >  can  do  tin-  for  a 
city,  why  can  not  the  Junior  gardeners  work  together  in  the  -aim 
Let    US    make    our    slogan    **A    Clean    (iardni    I 

points  yon  on  the  streel  cleaning  squad,  yon  should  he  glad  to  take  a  little 

time   from   your   own   garden   for  the   sake  of  yoursell  '-or- 

You   can   "pick   up  and    -lick   up."  and    we   -hall   all   he   prouder   q  rdeu 
C  i  t  y . 

h   seems  that  they  nave  a  new  law  in  Oregon  which  provides  f'>r  the 

division  Of  each  county  into  several  dtstrii  h  district  will  contain  from 

schools.    Then  district  supervisors  of  agrculture  a: 
at  a  salary  ranging  fr«>m  (100  to  SJihi  a   month,  plus  traveling  i 
This  plan  will  make  it  possible  to  promote  the  teaching  of  agriculture  in  all 
tin-    schools    of    the    state       Are    you    going    to    let    California    lag    behind    her 
little  sister?    Jusl  say  a  word  t<>  father  about  this,  for  he  can  vote.     K  B   B 


CHAPTER     2.— Water  and   Soil. 


Fig 

I  .  MM  <    isl* 

i      arrange    chimney ■    and    tumblers 

.>wn    in    I-.t,'.    _.       DM    ■: 
the   chimn-  if   the   same   amount 

Into    each   at    the   same    time 
of   water   through   soils. 
Vlg.    3.     Note   the 
•  ii    of   the   water. 
::.      Ask     your    teacher    to    mak< 

:il      fine      Rlass      capillary      tubes. 
I   these  in  colored  water  as  shown 


in    Fig.    4.     Observe   the   action    of    the 
ter. 

4  Hr.hi  a  cold  saucer  over  the  nose 
of  ti  tie.     Observe  the  drops  of 

r  as  they  form.     This  Is  ar 
rainfall. 

5.  Moisten  samples  of  clay,  sand 
ami  garden  soil  (containing  much 
humus),  roll  into  balls  and  set  aside  to 
dry.  Mix  samples  of  clay  and  sand,  lim« 
and   clay,   humus  and   clay,   humus   and 


Figure    3. 


sand,  moisten  and  place  to  one  side.  Note 
the  general  appearance  of  the  samples 
before  and  after  mixing,  before  and 
after   moistening. 

The  Work  of  Water  —  You  have 
learned  that  soil  is  more  than  "dirt," 
which  gets  in  the  way,  and  so  water  is 
more  than  something  to  drink.  Let 
us  see  what  the  work  of  water  is.  In 
the  oceans  it  beats  upon  the  shore, 
breaking  the  rocks  to  form  soil.  The 
oceans  swarm  with  animals  which  fur- 
nish us  with  food.  Often  the  water 
seeps  through  the  ocean  bed,  strikes 
hot  rocks,  forms  steam  and  bursts  the 
side  of  a  mountain.  Drop  a  little  water 
on  the  hot  stove  and  see  how  active 
the    water    becomes. 

On  warm,  clear  days  water  evapor- 
ates   from    the    oceans,    strikes    a    cold 


Figure   4. 


current  of  air  or  a  cold  hillside  or 
mountain  side,  becomes  fog  or  a  cloud, 
and  is  carried  over  the  land  and  falls 
as  rain.  Then  everything  awakens. 
The  farmer  puts  in  seeds.  The  seeds 
send  up  the  young  plants  and  the 
country  turns  green  and  becomes  alive 
with  flowers.  Water  not  only  awakens 
the  young  plants,  but  it  carries  food  to 
them.  The  wells  are  filled.  The  rivers 
rush  toward  the  ocean  through  the 
valleys,  bringing  soil  from  the  mount- 
ains to  the  ranches  below.  If  you  dip 
up  a  little  water  during  the  rainy 
season  and  set  aside  for  a  short  time 
the  water  will  evaporate,  leaving  soil 
which  it  has  carried  for  miles  from 
the   mountains. 

Thus  water  helps  to  build  mount- 
ains; it  helps  to  make  soil  and  carries 
it  where  it  can  be  used  best;  it  scatters 
and  awakens  seeds;  it  waters  animals 
and  plants  and  carries  food  for  all. 
Without  it  there  would  be  no  life. 

Gravitational  Water — A  ball  thrown 
into  the  air  falls.  The  force  of  gravi- 
tation pulls  it  and  all  bodies  toward 
the  earth.  The  rain  falls  and  sinks 
through  the  soil  until  it  reaches  a 
hard  layer  which  it  can  not  penetrate. 
This  is  called  gravitational  water. 
Gravitational  water  as  it  sinks  carries 
some  food  to  plants  and  awakens  life 
in  the  soil.  If  the  soil  has  not  been 
plowed  this  water  may  not  enter.  It 
may  run  off  to  the  creeks  and  be  lost 
in  the  ocean,  or  it  may  run  down  a 
hillside,  causing  floods.  What  can  be 
done  to  prevent  the  "run  off"?  Fig.  5. 
Plowing  opens  the  surface  and  holds 
the  water  until  it  soaks  in.  On  a  hillside 
one  should  plow  around,_  not  up  and 
down.  This  is  called  contour  plowing. 
Each  plant  has  a  mass  of  roots,  which 
is  like  a  big  sponge.  Growing  trees 
on  the  hillsides  and  protecting  our 
forests  will  prevent  the  loss  of  gravi- 
tational water. 

(To  be  continued) 


s 


= 


University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley,  California 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Director 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

A    LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED   TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol.  1. 


Berkeley.  California.   October  30,  liui 


No.  8 


Insect  Pests 


BAAL    w.    RJBID, 

Um     \ugele«.      Twentieth    »»ireei    School 

:\     one     who     grows    plants    and 
must    liKht    against    the    in- 

which  destroy   the  plants.     Boms 

i    the    leaves   and   some   suck 

from  the  leaves.     They  also 

ipon  the  roots,  and  some  bore  Into 

,,.,i  .»r  bark.  Poisonous  gases  are 
used  to  kill  all  sorts  of  insects.  For  an 
example,  take  the  peach  worm,  which 
injures    tin-    peaches    in    much    the    same 

s  the  codling  moth  does  the 
tpple.  It  attacks  also  apricots  and 
plums.      In    the    fall    the   young   worms 

mt.»  the  bark,  choosing  the 
crotches  where  the  new  brandies  join 
i  he  older  stems.  The  worm  11m 
i.uirow  with  a  tube  «>f  silk,  which 
sticks  out.  The  tube  is  covered  with 
tiny    crumbs   of   hark.     Most   of  the   in- 

can  be  cheeked  by  spraying  with 
lead    arsenate    or      paris      green. 


Mosquitoes 


Mii.mti-:n    LBAHY, 
oh    tnsrtlcs      Twentieth   street   leheel 

Our  class  thought  It  might  be  inter- 
sting  to  write  some  letters  telling  of 
ur  agriculture  studies.     1   have  chosen 
..    tell    of   the   mosquitoes. 
A    single    mosquito    lays    from    300    to 
yga      When   she   is   ready   to   stop 
tying    them    she    makes    a    little    raft. 
turn  from  the  egg  into  the  larva, 
hen     into    the    pupa,    which 
igly    looking  creature;   from  this  stage 
oil    is    merely    '•dirt" — dirt    which    can 
-ass   into  a   mosquito.     There  are 
many  fathers  and   mothers  think 
wo     kinds    of    mo8quitos.     one     which 
allies  malaria  and  the  one  which  does 


Plant  Pests 


>!  Mill        Kl.l    MP, 
I    .■»     Ingeles.      Twentieth    Street    School 

The  foes  of  the  plant  may   be  dl 

ses — those  which  eat  the 
which     may    be     poisoned     by 
Ing    with      parls    green      or     lead 
arsenate;    those    which    suck    the    juice 
killed    by    using  a   spray 
uching:  those  whlcl 
on    t!  ■  which    may    he   killed  by 

ned  food  left  on  the  ground. 
Butterflies    and    moths,    though 
help    by    carrying    j  ••    harmful 

ay     their    eggs    on     the 
plant,    and   the   young  caterpillars 
on  the  lea 


-pliers  eat  the 
and  seed  of  plants,  and  so  ruii. 
plant.     The  beat  kill  goph. 

to    put    poison  ■    and    put 

may     he     killed     by    poisoned    grit, 
alfalfa.      Alfalfa    is    beat,    heoause    it    is 
not  eaten   bj    I 

The  white  By  Is  found  on  orang* 
lemon    trees  and  does  a  great  d. 

Ige    to    them.      one    way    I 

is     to     hurn     the     leaves     to     which 
they    have    fastened,   but   a    b< 

wash   the    | 
in  many  places  this  has  been  don. 
the  fruit   i  Is  much  better 

a   was  a  few   |  ears  ago. 


Lady  Birds 


iii:i.i:\i:    i>\\  i*. 
Lou  ilagslfs      Twaattetl   siren    lekssl 

As    I     live    in    a    different    part    of    the 
«re    d..  much     of 

they    are    doing    in  ols    of    the 

north.     As   we   study   agriculture,    ami 
it  is  my  favorite  study.   1   take  pleasure 
In   sending   you   a    letter  about    m 
vorite  subject.  "The  Lady  Birds." 

The    lady    bird    was    first    brought    to 
this    state    from    Australia        It    is    the 
greatest  friend  <>f  man  because  it 
on    plant    lice    and    the    cottony   cushion 
scale. 

Sometimes  we  see   soft    wormiiK 
that    are    feeding    on    plant 
but    at    a 

worms  feeding  on  plants.  It  Is  the 
larva  of  the  lady  bird,  and  later  on  It 
turns  into  lady  birds  and  files  away. 


Growing  Flowers 

(.i:m:mi:\i:    mm  \  v 

Lea     \nKele*.      Twentieth    ■treet    s.-hool, 

\     Btgfctl    «.rnde 

My  partner,  G  ise,  and  I 

a    garden    together     which    is    2o 
long  and    U    feet  wide.     The  very  first 
to  the  garden  we  n 
•  ff   our   plou      N*-xt    we   made   our 
paths.      Then  i    and    slm 

arden  an-1  I       In%he 

middle   of  our  plot  we  planted  pai 
in  the  form  of  a  "G"  as  both  our  m 
with  a     ■  •  he  edge  <>■ 

path  we  transplanted  a  border  of 
and  chickens.  We  then  plante.i 
rows  of  f.  iots.    We  have  quite 

*tlll    In    which    to    plant 
'      .  ■ 
go  out  every   day.   and   it   is  my  turn   to 
go   out   tomorrow,   we   will    plant    some 
flowers.     Our   garden   will   be   all 
flowers. 


GARDEN  CITY  MAYOR  MAKES  APPEAL 


Juhl  F.   Gerdts,  Garden 

To  the  mottiers  and  fathers  who  have 
children  attending  the  Junior  Gardens: 
I  think  this  may  interest  you.  I  sup- 
pose your  children  have  been  telling 
you  what  a  wonderful  city  we  have.  I 
think,  in  fact,  it  is  one  of  the  finest 
things  that  could  happen  for  the  school 
children.  Some  time  ago  we  had  an 
election  of  the  officers  who  help  con- 
duct the  city-. 

As  we  have  just  started  this  move- 
ment, we  have  not  yet  got  everything 
we  want.  We  intend  to  make  many  im- 
provements. Among  them  we  need  first 
a  bank,  next  a  tool  house,  and  several 
more  things  would  be  quite  convenient. 
We  want  to  make  this  movement  both  a 
pleasure  and  a  profit  to  the  children. 
Every  child  that  attends  the  gardens 
has  a  plot.  They  all  raise  vegetables, 
and  if  they  follow  instructions  there  is 
no  reason  why  each  one  should  not 
make  $5  during  the  term. 


City  Mayor    (Berkeley) 

Now,  this  is  what  we  want  to  ask  of 
you.  If  each  parent  will  buy  one  dol- 
lar's worth  of  vegetables  in  advance 
from  their  children's  gardens,  we  will 
be  able  to  raise  the  amount  of  money 
needed.  We  can  hardly  ask  the  uni- 
versity for  it,  because  they  have  do- 
nated us  the  land.  So,  if  you  are  inter- 
ested in  your  children's  gardening  we 
wish  you  would  help  them  and  us  at 
the  same  time.  You  are  respectfully 
invited  to  attend  at  the  hours  on 
Wednesday  from  2  o'clock  until  4:30 
and  on  Saturday  from  9  until  12  o'clock 
and  see  how  the  garden  city  is  carried 
on.  "No  vegetables  will  be  sent  out 
unless  they  are  as  good  as  those  se- 
cured at  the  markets." 

The  gardens  are  open  to  all  children 
from  the  ages  of  6  years  to  16  years. 
All  we  ask  is  to  think  the  matter  over 
and  attend  our  gardens,  and  I  am  sure 
you  will  help  us  in  our  work. 


An  Experiment 


HARRY  WALKER, 

Eighth    Grade,    Niles    School. 

One  day  at  our  school  in  Niles 
Professor  Stebbins,  our  agricultural 
teacher,  gave  us  an  experiment  which 
goes  to  show  that  leaf  capillaries  carry 
nourishment  to  all  parts  of  the  plant. 


First,  he  took  a  small  glass  of  water 
and  nlaced  a  small  amount  of  red  ink 
in  it.     This  was'  to  color  the  water  red. 

Next  he  took  a  lily  leaf  which  had 
a  medium  length  stem  and  placed  it 
in  the  glass  of  water.  In  a  few  days 
he  cut  the  leaf  into  many  parts  and 
each  part  was  slightly  colored  along 
the  veins  showing  that  the  colored 
water  was  carried  through  the  stem  to 
parts  of  the  leaf. 


m  HAPTER  2.— Continued  from  last  issue.) 
i.  taught  you  thai 

ttonal       wat.-r      runs       rapid  ly       through 
sand.       Land    with    a    sandy    base    should 

not    '••  the    water    would 

run     through     it     ami     be     lost. 

irater  for  Irrigation. 

Bj     using    a    post    digger    <in*'    ma.. 

land  before  bus 

Capillar?     Water — During    I 
ereather   the   ground    gradually,    111 

ter    in    th< 
cllmbi   to   the   top   ilowly   and   Is 

;. oration    is    stopped.      Tl)is    is 

capillary    wat.-r.      Capillar)     action    is 

• 
exercise  2  the  wat.-r  risei  most  rapidly 
in   the   sand.     The   water   in   the  sand   is 
■      short    distance"    runner,    while    In 
the  clay  is  a  "long  diets  that 

is.  the  water  may  rite  more  rapidly  at 

Finally,  ho* 
it     will     climb     higher     In     the     clay. 
Vmi  should  never  )"•  satisfied  with  one 
Unent      Try    it    several    tin* 
t    the    same    thing    happens    each 
time. 

<  I...L   a... I    \\  nl.-r— i  tlon    in 

SlOW.        It      Is     the     •apillary 
which       nOUl  ••       plants 

during  the   drj 

should  fine  and  contain   much 

\ 

qulckl)     and    wat.-r    WOUld    n"t    climb    tO 

|  |,r        >|„|,li I! 

should  br-  below  the 

surfai 

might    happen?     Hou    might    I    ••  over- 
flow 

tinually     flowii  pillary 

aklng 
with  a  hoe  or  rak< 
breaking  up  of  the  soli  tonus 

a    mulch    Which    pr- 

toll    from    esca]  i    rain 

■ 
Dts    without    v  :f    the 


the    v 

l»r>       I   iirintnu  — 

ten    the 

up  what  is  called  <ng. 

m  i>nn\s 
1 .     w 

2. 

it  ? 

Why    is   soil    On    a    S8J 
to    b  . 

what     Is     capillary     watet 

what     kin,, 

are  clods  In  a 

8.      How    does  rid    of 

clods? 

what   is   n 
10.     How    does    ti  make   a 

dirt    mul( 

1  1.      What    Is 

i    «.....!    i  ollow 

in  gai 

IIomi.     vii   mi   - 

1      What     far:, 
well    I 

Which     is 
a  or  with  a  trs 

st  of  a  plow*     A  horse? 
i  is  the  bet 
plowii  u]  or 

at  th 

1.    How 

Ml     tO 

for  plowing  at 

:    H 


Communications  should  be  sent  to 

C.  A.  STEBBINS,  Editor 

Agricultural  Education  Division 


GARDEN    NOTES 

We  visited  the  Emerson  school  gar- 
dens lately.  Mr.  Vergon,  the  pricipal, 
lias  an  acre  of  ground  in  vegetables 
and  flowers.  Later  we  will  tell  you 
what  is  taken  from  the  plots.  The 
children  have  corn  about  eight  feet 
high,  pole  beans  nearly  20  feet  high 
and    other   plants    in    proportion. 

Some  of  the  children  in  the  Franklin 
school  of  Berkeley  are  going  to  start 
gardens    at    their    school. 

The  children  of  the  Le  Conte  school, 
Mr.  Imrie  principal,  have  an  excellent 
set  of  gardens. 

*  *  * 

Garden  City  and  agricultural  clubs 
have  been  formed  at  Niles,  Decoto,  San 
Leandro,  the  Washington  and  Frank- 
lin schools  of  Oakland,  the  Whittier 
school  of  Berkeley,  the  Social  Settle- 
ment of  San  Francisco,  and  at  other 
places  which  have  not  as  yet  reported. 
It  might  be  a  good  plan  to  have  each 
school  a  part  of  one  big  republic  made 
up  of  gardening  citizens  from  different 
schools  with  a  governor  and  other 
officers  of  the  republic.  However, 
organize   your   own   garden   city   first. 

The  following  officers  were  elected 
to  govern  the  Berkeley  Garden  City: 
Mayor,  Juhl  Gerdts;  commissioner  of 
streets,  Albert  Becker. 

Later,  as  the  gardens  commence  to 
produce,  a  market  will  be  established 
at  which  flowers  and  vegetables  will 
be  sold.  This  will  be  followed  by  a 
bank  which  will  be  established  on  the 
grounds.  Officers  will  be  chosen  from 
the  citizens.  We  confidently  expect  to 
make  $500  the  first  year  from  garden 
sales.  It  will  be  no  small  task  to  keep 
the  books,  but  we  are  sure  the  officers 
can  do  it.  Ninety  per  cent  of  the  sales 
goes  to  the  citizens  and  10  per  cent  to 
the  bank.  This  money  will  be  used  to 
buy   more   tools,   seeds,   etc. 

We  need  a  toolhouse  with  room  for 
a  council  chamber  and  the  bank  very 
badly.  WThat  can  be  done?  See  Mayor 
Gerdt's  suggestion. 

*  *  » 

The  Berkeley  gardeners  are  trying 
out  two  irrigation  plans:  The  "trench" 
system  and  the  "check"  plan.  Nearly 
two  acres  of  land  are  now  under  cul- 
tivation. 

»  *  * 

Miss  Sellander  of  the  Franklin  school 
of  Oakland  could  not  find  room  for 
gardens  at  school,  so  she  has  donated 
her  back  yard.  Could  not  find  room, 
yet  there  are  many  vacant  lots  near 
the  school  overgrown  with  weeds,  with 
owners  too  stingy  to  give  boys  and 
girls  a  good  time.  Read  what  Profes- 
sor Babcock  said  about  one  helping  the 
other.  When  you  grow  up  do  not  have 
a  vacant  lot  overgrown  with  weeds,  but 
use  it  or  let  some  one  else  use  it.  You 
will  enjoy  life  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  enjoyment  you  give. 

*  »  * 

Tf  you  organize  a  club  be  sure  and 
tell  us  what  seeds  you  want  and  for 
how  many  children.     Almost  any  vege- 


table  may    be    planted    now   but    beans, 
tomatoes  and  potatoes. 

*  *  # 

The  school  garden  may  be  impossible 
for  you,  but  the  home  garden  is  always 
possible.  Later  we  will  show  you  the 
pictures  of  some  home  gardens.  We 
are  going  to  give  banners  to  the  schools 
having  the  best  gardens  and  banners 
to  the  children  having  the  best  home 
gardens. 

*  *  • 

Principal  Vincent  of  the  Niles  school 
has  started  agricultural  work  again 
this  term  in  the  upper  three  grades. 
Last  term  he  had  the  best  gardens  in 
the  county  of  Alameda. 

Mr.  Saunders,  a  student  teacher  of 
the  university,  visits  Decoto  once  a 
week.  Principal  Runckel  is  giving  his 
support.  The  children  of  the  sixth 
grade  are  preparing  their  gardens. 

The  children  of  the  fourth  grade  at 
San  Leandro,  with  the  assistance  of 
Mr.  Walton,  are  arranging  to  not  only 
grow  plants  in  their  gardens,  but  are 
going  to  beautifuy  the  school  grounds. 
You  could  do  nothing  more  worth  while 
than  to  make  your  school  home  at- 
tractive. So  many  children  are  poor 
school  housekeepers.  Later  the  Junior 
will  offer  suggestions  for  beautifying 
the    school    yard. 

The  Junior  Call  is  helping  you  gar- 
deners, and  those  that  are  not  garden- 
ing but  will  be,  very  much.     Read  it. 

Mr.  Morse  of  the  Morse  Seed  com- 
pany of  San  Francisco  is  always  giv- 
ing you  a  lot  of  fun  if  you  will  accept 
it.  He  has  presented  the  club  with 
(lower   and   vegetable    seeds. 

The  following  gardeners  have  re- 
ceived the  banners  for  first,  second  and 
third  best  gardens  during  the  last  two 
weeks:  First  banner,  Frank  Peterson, 
twice;  second  banner,  Helen  Whitney; 
twice;   third  banner,  Margaret  Gloor. 


Exterminating  the  Rose  Aphis 

BLANCHE    KERSEY, 

IiOM   Angeles.     Twentieth   Street    School. 

A    Eighth   Grade 

Our  teacher,  Mrs.  Larkey,  thought 
perhaps  the  readers  in  the  northern 
part  of  the  state  would  like  to  know 
what  we  have  been  studying  about  in 
agriculture. 

We  have  spent  a  good  deal  of  time 
learning  about  the  plant  foes  and  what 
can  be  done  to  destroy  them.  I  have 
had  quite  a  time  trying  to  destroy  the 
rose  aphis,  which  is  found  on  nearly 
all  of  our  rose  bushes.  I  have  put 
ashes  on  the  bushes  in  the  evening 
and  let  the  dew  come  down  on  them 
to  form  a  paste;  then  wash  it  off  the 
next  day.  This  has  helped  some,  but 
not  as  much  as  the  sprays.  These  in- 
sects spread  rapidly,  as  some  of  them 
have  wings,  so  they  can  fly  to  other 
bushes. 

The  scale  is  another  thing  we_have 
a  hard  time  to  get  rid  of.  We  have 
two  orange  and  a  lemon  tree  that  were 
almost  covered  with  the  red  scale.  We 
destroyed  a  great  deal  of  it  by  simply 
washing  the  trees  with  soap  and  water. 
We  get  much  better  fruit  from  them 
now   than   we   did   before. 


1      GIFT 


University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkel  rnia 

Agricui  .riment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Direr 


Thc|  Junior  Agriculturist 

A     LITTLE     PAPER     ISSUED    TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol.  I. 


Berkeley,  California,  November  20,  1911 


How  We  Laid  Out  Our  Gardens 


HENRI     M.    HALE, 

"mi    l.«-nn<lro  QfSUSUBMMF  »»«•'  oul. 
W'Im  n    W1 

(•ur  school   principal    Brave  us  a  pi 
ground  50  Ide. 

Afl- 

selected    I  myself  to 

divide  the  plot  Into  small  gs 
i!o  this  we  drovi  it  each  corner. 

we  put  s   string  around 

After    puttip-  ng    around,    we 


it    in   a    B( 

This 

two  •    path   was  t«» 

Ions 

• 

we  put  the  strum  acroaa  1 1  ■ 
ed    it   out    ■ 
and  fl 
■ 
and  I 

■ 


--TSOZ7    O^R.P£WE.'R.6  '/iT    THE.    T/TK.I 


COHST  \\<  i:   <  i.  \n«. 

I     i-t     Onkl.iiKl.     I   rniiklin      M I 

Our    fetal  tade,      has 

d    a    school    garden.      Our    t 

tri<  «1    t«»    gel  cant    lot      near      the 

school,  hut  could  not  secure  one.  so  we 

i    garden   in   her  b  We 

•  hits   and    find    the    work 
sting.      The   plats   are   all    pi 


cr,    h;i  K    us    arri 

•liniin 

vice    preeirlen ' 
ary,    and    Du<i  treas- 



We  are  very  glad  to  hear  from  Oak- 
Thank   you   for  the   pictures       We 
-in*c  them  to  show  other 
dng. 


GARDENERS  RAISING  THE   FLAG 


3/OOyslGc    QARPHNE.YtLS    R/^ASYNQ     Y^el    "FL^>Cx    /^T&OV^    THEXf^     <*£5K>'PKM 


♦  ♦-•-♦♦-♦♦  V< 


♦♦»♦♦♦»»< 


EDITORIAL 


•  In  the  last  few  days  many  vegetables  have  been  sold  at  the  Berkeley 
Garden  City  market.  Several  of  our  older  citizens  and  many  who  have 
entered  of  late  have  become  more  ambitious  since  the  two  market  after- 
noons. We  can  guess  the  reason  easily.  It  is  due  to  the  silver  dollars 
which  have  come  to  the  gardens.  We  do  not  censure  the  citizens  in 
their  new  interest,  in  their  desire  to  obtain  money.  We  all  want  it. 
We  all  need  it;  but  let  us  be  careful  how  we  get  the  dollar,  and,  after  it 
is  ours,  let  us  be  careful  how  we  use  it. 

A  brother  and  sister  were  talking  to  a  man  who  was  selling  vege- 
tables in  an  Oakland  free  market.  "Brother  bought  20  cents'  worth  of 
groceries  yesterday,"  said  the  sister,  "and  the  clerk  gave  him  back  80 
cents,  which  he  kept.  The  clerk  thought  the  50  cent  piece  which  brother 
gave  him  was  a  dollar."  "Well,  your  brother  will  be  a  business  man," 
said  the  vegetable  clerk.  We  are  afraid  such  a  boy  will  be  a  crooked 
business  man  if  he  gets  money  in  such  a  way.  Anything  that  we  obtain 
which  we  have  not  earned  is  not  got  "on  the  square,"  whether  it  be  a 
dollar  or  an  arithmetic  problem.  Make  the  vegetables  worth  the  price; 
give  too  large  rather  than  too  small  a  measure. 

The  citizen  who  works  faithfully  and  gives  good  weight  earns,  and 
so  deserves,  his  dollar.  It  is  right  to  recognize  his  labor,  but  now  what 
is  the  dollar  to  do?  It  might  buy  a  pair  of  skates  for  himself  or  for  his 
sister.  It  might  buy  him  candy  and  gum  for  himself,  or  a  present  for 
mother.    Well,  what  do  you  think  it  ought  to  do? 

Here  is  what  we  ought  to  remember:  First,  to  be  sure  that  the 
dollar  is  earned  "squarely";  and,  second,  that  it  does  good  work  in 
giving  some  pleasure  to  ourselves,  but  more  to  our  best  friends. 


GARDEN     NOTES 


.ing      clubi 
The  l 
nrollmeht    are:     Tl 

!  sch 

/    Cai 

. 

i 

ton. 

llM'tll- 
.     Yolo 

G 
ship  l  v 

»         *         * 

\V.  .1     in 

n. I      that 

Jin]     lasl  ind    and    dirt 

iin    in 

•  |  le    historic  a  I 

The 

living  no  litt: 
fr<  'i"n 

plj  as  much  a  labor  of  loi 

-try. 

*  *  » 
In    response    to    In  vital 

tendent  ;     E.    If.    i 

lelted    the  of    the    Franklin 

school  last  week  and  wore  loml  in  their 
pr;< 

application    to    the    study    of    seeds    ;ml 
soils. 

*  *  * 

An    interesting    feature    of    the    Klm- 
hurst    ichool    is   a    tin    can    garden    which 

has  been  organh  lea  Coulter,    in 

these   cans,    which    will    he    kept    in    the 
schoolroom,    the    hoys    an  1       gtrll    will 

plant     flowers,     and     they     are     ! 

forward  to  making  their  room  the  p 
tiest  one  in  school. 

*  *  * 
regular  gardening   meeting 

lening  ■ 

•    ilifutnia   hall  1  ml 

the  attendance  o!  mot  here  an  I 

ally    large.        The    B<  i  keley 
rdenlng  association   is  growing  rap- 
planning    to    do   all    in 
irther  the  gardening  m 
■ 

*  *         * 

clubs  of  the  Le  Conte, 

the    Lincoln    ami     the     Franklin    BChS 
Of  held     III-  • 

which    the    members      expresse  ' 

selves  as  anxious  to  co-<i 

fullest  extent  with  the  university  a 

*  *  * 

The  y  funds  for  the  building 

ombination    toolhouse   and    hank 
for    the    California 
been   loaned  by   the   i 
fornla,  and   work   will  commem 

icture    right    away.        The    huildlng 
will  it    $300,   and    the   children 

will  pay  the  debt  incurred  by  giving  a 


tage      <>f 

tly. 

*  ♦        » 
Mar'                 a  the  unlverslt 

fornla    g 

and   t 

#  #  * 

ond. 

ght 

A  New  Junior  Heard  From 

i:\   \     « 
I     am     very      much      in'  n     the 

.  mre     Department 

• 

Howei 
black 

'1  h. 

I.    Al- 
all    the    beSJtt    have    con 

mine;   it 

I  le  and   they   p 

the  cork  out. 


Domestic  Animals 


row  \:ti)    i:i  i  vw  ..it  i  ii. 
Hi!  Grade,  EfOee  Id i. 

in    it.      If   the    livestock  in    it 

are  poor,  that  nation  cannot 
farmer    must      also     h 

»n    his   farm.  BtS    to 

prosper.       Slowly,     degree     by     del 
we  develop  the  possibilities  of  to; 
imal.s     art 
OUt    them,    we    won 

plowing  and  harrowing 
orchi  i 

Animals  are    used    for   milk,    so 

1     goats.       Without 
milk. 

her  things.  Cat 
or  milk? 

r    pleasure,    as 
• 
mobl 

find  a  more  k 
of  riding  than  behind  ■ 

are    used    for    food.      Beef. 
most 

male    are    also 

1    not   an   animal    In    the 

nnivers.      that     Is     not     used     for 

used    for   food   by   can- 

;    may    go    to    Europe,    Asia 

intrles;  In  them  you  will 
I  Iff*  rent  animals,  but  all   working 
for  the  same   .  iced. 


CHAPTER     III 

An   Ideal    Soil   or   Seed   Bed 

Exam  ne  the  balls  of  earth  prepared 
in  Chapter  2.  Of  the  three  made  of 
sana,  humus  and  clay,  which  has  the 
greatest  power  of  holding  its  particles 
together":  Which  would  be  the  most 
liable  to  bake?  To  puddle?  What  ef- 
fect did  the  humus  and  clay  have  on 
the  sand?  What  effect  did  the  sand 
have  on  the  humus  and  clay?  What 
effect   did    the    lime    have   on   the   clay? 

Sand — We  have  learned  that  sand  is 
hea\y  in  weight,  but  lifeat  to  plow; 
that  the  particles  are  large,  admitting 
much  a  r;  that  it  is  warm  in  tempera- 
ture; that  water  runs  through  it  rap- 
idly and  does  not  climb  back  very  far, 
and  that  it  loosens  clay. 

Clay — We  have  learned  that  clay  is 
heavy  to  plow;  that  the  particles  are 
small;  that  it  is  cold;  that  water  runs 
through  it  slowly  and  climbs  back 
many  feet;  that  it  holds  water  well; 
that  it  contains  plant  food;  that  it 
binds  sand  together,  and  that  it  packs 
and  puddles  when  alone. 

Humus — We  have  learned  that  hu- 
mus binds  sand  particles  and  loosens 
clay  particles;  that  it  is  cold;  that  it 
contains  '  plant  food;  that  it  holds 
water. 

An  Ideal  Soil — Knowing  these  things 
about  sand,  clay  and  humus,  let  us 
see  what  an  ideal  soil  should  be  and 
how   it   can   be    made. 

Soil  a  Reservoir  for  Water — Clay  and 
humus  hold  water  best.  Most  of  the 
soil  water  comes  from  rain  which  does 
not  fall  regularly,  so  an  ideal  soil  must 
receive  and  hold  water  to  supply  the 
plants  during  dry  weather.  Usually 
there  is  enough  clay  in  soil.  Humus 
may  be  added  by  stirring  in  dry  cow's 
manure  or  horse  manure.  Sometimes 
clovers   are    grown    and    plowed    under. 

Soil  Must  Be  Warm — Soil  which  is 
too  clayey  in  nature  not  only  packs, 
but  is  too  cold  for  plant  growth.  Such 
a  soil  is  loosened  and  made  warm  by 
adding  sand. 

Soil  Must  Be  Porous — Clayey  soils  are 
loosened  by  adding  humus  and  sand. 
A  sandy  soil  is  too  porous  and  dries  out 
too  quickly.  Humus  absorbs  and  holds 
moisture    and    thus    would    improve    it. 

Soil  Must  Contain  Plant  Food — A 
sandy  soil  contains  little  food,  as  you 
will  learn  later.  Humus  added  to  such 
a  soil   improves  it. 

An  Ideal  Soil — An  ideal  soil  should 
contain  enough  clay  and  humus  to 
hold  water  and  to  lead  it  toward  the 
surface.  It  should  contain  enough  hu- 
mus and  clay  to  furnish  food  for  plants. 
There  should  be  enough  sand  to  make 
the  soil  porous  and  warm,  and  finally, 
as  you  will  learn,  such  a  soil  must 
contain   minute   plants — bacteria. 

Good  Soil  Necessary  for  Plant 
Growth — Before  starting  your  garden 
at  school  or  at  home,  examine  the  soil 
to  see  if  it  needs  treatment.  If  plants 
are  growing  well  near  or  in  the  soil 
where  the  garden  is  to  be,  it  probably 
will  not  need  especial  care. 
Questions 

1.  What  change  is  made  in  a  clayey 
soil   when   sand   is  added? 

2.  How  would  you  improve  a  sandy 
soil? 

3.  How  would  you  add  plant  food  to 
a    clayey    soil? 


4.  What  is  the  need  of  air  and  water 
in   soil? 

5.  How  might  humus  be  added  to 
soil? 

6.  How  does  the  farmer  work  adobe, 
or  clayey  soil  i 

7.  Name  a  method  used  by  the  farm- 
er to  loosen  clayey  soil  without  adding 
sand. 

Home  Studies. 

1.  What  is  the  average  rainfall  of 
your  d. strict?     Is  irrigation  necessary? 

2.  Observe  young  plants  in  the  morn- 
ing. Where  does  the  moisture  come 
from?     What  is  dew? 

3.  Is  there  any  way  to  prevent  loss 
of  water  through  "transpiration"? 
What  effect  have  weeds  on  soil  mois- 
ture? 

4.  Find  out  how  much  water  is  lost 
by  an  acre  of  corn  or  wheat. 

5.  Make  a  collection  of  soils  found 
in  the  neighborhood.  Make  a  physical 
analysis  of  each  (see  Chapter  I,  exer- 
cise 1).  Note  the  plants  growing  in 
each  different  kind  of  soil.  Make  a 
list  of  plants  best  suited  to  sandy  soil; 
to   clayey  soil. 

6.  Would  dry  soil  make  brick? 

7.  Notice  the  difference  in  color  be- 
tween hillside  and  valley  land.  Why 
is   this? 

8.  What  has  been  done  by  the  farm- 
ers in  your  vicinity  to  make  an  ideal 
soil? 


The  Cottony  Cushion  Scale 

FLORA    LANFRI, 
Eighth  Grade,  Niles  School. 

Once  upon  a  time,  there  came  into 
California,  some  small,  smooth,  white 
insects  called  the  cottony  cushion 
scales.  These  insects  stayed  on  lemon 
and  orange  trees  and  had  come  over 
from  Australia.  The  growth  of  these 
insects  spread  so  fast  that  all  these 
lemon  and  orange  trees  had  begun  to 
die. 

When  the  people  of  California  saw 
all  these  trees  in  such  a  bad  condition, 
they  wondered  what  could  have  hap- 
pened them,  so  later  they  found  out 
that  it  was  the  cottony  cushion  seal13 
that  had  snread  so  fast.  Now  they 
wondered  how  they  could  get  rid  of 
them,  so  some  one  went  over  to  Aus- 
tralia to  get  sc^ie  other  insect,  which 
was  its  check.  So  they  found  out  that 
an  insect,  called  the  lady  bird,  was  its 
check.  They  got  these  lady  birds  into 
California,  and  at  last,  they  got  rid  of 
these  cottonv  cushion  scales. 


An  Experiment  I  Tried 

JOHN   GRANT, 

East    Oakland.      Franklin    school.   Fifth 

A  Grade. 

I  took  a  bottle  of  red  ink  and  a 
yellowish  rose  and  put  the  rose  in  the 
ink  to  see  what  would  happen.  In  a 
little  while  the  veins  of  the  rose  petals 
became   red. 

Then  I  took  a  white  chrysanthemum 
to  do  the  same  with.  It  made  a 
better  looking  flower.  It  was  osmosis 
that  drew  the  ink  up  into  the  petals. 

Communications  should  be  sent  to 

C.  A.  STEBBINS,  Editor 

Agricultural  Education  Division 


UN 

University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berfc^}ey>^ 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wiekso 


THc(Junior  Agriculturist 

A     LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED    TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol.1.  Hkrkeley.  CALIFORNIA.  December  20,  liui  No.  l<> 


Growing  Contest 


Junior  gardeners,  would  you  like  to  earn  a  good  prize  and  become 
famous  l'  red  to  the   schools  and   to  indi- 

viduals that  grow  the  best  sweel  rhere  isn't  a  boy  «>r  j^irl  in  I 

h     Of  course,  all  can  not   win  pi 
who  think  most  will.    We  want  you  tp  start  at  once  after  read- 
ing the  following  notes ; 

First— In  order  to  enter  the  contest  as  an  individual,  you  mutt  be 

a  California  Junior  gardener.     It  is  only  necessary  to  -end  your  nam* 

Stebbins,  Berkeley,  asking  to  become  a  member  of  our 

large  class,  if  you  are  not  already  enrolled. 

Schools  that  contest  must  be  organized  as  a  California  Junior  club. 
Write   for  information   to  the  agricultural   education   division,  Univi 

alifornia. 

Second — Contestants  must   have   no  direct  assistance  in  planting  the 
seeds  or  caring  for  the  plants  further  than  that  obtained  from  suggest 
by  friends  or  from  reading.     Each  contestant  must  do  all  of  the  work  in 
growing  the  >weet  peas. 

Third— Scoring  percentages  will  be  announced  soon,  with  a  list  of 
the  pri 

Fourth— On  these  pages  you  will  find  instructions  for  sweet  pea 
culture. 

Fifth — Remember: 

1.  To  buy   good   seed. 

2.  That  "well  begun  is  half  done."     Make  the  seed  bed  ideal. 

3.  To  ask  questions  of  florists,  garden. 

4.  To  read  books  on  the  growing  of  sweet  peas. 

bat   pri/e-   will   probably  be  awarded  on  the    20  best  sprays  of 

I  peas,  not  on  a  great  number. 

6.  That  it  will  be  fun  to  join  this  big  game  and  show  the  other  chil- 
dren what  you   can  do. 

Sixth — Do  not  wait  to  know  ju^t  what  the  prizes  are.  They  will 
surprise  you.    Commence  studying  at  once. 

A  package  of  six  varieties  of  the  best  sweet  peas  for  schools: 

1.  King  Edward  VII;  red 

2.  Dorothy  Eckford;  white. 

3.  Prima   Donna;  pink. 

4.  Lady  Grisel  Hamilton;  lavender. 

5.  Miss  Willmott;  orange  pink 

6.  Hon    Mrs.   K    Ken  yon;  prim 

7.  The  Countess  Spencer;  giant  pink. 

j]  11  5  cent  packages,  or  six  for  25  cents. 


OJMG- 


THEZ.      T^uq-t. 


EDITORIAL 


DO  NOT  BE  A  "QUITTER" 

After  Lincoln  had  delivered  one  of  his  best  speeches,  a  friend 
hurried  to  him  and  said:  "Mr.  Lincoln,  how  could  you  make  such  a 
fine  speech?"  "Why  shouldn't  this  speech  be  a  good  one?"  said  Mr. 
Lincoln.  "I  was  17  years  in  preparing  it."  For  17  yeart,  Lincoln  never 
lost  courage,  never  gave  up  his  purpose  to  write  and  to  deliver  his 
great  Gettysburg  address. 

We  are  sure  that  you  are  all  acquainted  with  General  Grant,  the 
man    who,    during   the    civil    war,    never    gave    up. 

Where  would  we  loyal  Americans  be  today  if  Washington  had 
given  up  to  the  British?  With  his  best  friends  turning  against  him  and 
suffering  with  his  small  band  of  faithful  followers  during  the  terrible 
winter  at  Valley  Forge,  Washington  still  clung  to  his  purpose,  that 
of  freeing  the  colonies.  He  had  set  his  mind  to  this  purpose,  and  he 
would  not  "quit." 

We  admire  a  man  or  a  woman  who  does  not  quit.  We  admire  a 
boy  or  a  girl  who  does  not  quit.  There  were  two  or  three  "quitters" 
at  the  vegetable  luncheon  held  in  Hearst  hall.  Berkeley,  the  last 
summer — children  who  started  their  work,  but  who  did  not  finish.  But 
we  are  glad  to  say  there  were  many  who  stayed  until  all  the  hard 
work  was  done.  Do  not  be  a  "quitter."  Do  not  start  anything  that 
you  can  not  or  will  not  finish.  If  you  start  a  garden,  do  not  give  up 
if  things  go  wrong.  Keep  at  it.  If  you  are  elected  as  an  officer  of  the 
gardens,  or  are  only  a  citizen  worker,  do  your  share,  even  if  matters 
do  not  suit  you  entirely.  We  are  sorry,  but  we  shall  have  to  call  the 
boys  and  girls  who  are  easily  discouraged  "quitters."  Are  you  a 
"stayer"  ©r  a  "quitter"? 

*  *  *  * 

Many  of  the  gardeners  at  the  Berkeley  Garden  City  forgot  to  put 
their  tools  away.  We  are  thinking  seriously  of  fining  each  boy  and 
each  girl  1  cent  who  forgets  twice.  Some  one  has  the  tools  to  put 
away.  Who  shall  it  be,  the  boy  or  girl  who  uses  them  or  the  teacher 
who  gives  you  the  privilege  of  their  use? 


CIIAITKK     IX 


Hen    to    <.m\>    the    «»*>eet    Pea 
The  sweet   pea  Is   the   meal    beautiful 

nd  fragrant  of  flowers.     It  lends  grace 
to   every  occasion.      There   Is   no   flower 

bleb    responds    more    readily    to    « 
ful     treatment.       Your     garden     is     not 
complete  without  sweet  peas. 

lis  plant. 
all   other   plants,    us.-   all   the   Informs" 
Eon    that    you    bave    gained    and    that 

.•.  n    obtain    in   plant   cult   . 
1'rcparatb.ii     ol     I  In      lead     Bed 

a    plat    which    is   partly    shaded   during 

lay   and   winch   has  a   background, 
Inch  as  a  fence,  shrubbery,  ■  shed 

lid    be    oblong    in    shape, 

about  wide  and   M     • 

Sunlight   will   hav.-   its   beet 

I     DOrtb    and    sniuh. 

In  the  fail  work  well  rotted  barn 

mure     and     bone     meal     deep     in 
>il.      If    you    desire    extra    tin.-    ll... 

:      at      bast       two      blade 
length!  in  depth.      This   may   b»-  doi 

follows:     «i>   i>ig  a  hole  at  one  end  of 
the  plat  the  depth   of  one  spade  blade. 

ml     tWO     feet     long;     <  I  »     ca  | " 

this   sr.il   to   the   other   ei  >r   the 

■ubaoll    thus    uncovered   another   spade 

(4)     throw     the    following     two 

Of  surface  soil  on  the  subsoil  which 

was    spaded;    (5)    break    up    the    newly 

•  d   subsoil,   cover  with    the    follOW- 

1    and   continue   the   process. 

Pill    the    hole    at    the    end    of    the    plat 

with    the    dirt    which    was    first    moved. 

If  you  do  not  desire  the  best  flowers. 

use  the  trench  method  of  spading.     Be 

to  run  the  spade  straight   in t 
s>ii.       Add    a    fertilizer    as    suggested 

M.ninu    tbe   Seed — Sweet   peas   like  a 

bleb  is  not  too  light  or  too  warm. 

-eeds  do  best  if  they  are  planted 

in    November   and    December,    although 

mg  time   may   continue   into   May. 

If    the    rains    have    not    softened    the 

sed  seed  bed,  the  ground  must  be 

thoroughly  sprinkled  two  or  three  day* 

before  working. 

Alter   making  a   careful    selection    of 

from  a  seedman's  catalogue,  soak 

after    receiving    24    hours    before 

sowing.     Dig  a  trench  about  five  il 

deep  and  sow  the  seeds  about  one  inch 

■pari       Cover    with    one     inch    of    dirt, 

the   soil   carefully   and    leave   the 

rest  of  the  trench  open. 

rnre  «f  the  Faeasej  Plaata — As  the 
I  plants  come  up,  thin  them  to 
about  one  foot  apart.  The  plants  will 
not  produce  beautiful  flowers  if  they 
mwded.  Add  soil  about  the  young 
plants  gradually,  until  the  trench  Is 
filled. 

When  the  plants  are  large  enough, 
furnish  them  with  something  to  climb 
upon.  This  may  be  twigs  stuck  in  the 
ground,  a  string  frame,  or  a  wire  net- 
ting. The  frame  should  be  at  least 
five  feet  high. 


After  eac      rain   or  irrigation  w 

hose,    cultivate    the    soil    with    a    1 

Cul- 
tivate whenever  a  >n  the 
surfa                      soil. 

much  water.     It  is  much 

dig     a     t : • 

nd    irrlga 

than     to    sprinkle 
At     this    stage     of     growth. 

tion. 
i  lire    at    i in-    Maeeaoag    ivri.ui 

brilliancy    ami 

pen.d      upon      healthy     growth,     due      to 
ndltlons  and  i 

t    this 
liquid  to  six  gallons  of  \\ 
close  to  thi 

•  **k.      Irri- 
urst    with    pin  k    the 

blossoms    regulatl>        Do    DOl     lei    them 
go  to  seed.     Long  spray- 
as*  bowls  make  an 
play. 

such    as    tin 
■pldei 

and   then   with   the  hose 

treatment      will      wash      off 

visitors.      If   the    red   spld< 

come   too  numerous,   spray    with    whale 

oil     soap    or    "back     root,"    a     tol 

preparation 

off  many  of  I 
buds  before  they  open,  the  food  I 

may    | 

thus   the   plant    may   be   ma 
■   fine  flowers. 

■weal  Pea  I  altars  in  rwta,  ete. — Pro- 
cure   a    few    three    lacb    pots    and    All 

nearly    to    the    top    with    soil    mix 
follows:   one-third    leaf  mold,   one-third 

one-third   loam,  and  a  little 
meal.     Plant  three  seeds  one  inch 
Keep    the    soil    moist,    but    not    M 
In  the  spring  transplant  wherever  you 
please. 

Sweet  peas  will  do  well   in   tin  cans, 
paper  pots,  window  boxes.  • 

Kinds  of  lwe«4    Peas 

sweet  peas  into  four  classes: 
flowering.    (2)    dwarf,    (3)    grandiflora. 

The    early    flowering    class    blossoms 
in    about    three    months   after   see. 
Planted    early    In    September,    blossoms 
at  Thanksgiving  and  Christ- 
mas. 

Dwarf  sweet  peas  grow  about  eight 
imhes  high  and  spread  wldel 
ground.  Rows  planted  a  foot  apart 
will  become  one  mass  of  green  foliage 
and  brilliant  colors.  This  type  makes 
an  excellent  border. 

The  grandiflora  is  the  ordinary  sweet 
pea  which  is  so  well  known.  The  seeds 
of  tills  class  are  quite  inexpensive. 
Gardeners  who  know  prefer  the  Spen- 
cer sweet  peas  because  of  the  rich 
tj  the  size  and  beauty  of  the  blos- 
long  sprays,  the  long  bloom- 
ing period. 


Sweet  Pea  Culture"  is  a  little  book- 
let issued  free  by  C.  C.  Morse  &  Co.,  4S 
Jackson  street.  San  Francisco.  Send 
for  it,  tot  it  will  help  you  to  select  the 
best  variety  of  seeds  to  plant.  If  you 
write  to  Mr.  Morse,  Junior  gardeners, 
thank  him  for  the  seeds  which  he  has 
given   you   through   the    university. 


GARDEN  NOTES 


A  California  Junior  Gardening  club 
has  been  started  in  the  Garfield  school, 
Oakland.  There  are  39  members.  Miss 
U  Phillips,  the  teacher,  will  be  in 
charge. 

Miss  B.  Langenour  has  organized  a 
club  of  25  in  Woodland. 

Mary  Thornton,  age  13,  is  the  newly 
elected  secretary  of  a  Palo  Alto  club. 

Leland  McConnell.  age  13,  is  the  sec- 
retary of  a  club  of  20  members,  organ- 
ized by  Ruth  Kellogg,  in  the  San 
Joaquin    district,   Sacramento   county. 

The  Las  Lomitas  district,  San  Mateo 
cojnty,  Miss  E.  A.  Wilkins,  teacher,  has 
organized  with  25  children.  Gladys 
Lightbody  was  elected  secretary. 

The  Fillmore  district,  Yolo  county, 
M  ss  Julia  Bray,  teacher,  numbers  22 
boys  and  girls,  with  Mary  Kampke  sec- 
retary. 

Mr.  Abbott  of  the  Armona  district, 
Kings  county,  starts  with  more  than 
50  gardeners,  Alice  Hitchcock,  secre- 
ta  ry. 

"We  hope  to  hear  from  these  club 
members  from  time  to  time.  Pictures 
of  the  gardens  sent  to  the  editor  will 
be  published.  Each  member  of  our  big 
class  wants  to  see  and  to  know  what 
the  other  is  doing.  There  is  not  a 
schoolroom  in  California  large  enough 
to  hold  our  class,  and  soon  even  the 
Greek  theater  at  Berkeley  would  not 
hold   it. 

*  *  * 

Are  you  reading  and  studying  the 
garden  lessons?  Later  we  may  ask 
your  teachers  to  give  you  a  written 
lesson,  and  prizes  may  be  given  for  the 
best  answers.  If  you  can  answer  the 
questions  at  the  end  of  the  lessons  you 
may   win   one   of   the  prizes. 

We  hope  that  you  are  performing 
the  exerc  ses  suggested  in  each  lesson. 

*  *  * 

Thp  first  mothers'  market  day  at 
the  Berkeley  garden  city  netted  about 
?5.  Radishes  and  turnips  were  the 
main  productions.  We  feel  the  need 
of  our  bank  at  once.  It  will  be  es- 
tablished  soon. 

We  visited  the  Franklin  school  gar- 
dens of  Oakland  last  week.  They  are 
the  best  gardens  that  we  have  seen 
lately.  The  secretary  of  the  club  and 
her  iriend  have  a  home  garden  worth 
while.  By  the  way,  have  you  a  home 
garden?  Would  not  sweet  peas  look 
well  on  that  unattractive  fence?  Would 
not    a    few    flowers    add    to    the    yard? 


There  are  thousands  of  children  in 
California.  If  each  would  help  to 
beautify  the  home  just  a  little,  so  much 
good   would   be  done. 

More  than  50  mothers  and  fathers 
visited  the  gardens  of  the  Californ.a 
garden  city  on  the  state  university 
campus  last  Saturday,  the  occasion  be- 
ing the  first  market  day  of  the  season. 
There  was  a  fine  display  of  lettuce, 
radishes,  Swedish  turnips  and  greens, 
and,  taking  into  consideration  the  fact; 
that  the  gardens  have  only  been  under 
way  about  six  weeks,  the  proceeds, 
which  amounted  to  about  $5,  were  most 
encouraging. 

Beginning  with  last  week  the  garden 
city  from  now  on  will  hold  one  day 
apart,  which  shall  be  known  as  "moth- 
ers' day,"  when  the  parents  will  be  at 
liberty  to  vis  t  the  market  and  pur- 
chase their  supplies  from  their  own 
boys  and  girls.  Ninety  per  cent  of  the 
money  thus  obtained  will  be  given  the 
children,  while  the  remaining  10  per 
cent  will  be   placed   in   the   garden  city 


To  Grow  Flowers 

Dorothy    Dow, 
Junior    Gardening    Club,    Durum    School 

We  were  a  long  time  in  starting  our 
garden  because  we  could  not  get  the 
seeds. 

When  at  last  they  came  the  boys 
dug  the  ground  up  and  divided  it  into 
plats,  while  some  of  the  girls  divided 
the  seeds  into  packages  for  the  differ- 
ent children. 

As  Mr.  Dunbar,  the  principal  of  our 
school,  was  kind  enough  to  give  us 
the  land,  yesterday  after  school  we 
went   down    to   plant   our   seeds. 

Everybody  was  very  much  excited, 
and   it   looks   very   nice. 

In  my  garden  I  planted  sweetpeas, 
cosmos,  carrots  and  parsley. 

When  we  get  some  more  seeds  I  am 
going  to  plant  poppies  and  pansies. 


An  Experiment  to  Show  Osmosis 

EUNICE   PONES, 

Oakland.        Franklin      School,     A     Fifth 

Grade. 

This  week  we  learned  a  new  word. 
It  is  "osmosis."  This  is  how  we  learned 
the  meaning  of  it:  The  teacher  took 
two  dried  lima  bean  seed  coats  and  put 
a  few  sugar  crystals  in  them.  Then 
she  filled  a  glass  three-fourths  full  of 
water.  She  then  put  one  of  the  coats 
on  a  dry  glass  slide  and  put  the  other  i 
in   the   water  to   float. 

The  results  were,  the  sugar  remained 
dry  in  the  coat  on  the  slide  and  in 
the   other  one   it   melted. 

This  shows  that  the  water  enters  the 
seed  by  osmosis  through  the  pores  of 
the  coat  as  well  as  through  the  mi- 
cropyle. 

Communications  should  be  sent  to 

C.  A.  STEBBINS,  Editor 
Agricultural  Education  Division 


GIFT 

University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley,  Californii 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Direr 

Application  for  Second-class  mailing  rate  pending. 


TEc^eJunior  Agriculturist 

A     LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED    TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol  I.  I  Mo.   11 


SWEET  PEA  CONTEST 

Id    you    like   to   earn   a    good    pn 

r   girl    in    I 

,i.     We  i 
ing  the  following  n 

I  — In   on!-  i  j-    the   con  '■    be    l 

•rnia  ••  ui  m  r,     it   is  only   n< 

Stebbina,    I  if   the 

larK«  tdy  enroll,  d, 

school    |  shall    be  a    California    Junior 

i    to   the   agr  division.    [Jnl- 

•  la. 

Itanta    shall    have    no    I  n    planting    the 

seeds  or  caring  for  the  plants  further 

:  iends  or   from   reading.  do   all    of   the   work   in 

growing    I  •    peaa      He    shall    ke<-i  ting    the    folio 

'  in  ted  ;>  i 
nting;    (3)    details    of   planting,  ,    depth    of   sowing 

seeds,  distance  apart,   «  tung   plants  are  first  s»  iraw- 

Ings  of  the  young  I    the 

ngs,  cultivation,   irrigation,  etc.;    (7)    time  -ming;   (8)   the 

nature   of   your   teacher   or   another    friend    who    knows    of    your 
garden.     This  diary   in  a    legible   form   that]   be  ten!   in    with    the   N 
peas  entered. 
Third — Prizes  will   be  awarded   fro::. 

For   nun  >W«ra    t.>    st.m    (f  i 

■    length  of  st.m   (approximately   If    inche  •   ■* 

: 

For    size    of    Mo.  m — ap:  )th    of    standard.     1    . 

....    4 

a  ill  tin-i  Inatructlona  for  sw •■  'Ph.-  Junior 

fail   of  Dactan  Icaltarlal 

and  Country  Journal   December   l§. 
Fifth— Remember: 

1.  To  buy  go 

•d  ideal. 
3.  To  aa  "us  ..f  fl< 

I,  'I'-,  read  booka  on  the  growing  of  sweet  p( 

5.  That    prizes    will    probably    be    aw  the    20    best    sprays    of 

t  peas,  not  on  a  great  number. 

0.   That   it   will   be   fun   to  join   this  big  ga  ■  how  the  other  chil- 

dren what  you  can  do. 


Sixth — The  prizes  are  as  follows: 

First    prize    for    the    best    20    sprays    grown    by    a    California 

Junior    Gardening    club    $10.00 

Second    prize     5-00 

Third   prize    2.50 

First    prize    for    the    best    20    sprays    grown    by    an    individual 

California   Junior  Gardener    $10.00 

Second  prize,  a  set  of  gardening  tools 5.00 

Third    prize    2.50 

The  next   15  prize  winners 1.00  eacli 

Seventh — One  or  more  of  the   following  varieties  must   be   grown: 

1.  King  Edward  VII;   red. 

2.  Dorothy  Eckford;  white. 
2.   Prima  Donna;  pink. 

4.  Lauy  Grisel   Hamilton;    lavender. 
o.   Miss  "Willmott;   orange  pink. 

6.  Hon.  Mrs.  E.  Kenyon;  primrose. 

7.  The  Countess  Spencer;  giant  pink. 

These  are  all  5  cent  packages,  or  seven  for  25  cents.  We  do  not 
furnish  the  seeds. 

Eighth — The  awards  will  be  made  at  an  exhibit  to  be  held  in  Hearst 
hall,  University  of  California,  the  latter  part  of  May.  Announcement  will 
be  made  at  the  proper  time  as  to  methods  of  seriding  in  the  flowers  and 
the  date. 

In  order  to  have  the  peas  blooming  the  latter  part  of  May  or  the  first 
of  June,  all  seeds  should  be  in  by  the  middle  of  January  or  the  first  of 
February.  This  suggestion  should  be  followed  all  over  the  state.  Plant 
your  seeds  now.  Since  the  awards  are  to  be  made  on  20  sprays,  enough 
flowers  may  be  grown  on  a  very  few  plants  in  boxes  or  pots',  inside  or 
outside.     Flowers   grown   in   hothouses  are   not   eligible. 

Plant  a  few  seeds  every  two  weeks  for  four  plantings,  so  as  to  be 
sure  that  blossoms  are  ready  at  the  right  time. 

Ninth — After  the  exhibit  the  flowers  will  be  sold:  (1)  To  help  pay  the 
expenses  of  the  exhibit  and  vegetable  luncheon;  (2)  to  further  the  Junior 
gardening  work. 

The  following  institutions  have  donated  prizes:  The  San  Francisco  Call, 
the  Morse  Seed  company,  San  Francisco;  the  California  Seed  company,  San 
Francisco,  and  the  Germain  Seed  company,  Los  Angeles. 


EDITORIAL 


What  best  thing  have  you  done  this  month,  this  week,  today?  Do 
you  know  the  great  difference  between  a  man  of  success  and  a  man  of 
failure?  One  sees  and  does  the  best  things  as  a  boy,  the  other  wastes 
his  time  on  matters  that  do  not  count. 

It  is  a  small  accomplishment  to  grow  a  radish,  to  have  a  garden, 
but  it  is  a  feat  to  be  proud  of  to  grow  the  best  radish,  to  have  the  best 
garden.  After  all,  so  many  are  lagging  behind  that  it  is  quite  easy  to  be 
the  best  in  some  ways,  if  not  in  all.  Just  think  a  little  more  and  work 
a  little  harder,  and  the  best  garden  is  yours.  If  you  are  asked  to  clean  a 
path,  clean  it  well;  if  you  drive  a  stake,  drive  it  straight.  Whatever  task 
is  set  you,  do  your  best. 

We  feel  quite  sure  that  the  Junior  gardener  who  is  conscientious, 
thinks  most  and  works>  hardest,  and  who  therefore  grows  the  best  radish, 
is  going  to  make  the  best  man,  for  he  will  ever  be  dissatisfied  with  any- 
thing not  the  best.  He  will  not  only  do  his  best,  but  will  look  for  the 
best.  He  will  read  the  best  books,  he  will  look  at  the  best  pictures,  he 
will  select  good  companions.  Such  a  boy  will  make  the  man  that  he 
wishes  to  be.  If  a  girl  wishes  to  be  a  good  woman  she  must  do  these 
things,  too.  Boys  and  girls,  it  is  the  good  man  and  the  good  woman 
that  do  most  and  that  are  loved  most. 


Two  years  ago  in  May,  during  the  graduati-  -es  held  in  the 

.  Berkeley,  President  Wheeler  announced  to  the  thousands 
sembled   that    be   wished   to  gram    honorary   diploma 

of  the  hr>t  daSS  of  the  university.     As  ea<h  man  came  to: 
t«»    receive    his   honors    he    WSJ    cheered    by    the    i»<  •  cording    to    the 

amount  of  good  he  had  done.  Finally,  as  one  old  man  rose  and  came 
torward.  the  whole  audience  rOfee,  the  nun  doffed  their  hatl  and  the 
applause  was  very  great  This  man  was  not  only  a  good  man,  hut  he 
used  his  power  in  doing  good  for  his  people.  Men  recognize  the  intellect 
of  a  great  lawyer,  they  applaud  the  power  i  I   doctor,  hut  they 

rence    goodness    in    a    strong    man    which    causes    him    to    help    his 
neighbor. 

What  best  thing  will  you  do  this  coming  month,  this  coming  week. 
Dp  not   wait  until  the  New  Year,  hut   try   something  at   0AC4 
H  up. 


GARDEN   NOTES 


Wt    have    received    many    New    Year 

Jfreetlngs    from     the    Juniors.       Amonir 

1  ;is    come    I    beautiful    color    <!.•- 

wiKti    "f    holly    and    the    Christmas   star 

0  .luninr  Hardening  dub 

■•■acher.    Juniors,  we  wish 

you   all    a   new    year   rich    In    happiness 

good  doing. 

♦  *  * 

Th.-  "Junior  Agriculturist"  which  is 
mailed  to  you  separate  from  the  "Junior 
Call.'  reaches  the  club   members 


alar  y  r<>r  we  are  waiting  to  be  put  <.n 
the  newsj  mailing 

#  ♦         ♦ 

\v. 

should  be  planted   b  iry  first  at 

t'n     ;  lunlor    Call"    of 

ms  In  growing 
sweet  pea 8. 

♦  ♦  ♦ 

Do    :  i    t«.   start   such    fl 

as  pansles,  stocks,  daisies,  etc.  In 
summer    flowers. 
should  be  nmk:  luring  this  wet 

weati  ly  spring  planting.     Th*' 

yard    should 

m  the 
itlflcatlon  of  School 
•  Is?" 


GARDEN   LESSONS 


CHAPTER    IV 

The    Seed    and    It»    Needs* 
Exercise* 

The  exercises  of  this  lesson  should 
be  started  several  days  before  studying 
t  he  chapter. 

First — Arrange  two  plates,  blotters 
and  seeds  as  shown  in  the  picture. 
.Moisten    the    blotters    as    needed.      Use 


^^5®i55?- 


—First  Exercise, 
beans,  corn,  radish,  wheat.  Examine 
the   seeds   daily. 

Second — Fill  a  tumbler  half  full  of 
boiled  water.  Drop  in  a  few  beans 
(Windsor  beans  if  you  can  get  them). 
Note  the  bubbles.  Where  are  they  com- 
ing from?  How  does  the  water  first 
enter  the  seed? 

Third — Arrange  material  as  pictured. 
Chalk  boxes  may  be  used.  Bury  six 
Windsor  (or  lima)  beans  or  kernels  of 
corn  half  in  the  soil  with  scarred  end 
down.  Bury  six  beans  with  scarred 
end  up.     Note  results  from  day  to  day. 

Fourth — Float  two  halves  of  a  wal- 
nut shell  on  water.  Place  sugar  care- 
fully in  one.  Observe  from  day  to  day. 
Treat  the  coats  of  squash  seeds  in  the 
same  way.     Note  results. 

Fifth — Between  two  plates  of  glass 
place  two  or  three  thicknesses  of  blot- 


ter. Next  to  the  glass  on  one  side  place 
wheat,  on  the  other  corn.  Note  the 
growth   of  the   roots. 

Sixth — Examine  a  bean  or  pea  pod. 
Open  it  carefully.  Pull  off  a  bean  or 
pea  and  notice  where  it  fastens  to  the 
pod.     This  is  the  hilum. 

If  you  were  to  plant  peas  today  in 
your  garden  would  you  know  just  what 
to  do?  Few  people  know  much  about 
seeds.  This  chapter  and  the  one  to 
follow  will  tell  you  how  to  plant  your 
seeds. 

"Water  Awakens  the  Seed— A  dry  seed 
may  lie  for  years  apparently  dead.  Add 
a  little  water  and  soon  it  rids  itself  of 
its  coat  and  the  young  plant  begins  to 
grow.  Exercise  2  and  3  told  you  that 
the  water  enters  first  at  the  micropyle, 
a   little    opening   near    the    hilum.     Just 


—Second  Exercise. 


—Third  Exercise. 

as  soon  as  the  water  enters  the  seed 
activity  begins.  Sugar  is  made  and 
water  passes  through  the  seed  coat, 
just  as  it  passed  through  the  walnut 
shells  and  the  coverings  of  the  squash 
seeds  into  the  seed  (exercise  4).  Thus 
seeds  must  be  planted  deeply  enough  in 
the  soil  to  cover  the  hilum  and  the 
micropyle. 

The  Seed — Select  a  bean  which  has 
germinated,  or  started,  and  open  it 
carefully.  Find  the  little  embryo,  or 
plant.  It  has  a  short  stem  and  the  be- 
ginning of  a  root.  The  little  stem  has 
a  bud  or  small  leaves  on  it.  This  is 
the  plumule,  and  it  grows  into  the  main 
stem  and  the  leaves  of  the  new  bean 
plant.  The  embryo  needs  food  at  once. 
Find  its  food.  It  is  stored  in  the  seed 
leaves,  or  cotyledons.  You  have  learned 
that  a  seed  is  a  sleeping  plant  in  a 
secure  house,  the  seed  coat,  with 
enough  food  to  last  until  roots  are 
formed  and  the  stem  and  leaves  get 
above  the  ground.  Therefore,  large 
seeds,  such  as  beans,  containing  much 
food,  are  planted  more  deeply  than 
small  seeds  such  as  radish.  The  gen- 
eral rule  is  to  plant  seeds  five  times 
their  diameter. 

(To  be  continued.) 


Communications  should  be  sent  to 

C.  A.  STEBBINS,  Editor 

Agricultural  Education  Division 


FEB     b  u 

University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkel*  rnia 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Direr 
Entered  as  second-class  matter,  January,  1912,  at  the  Postoffice  at  Berkeley,  Cal. 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

A    LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED    TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Berkeley.  California,  January  26,  1912 


No,  12 


GARDEN 


'ho  follow-in*  clubs  ha 

ihevllle    dlatrl 

iher,   \vi;. 
nrolled;    L 

I -liil- 

»ol,     Alameda,     Elsa 

is     enrolled;     Piedmont     * 
guna  diati 
h.   M.    Lynel 

Lodl   normal,  W. 

er.   10  enrolled;  Frank- 

Bchool,      Oakland,      Mall      Flndley 

40 

trolled;     Paso    Rn!  llliott 

r  secretary,   87 

*  *  * 

er   and   his   chum, 

I     the     Washington 
best   garden. 

*  *  * 

\\ -..    y-  kiln    school,    in 

whi.h    two  gardening  clubs  are  organ- 
r'a    room 
imenta    under 
children    of    this    club    ganl- 
b    back    yard, 
lub,  under  the  dir< 
,.r     Miss     Plndley,     haa     many     plants 
growing    In    tli  The 

chihir.  through  •• 

:i  which  la  at  least 
third   sand   and    not   to  apply   too   much 

hildren    have    bean 
persistent  and  are  now  getting  results. 


Later  on  we  hope  each  club  will  enter 
ng  contests,  such  at  ing  of 

alfalfa,   sugar   beets,  wheat,   corn,   veg- 
Tn  due  time  more 
will    be   said    regarding   the   contests. 
*  *  * 

found    the   hoys   and   girls   of  the 
Piedmont     echo  ont,    ea^ 

laae,  which   is  mowing  so 
rapidly.      The    election    of   officers   la   to 
Id  soon,  and   you   will   hear  of  the 
results   later. 


ba    of   Bei  I 

Will     he     ta 

useful  unsightly     vn 

Plans     should     be     got 
that   ••• 

'lin  the  use  of  a 

willing    t<> 

pose;    third,    certain    grades, 
the    fifth  .    ahould    be    I 

fourth,  <-nts  shou 

•  is  and   water; 
sixth,  a  aupervlsoi 
needed.      The      agricult'. 
division     of     th< 
help   and    will 
• 

*  #  # 
ideal    miniature    farm 

■ 

city.  n    is   shown    ii; 

hoys    and    girls    of  nklin 

school,    Oakland  i    Una 

cottage,    which    was    built    b; 
their    manual    training    work       w 

ite    their   assis- 
hoped    that    th( 
build    the   other    necessary    buildings. 

*  *  ♦ 

We  wlah  that  it  all   visit   the 

gardens    at    the    "People's    P 
Francisco,    and    see     how    much     hard 
work     the     boya     and     girls     and     the 
I  Which    waa 

:<*bris   tin- 
quaaja 

bricks  and  asl  • 
aging  to  spade  up  1 

»  his    lot    in    shape,    hut    they    have 

I  given    up,   and    now    the    gai 

are  taking  on  a  pleasing  appear • 

There   were    n 
Boya    from    the    Frank)! 
Oakland,  with   their  enthuslai 
icher,  brought  over  stsi 
1  made   and    bulbs    a 

1  dlected.    These  were  gi 

boys  and   girls   of  the   "People's    I 
club.      These      Oakland      boya      worked 


while  visiting.  We  admired  the  per- 
sistence of  the  "People's  Place*'  garden- 
ers and  the  helpful  spirit  of  the  Frank- 
lin school  boys  and  teachers.  And  why 
ahould  we  not  help  one  another?  The 
thing  most  worth  while,  after  all,  is 
that  of  helping  our  noighbor  who  needs 
assistance.  Pictures  were  taken  of  the 
gardeners  and  officers,  and  we  hope  to 
reproduce  them  in  The  Junior  Agri- 
culturist. 

*  *  * 

If  you  are  planning  to  start  a  garden 
out  of  doors,  we  advise  waiting  until 
the  rains  begin,  since  the  growing 
season  is  now  so  short.  However,  plants. 
may  be  started  inside.  Plant  such 
seeds  as  pansie,  stocks,  coreopsis,  ver- 
benas, petunias,  etc.,  in  boxes,  to  be 
transplanted  in  the  spring.  The  garden- 
ers in  Berkeley  started  early  this  year 
and  in  consequence  have  sold  many 
radishes,  turnips  and  much  lettuce. 
*■  •*  •* 

"We  visited  the  Melrose  Gardening 
club  last  week  to  And  the  boys  and 
girls  anxious  to  apply  the  principles 
which  the  principal,  Mr.  Mortensen,  had 
given  them  the  last  term  in  school 
gardens.  The  children  are  to  beautify 
and  make  more  useful  a  vacant  lot 
which  is  now  breeding  weeds.  This 
club   is   starting   right. 

*  *  •* 

Miss  McDermott  of  San  Francisco 
reported  the  formation  of  several  clubs 
in  the  Glen  Park  school  with  a  mem- 
bership of  253  children.  They  are  all 
going  to  enter  the  sweet  pea  contest. 
You   will   hear   from   them. 

¥■  #  * 

The  Durant  club  of  Oakland  sent  in 
a  picture  last  month,  which  we  have 
shown  to  many  other  clubs.  We  hop° 
that  others  will  follow  the  example  of 
the  Durant  organization. 

*  *  * 

The  Berkeley  garden  city  has  been 
quiet  during  the  vacation  and  the  rains. 
The   banking   fund   is   growing   rapidly. 

*  *  * 

Have  you  started  the  early  spring 
flowers  in  boxes?  Also  such  vegetable 
seeds   as   onions,    cabbage,    etc. 


We  receive  many  interesting  letters 
from  our  gardeners  which  we  should 
like  to  publish.  We  wonder  if  the 
writers  would  care. 

We  are  in  need  of  more  compositions 
about  the  gardening  work.  If  a  set  is 
mailed  from  a  club  it  is  better  for 
each  writer  to  take  a  different  sub- 
ject. 

The  sweet  pea  contest  is  well  under 
way.  Be  sure  to  read  the  full  an- 
nouncement published  last  week.  Keep 
the  "diary"  in  neatness,  for  it  will  in- 
fluence the  judges. 

The  vegetable  luncheon  to  be  held  at 
Berkeley  in  May  will  be  open  to  any 
of  our  gardeners  who  do  the  best  work. 
We  ask  the  clubs  for  their  assistance. 
What  club  will  grow  the  potatoes,  the 
peas,  the  beans,  the  turnips,  etc.?  These 
are  to  be  sent  in  when  notice  is  given 
in  May. 

Have  you  made  a  plan  for  beautify- 


ing your  schoolyard?  If  not  be  up 
and  doing. 

Are  you  studying  the  garden  les- 
sons and  performing  the  exercises? 
You  ought  to  be,  for  they  are  written 
entirely  for  your  benefit.  You  will 
find  the  exercises  interesting  if  you 
try  them.  Get  your  teacher  to  help 
you. 

The  University  of  California  wants 
to  help  you  and  to  help  your  parents. 
The  agricultural  department  has  pub- 
lished many  bulletins  giving  aid  to 
the  farmers.  If  your  father  is  a  farmer 
have  him  send  in  his  name  to  receive 
these  bulletins  free.  One  has  just  been 
issued  telling  how  to  prevent  plant 
diseases. 

Tell  your  teacher  that  articles  are  to 
be  printed  soon  in  the  Junior  Agri- 
culturist for  her  benefit. 

The  numbers  of  California  junior 
gardeners  have  grown  to  3,500.  Many 
clubs  are  helping  in  the  additional  ex- 
pense to  the  agricultural  department, 
namely  from  Yolo,  Occidental,  Mar- 
shalls  and  Tehama.  The  Tehama  club 
sent  us  $1.  Thus  these  boys  and  girls 
are  of  service  to  their  other  garden 
friends. 


A  Word  of  Appreciation 

Professor  Stebbins — Dear  Sir:  I  am 
writing  you  to  thank  you  for  the  things 
you  have  given  us.  Our  gardens  are 
getting  along  fine.  I  wear  my  button 
on  my  coat.  I  received  the  paper  from 
you  that  you  sent  me.  All  my  seeds 
are  up.  I  am  going  to  transplant  soon. 
I  have  lettuce,  radishes,  carrots  and 
parsley  growing  in  my  patch.  I  have 
to  keep  the   leaves   off  my  plat. 

Oakland.  HARRY  MARTIN. 


Raises  Radishes  and  Onions 

ARLINE    MILLER, 
727  L  Street,  Fresno 

I  am  very  much  interested  in  your 
Junior  Agriculturist  and  would  like  to 
receive   your   paper   regularly. 

I  have  in  my  garden  some  radishes 
and  onions.  We  are  living  in  rooms 
and  I  can't  have  much  of  anything  at 
home,  but  I  have  a  few  house  plants. 
I  like  to  work  out  in  a  garden.  Last 
year  we  were  on  our  ranch  and  I 
worked  out  in  the  garden  all  day  long. 
I  had  watermelons  and  muskmelons.  I 
tried  to  raise  some  lettuce,  but  the 
chickens   would    eat   it   up. 

• 

Capillary  Attraction 

MARION   WELBORN, 

Paso  Robles 

Our  teacher,  Miss  Elliott,  hung  two 
bottles  on  the  wall.  Into  one  she  put 
about  a  cup  of  water,  the  other  she  left 
empty.  She  then  put  a  lamp  wick  from 
one  bottle  to  the  other.  In  about  two 
or  three  days  the  bottle  which  was 
empty  had  about  an  inch  of  water  in 
it.     This  shows  capillary   attraction. 

We  are  now  trying  subirrigation  to 
show  capillary  attraction.  The  water 
has  already  been  to  the  top.  It  was 
brought   up   by   capillary   attraction. 


EDITORIAL 


Juniors,  who  is  your  best  boy  or  girl  friend?    Think  a  i i i • 

Now,  why  is  he  or  she  your  best  friend?    Why  do  you  like 
this  friend  tin*  best?    Among  other  things,  isn't  i;  because  thi-  friend  is 

-1  with  you?     Because  you  can  always  depend  upon  him  or  her"-     The 

nd   trust   Mr.    Roosevelt   because  he   is  honest      He 

what  he  thinks  is  right.      You   love  your  parents   for  their  kindness  and 

justice  to  you.     Think  again  with  us  of  the  man  you  like  m<  man 

you  most  respect.     Would  yon  be  willing  to  have  him.  oi 

think  you   dishonest   for   the   sake  of  a   radish?  think   t: 

strange  question.    Let  me  tell  you  of  a  gardener  who  thinks  i 

radish  than  her  honesty. 

Thi>  gardener,  with  a  sackful  o!  vegetables  which  had  been  given  her 
iv  it   was  a  girl),  thinking  that  no  one  was  near,  pulled 

radishes  from  a  garden  which  did  not  belong  t<>  her.    She  looked  about 
guiltily.     What  a  lowly  thing  a  radish  is  t..  receive  in  return   foi 
honeMy      \\  e  should  have  been  glad  to  give  her  do/en.  of  radi- 
than  to  have  her  prove  dishonest.     If  you 

thing  which  you  have  not  earned,  and  you  feel  that  you  can  not  live  with- 
out it.  a<k  the  owner  or  the  one  in  charge.  Ten  «  ■  will 
get  it.     Do  not  let  any  one  feel  that  you  would  St 

Some  our  l-  watching  you  always  to  see  wl  ing  to 

make  a  Strong  man  or  a  weak  one,  a  good  woman  .'.  Inch 

)  on  going  to  1 


CHAPTER  IV.— Concluded. 

Mono,     Di,     Polyeot>  ledonus     Plants — 

How  many  cotyledons  has  a  bean?  How 
many  cotyledons  has  corn?  All  plants 
such  as  corn  are  monocotyledons,  plants 
with  one  cotyledon.  All  plants  such  as 
bean  dicotyledons,  having  two.  Some 
seeds,  such  as  pine  tree  seeds,  have 
many   cotyledons   and    are    called    poly- 


— Fourth  Exercise.1 1 

cotyledons.  All  plants  belong  to  one 
of  these  classes. 

Distance  Apart  for  Plants — Examine 
the  wheat  and  the  corn  roots  (exercise 
5).  The  roots  of  the  wheat  run 
side  by  side  and  are  very  long.  They 
are  deep  roots.  Plants  having  such 
roots  may  grow  close  to  each  other 
without  crowding.  The  corn  roots  are 
not  so  long,  and  near  the  stem  many 
surface  and  bracing  roots  are  forming. 
Plants  with  branching  surface  roots 
must  be  planted  far  apart. 

Many  seeds  do  not  germinate.  At 
first  sowing  put  many  seeds  in  the 
trench  and  later  thin  out  the  weak 
plants.  Plants  such  as  lettuce,  which 
mature  above  ground,  should  be  thinned 
until  they  are  as  far  apart  as  the  dis- 
tance across  a  mature  plant.  Chapters 
9  and  10  tell  you  more  about  sowing 
seeds   and   thinning  plants.  • 

By  this  time  you  should  know  why  a 
good  seed  bed  is  necessary.  You  should 
know  considerable  about  preparing 
such  a  bed  and  you  should  know  how 
deep  to  plant  seeds.  If  you  are  not  to 
have  a  school  garden,  ask  your  parents 
for  a  plat  at  home,  or  start  a  garden  in 
a  window  box.  The  following  chapters 
will  tell  you  many  interesting  things 
about   gardening. 

QUESTIONS 

1— What  starts  germination  in  a 
seed? 

2 — Of  what  use  is  the  micropyle? 

3 — What  effect  has  sugar  in  the  seed? 

4 — Where  does  it  come  from? 

5— Why  should  seeds  be  buried  in  the 
soil? 


—Fifth  Exercise. 

6 — What    is   a   seed? 

7 — How  do  we  know  how  deep  to 
plant  seeds? 

8 — How  are  plants  grouped? 

9 — How  do  we  know  now  far  apart 
to  grow  plants? 

Home    Studies 

1 — Examine  the  seeds  of  many  differ- 
ent plants.  .What  about  the  seed  helps 
to  bury  them? 

2 — Dig  up  corn  and  wheat  plants, 
wash  off  the  dirt  and  compare  the 
roots. 

3 — Open  several  pea  and  bean  pods. 
Are  the  seeds  in  the  separate  pods  all 
the   same  size? 

4 — Germinate  as  many  seeds  as  you 
can  find  from  weeds  to  the  cocoanut. 
Note  the  embryo,  and  food  supply  of 
each. 

5 — -Note  the  great  number  of  seeds 
produced  by  one  plant.     Why  is  this? 

6 — If  you  live  on  or  near  a  farm  ex- 
amine a  handful  of  seed  that  is  to  be 
sown.     Can  you  .find  any  foreign  seeds? 

7 — Make  a  list  of  seeds  that  are  blown 
about,  that  are  carried  by  water,  that 
are   distributed    by    animals. 

8 — Visit  a  nursery  and  see  where 
flower   seeds   come   from. 


— Sixth  Exercise. 


Communications  should  be  sent  to 

C.  A.  STEBBINS,  Editor 

Agricultural  Education  Division 


or 

University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  B^^Jf^vCalifornia 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Director 
Entered  as  second-class  matter.  November,  1911.  at  the  Postoffice  at  Berkeley.  Cal. 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

^£   LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED   TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol.  I.  Berkeley.  California.  February  26,  1912  No.  13 


EDITORIAL 


ral  of  our  Garden  city  boys  have  become  Interested  lately  In  sell* 
ing  vegetables  to  bo  use  wives.  The  Garden  city  bunk  pays  the  salesmen 
for  their  efforts.  After  each  market  day  the  boys  have  been  anxious  to 
receive  the  award  for  their  work.  This  Is  proper.  The  boys  put  Into  the 
Garden  city  thought  and  honest  work,  and  they  should  be  given  recognition. 
hly  the  money   is  itisfy  their  own  desires.     This  Is  improper. 

L  t  us  not  l)«  sitate  to  receive  the  dollar,  but  let  us  be  sure  that  we 
have  earned  It  squarely,  and  then  let  us  be  sure  that  It  does  the  riKl>t 
kind  of  work.  The  dollar  which  takes  us  to  the  moving  picture  show  while 
our  small  brother  or  sister  needs  clothing  or  books,  or  wants  to  see  the 
pictures,  too;  the  dollar  whicli  takes  us  into  temptation  and  leads  us  to 
see  and  do  wrong;  the  dollar  which  buys  a  vote  or  friendship,  these  dollars 
are  w<  iking  in  the  wrong  way.  On  the  other  hand,  the  dollars  which 
bring  happiness  to  us  and  our  neighbor  are  the  ones  to  be  proud  of;  these 
are  doing  good  work.  So  it  is  plain  that  a  dollar,  like  a  boy,  may  .l-> 
good  work  or  poor.  Or  shall  we  put  It  this  way?  A  dollar  with  an  un- 
selfish boy  or  man  attached  will  do  good  work,  while  a  dollar  hampered 
by  a  dishonest,  selfish  boy  or  man   works  dishonestly  and  selfishly. 

It  is  quite  possible  while  reading  or  writing  to  get  in  our  own  light, 
to  get  In  our  own  way.  It  Is  quite  possible  for  our  dollar  to  get  In  our  own 
way.  If  we  hold  tightly  to  the  coin  when  others  are  hungry,  we  are  stingy 
and  selfish,  and  hence  disliked  and  unhappy.  We  may  grip  the  dollar  so 
closely,  we  may  love  it  so  much  more  and  the  best  things  so  much  less  that 
we  fall  to  see  and  know  the  best.  That  is.  the  money  may  He  In  the  bank 
It  should  be  used  to  purchase  a  good  book,  a  music  lesson,  a 
li.  autiful  picture.  We  may  hoard  the  dollar  fondly,  being  satisfied  witn 
m  eond  class  books,  music,  pictures,  beds,  food,  manners,  and  thus  the 
second  rate  life  becc-mes  a  habit  Then  again,  the  dollar  may  get  in  our 
way  by  being  held  too  loosely, ,t  rticularly  If  it  comes  too  easily  and  with 
too  little  work  on  our  part,  fo  it  leads  us  to  the  theaters  too  much,  It 
makes  us  think  "clothes"  too  n»  i.  it  leads  us  to  matters  which  fascinate. 
nust  agree  that  the  city  Hi  is  fascinating,  that  some  city  men  are 
fascinating,  for  they  are  ItB  med  jm,  but  they  are  not  always  the  best  to 
tie  to.  Let  us  make  the  dollir  work  to  bring  the  best  into  our  lives,  the 
life  of  our  neighbor  and  the  life  of  the  community. 

»nly  does  the  dollar  often   get   In  our  own  way.   but  It  gets  in   the 
way   of  a  community's   progress.     The   grip   on   dollars   keeps   our   tea 

doing   their   best,   for   the   schoolrooms  are   too  crowded:   It   keeps   the 

l    from    becoming   more    useful   and    more   beautiful.      Fifty   dollars   and 
less  keeps  a  bay  city  from  ridding  Itself  of  the  weedy  vacant  lot  pest.     A 
eautiful  is  a  city  valuable. 

Let  us  think  hard  that  our  dollar  may  not  get  In  our  own  way  or  In  the 
way  of  our  community,  that  It  may  work  for  us  to  do  the  most  good,  that  it 
may  work  for  the  community. 


GARDEN   NOTES 


The  Melrose  club,  Mr.  Mortensen  su- 
pervisor, has  announced  work  on  an 
adjoining  vacant  lot.  The  Melrose 
school  is  on  the  progressive  list  and 
will  have  an  interesting  demonstra- 
tion In  the  early  summer.  The  sixth 
and  seventh  grades  are  interested. 
They  are  entered  in  the  sweet  pea  con- 
test. 

*  *  * 

The  Hillside  school,  Berkeley,  is  the 
first  to  announce  the  attainment  of  a 
vacant  lot  for  this  term.  The  children 
will  commence  work  at  once  to  beau- 
tify and  to  make  useful  this  plat.  This 
announcement  was  made  by  the  princi- 
pal of  the  school  at  a  mother's  meeting. 
The  lot  will  be  made  the  center  of  ex- 
tension work  for  the  community.  Other 
lots  will  be  lightly  plowed  and  the 
children  will  sow  flower  seed  broad- 
cast. Each  school  should  be  an  in- 
fluence for  good  in   its  community. 

Mr.  Underhill,  living  in  the  Hillside 
region,  offered,  at  the  above  meeting, 
to  prepare  as  well  as  to  donate  his 
vacant  lot  if  the  children  would  sow 
the  seeds.  Let  other  Berkeley  citizens 
follow  suit. 

*  *  * 

Mr.  Imrie  has  been  able  to  obtain  an 
adjoining  lot  through  the  kindness  of 
the  owner,  Mrs.  Rush.  The  Le  Conte 
school,  Berkeley,  will  thus  widen  its 
work. 

*  *  * 

Many  new  clubs  have  been  formed 
during  the  past  week.  Our  garden 
enrollment  now  numbers  at  least  4,000 
boys  and  girls. 

*  *  ■* 

Miss  McDermott,  an  enthusiastic 
worker  in  San  Francisco,  has  interested 
over  250  children  in  the  sweet  pea  con- 
test. Mr.  Heaton  of  the  same  city  has 
long  had  home  gardening  as  an  ideal 
for  school  children,  and  intends  to  fur- 
ther the  sweet  pea  idea. 

*  *  * 

Birds  bear  a  close  relation  to  gar- 
dening. Several  Oakland  teachers  met 
in  Berkeley  Saturday  morning  of  last 
week  to  study  birds  in  the  field.  Seven- 
teen different  varieties  were  identified; 
the  English  sparrow,  white  crowned 
sparrow,  the  spurred  towhee,  the  Cali- 
fornia towhee,  Arma's  humming  bird, 
red  shafted  flicker,  ruby  crowned  king- 
let, California  woodpecker,  California 
bushtit,  dwarf  hermit,  thrush,  house 
wren,  California  jay,  Stellers  jay, 
Sierra  junco,  western  robin,  song  spar- 
row, plain  titmouse.  Trips  are  to  be 
taken    every    other    Saturday    morning. 

*  *  * 

A  few  boys  were  at  the  Berkeley 
garden  city  Saturday.  They  sold  many 
vegetables.  The  soil  is  too  wet  to  be 
worked,   but   the   plants   need   thinning 


out.  One  row  of  radishes  which  was 
well  taken  care  of  has  produced  nearly 
$3  worth.  Other  rows  not  thinned 
out  will  be  a  loss  to  the  owner. 


* 


■* 


Do  not  forget  to  plant  flower  seeds 
in  boxes  now,  that  the  young  plants 
may  be  moved  to  the  open  later — pan- 
sies,  stocks,  verbenas,  petunias,  cor- 
eopsis, daisies,  etc. 


It  is  not  too  late  to  enter  the  sweet 
pea  contest.  Send  in  your  name.  If 
directions  for  growing  sweet  peas  are 
desired  they  will  be  mailed  to  growers. 


Mr.  Vergon,  principal  of  the  Emer- 
son school,  Oakland,  did  a  fine  piece 
of  work  last  year  in  school  gardening. 
The  boys  and  girls  under  his  direction 
worked  nearly  an  acre  of  land.  Pota- 
toes at  the  rate  of  250  bushels  to  the 
acre  and  other  products  in  a  like  pro- 
portion were  raised.  Mr.  Vergon  has 
given  us  many  pictures  of  the  work. 
Some  of  these  will  be  reproduced  on 
these  pages.  We  hope  that  he  will 
continue   his   efforts. 

*  •*  * 

We  are  glad  to  hear  from  you,  Jun- 
iors. Write,  telling  of  your  garden 
work.  Pictures  also  are  welcomed.  The 
other  boys  and  girls  are  anxious  to 
know  about  your  gardens. 

*  #■  * 

L.  E.  Brauer,  principal  of  the  Salem 
school,  Lodi,  has  added  his  fifth  grade 
of  44  members  to  the  Lodi  gardening 
club. 


J.  H.  Garrison  of  the  San  Fer- 
nando schools  is  doing  excellent  work. 
He  has  a  gardening  contest  under  way 
which  is  giving  much  interest  to  plant 
growth.  Forty-five  dollars  is  to  be 
given  as  seven  prizes  to  the  best  gar- 
deners of  the  fifth,  sixth,  seventh  and 
eighth  grades.  The  prizes  are  offered 
by  patrons  of  the  schools.  Miss  Cecil 
Peabody  is  helping  Mr.  Garrison. 

*  *  * 

The  Berkeley  Gardening  association 
is  planning  to  give  seeds  to  the  children 
for  home   gardens. 

*  #  * 

Miss  Z.  Henrich  and  Miss  Collier  have 
many  new  plans  for  the  People's  Place 
gardens  in  San  Francisco.  These 
teachers  are  really  serving. 

*  *  * 

Three  points  should  be  added  to  the 
sweet  pea  score  card  for  punctuation, 
arrangement,  spelling  and  neatness  of 
diary. 


GARDEN  LESSONS 


t  ii  \i*i  BH     \ 


THE     SKKD     AMI     II  ^      \KKDi — I  Con- 
t  iuue<l> 


BXBR4  ISB9 


1. — Place  see  is  in  two  t<"t ties*  and  *»r- 
range  as  shown   In   Figure  1.     Use  cot- 


(f 


A 


ton    or   sawdust    In    the    bottom    of    the 
bottles.     Observe  from  day  to  day. 

2. — Plant  seeds  in  two  tumblers  or 
cans.  Moisten  the  soil  In  one.  Keep 
water  standing  in  the  other.  Figure 
2.     Observe  each  day. 

3. — Put  seeds  in  three  open  bottles, 
containing  a  little  moist  cotton  or  saw- 
dust. Place  one  near  jthe  stove,  one 
outside  but  protected  from  rain,  and 
one  on  the  window  sill  away  from  the 
stove.     Note  results  each  day. 

4. — Arrange  two  tumblers  suspending 
seeds  in  the  water  with  mosquito  net- 
ting as  shown  in  figure  3.  Put  dis- 
till.-<i  water  in  one  and  ordinary  well 
or  tap  water  in  the  other.  Be  sure 
that  the  seeds  do  not  dry  out  when 
the  water  evaporates.  Add  water  as  it 
is  needed.  (Ask  your  teacher  to  tell 
you  how  to  make  distilled  water.  It 
contains   no  plant  food.)      Note  results. 

5. — In  a  box  of  moistened  sawdust  or 
soil  place  three  rows  of  Windsor  beans. 
<These  can  be  obtained  from  any  seed 
man.)  As  the  seed  leaves,  or  cotyle- 
dons appear  break  them  off  the  plants 
in  the  first  row.  A  week  later  treat 
the  second  row  In  the  same  way.  Let 
the  seed  leaves  remain  on  the  third 
row.     Observe  what   happens. 


Plaata    Read     Mr —  hcerclte    1    and    I 
.  should   i. 

day 8  ago  ■  plainly  that  plants 

tl  at    seeds    shall    have    plenty    of    soil 

\v      have    learned   that   humus  opens 
tin  clay.    Thus  air  would  circulate 

nta     soil     from 
puddling  ■  ping  it   free  for  the 

entran 

Plowing,     spading     and     cultli 
make    the    toll    open    and    poms.     The 
i  i  i  j  •  r  the  pari  I 

supply    is   much    in- 
more      »■ 
reaches   the   tine  root  hairs  In   fine  soil. 
Seeds  should  not  be  planted  when  the 
ground   is  too  wet  for  the  soil  air   lias 
driven  out.     (Exercise  2). 
Plants     Newel     unrintii—  ise     8 

teaches  us  that  plants  need  warm: 
not   too  much.     The  warmth  of  soil  may 


makeup.        Sand     Ii     WMTUL 
humus  are  cold.     By  mixing  sand 
clay    and    humus,    the      soil      is      given 
warmth. 

Avoid  planting  seeds  during  th< 

saaon  and  during  the  b©1  weather. 

Manure    which    heats    should    not    be 
added   during  the  hot  weather. 

Plum-  n<  •'•!  lo.xi. 
us    that      plants      need      Com 
ever,    as    yon    notlc  plants    did 

very  well  In   both  tumblers  for  m 
0sv«  h*fn*<    ♦i>.»«»  |j 

Communications  should  be  sent  to 

C.  A.  STEBBINS.  Editor 
Agricultural  Education  DW 


began  to  fail.  This  is  easily  explained. 
You  have  learned  that  a  seed  contains 
a  young  plant  and  enough  food  to  keep 
it  growing  until  roots  and  leaves  are 
formed.  From  that  time  the  plant 
must  get  its  food  through  the  leaves 
and  roots.  Distilled  water  contains 
no  plant  food  hence  the  roots  could 
not  convey  food  to  the  plants  and  they 
died.  Exercise  5  shows  that  the  seed 
leaves,  the  storage  house  for  the 
embryo  plant,  furnish  food  for  some  time 
until  the  young  plant  can  get  estab- 
lished. The  third  row  of  plants  has 
done  the  best  of  all.  The  plants  in 
the  first  row  from  which  the  seed  leaves 
Were  picked  are  doing  very  poorly. 

The  Eirbryo  Plant  Does  Not  Need 
Mg-'-t — The  natural  place  for  seeds  is 
beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil.  There- 
fore, the  little  plant  within  the  seed 
coat  does  not  need  light.  Can  you  per- 
form  an    experiment   to   prove    this? 

~he  Plant  Above  Ground  Needs 
Light — Light  is  essential  to  the  plant 
after  the  seed  food  has  been  used;  No- 
tice how  these  plants  lean  toward  the 
window.  Arrange  an  experiment  to 
show  that  plants  need  light.  Later 
you  wiM  learn  ^ow  plants  make  sure 
of  plenty  of  light. 

The  sun  rises  in  the  east  and  sets 
in  the  west.  Rows  of  plants  should 
be  planted  north  and  south,  so  that 
sun^ght  may  strike  the  plants  from 
all  sides  and  the  soil  between  the  rows. 
Sunlight  purifies  soil. 

An  ideal  garden  should  slope  gently 
toward  the  south  in  order  that  the 
sun's  rays  may  fall  more  directly  on 
the  plants  and  on  the  soil. 

Flowering  plants  need  much  sun- 
light. Others,  such  as  ferns,  do  best 
in    cool,    shady    spots. 

Note — Tn  talking  about  the  needs  of 
a  seed  we  mean  the  needs  of  the  liv- 
ing plant  within  the  seed  coat. 


QUESTIONS 

1.  What  does  the  embryo  plant  need 
for  growth? 

2.  What  may  be  done  to  the  seed  bed 
to  furnish  air  to  seeds? 

3.  Why   should   seeds   not   be   planted 
while  soil  is  wet? 

4.  How    may    a    seed    bed    be    made 
warm? 

5.  When  should  manure  be  added? 

6.  How  do  you  know  that  plants  need 
food? 

7.  What  is  the  main  use  of  the  coty- 
ledons? 

8.  How    do    you    know    that    plants 
need   light? 


HOME    STUDIES 

1.  How  does  the  farmer  nearest  you 
prepare  the  land  for  air,  for  warmth, 
for   food,   for  sunshine? 

2.  Why  are  the  plants  in  your  vi- 
cinity that  grow  close  together  so  tall? 

3.  Notice  the  limbs  of  a  tree;  why 
are  some  dying?  Why  are  there  no 
branches  on   the  lower  part  of  a  tree? 

4.  How  far  apart  should  orchard 
trees  be  planted  to  insure  enough  sun- 
light? 

5.  How  does  irrigation  furnish  food 
to  plants? 

6.  What  is  meant  by  "cover  crops"? 
Of  what  value  are  they  to  the  farmer? 
What  plants  are  called  legumes? 

7.  Find  out  a  way  to  irrigate  with 
manured  waier. 

8.  What  is  the  cost  in  labor,  etc.,  of 
manuring  an  acre  of  land?  Of  adding 
lime  to  an  acre?  How  is  lime  put  on 
the    soil? 


The  Swelling  Power  of  Seeds 

LLOYD  KENNEDY, 

Oakland.        Franklin      School,     A     Fifth 

Grade. 

The  teacher  took  a  small  bottle  and 
filled  it  with  dry  beans.  The  bottle 
was  three  and  one-half  inches  tall  and 
one  inch  in  diameter.  After  this  was 
done  she  filled  it  with  water  and  placed 
it  in  a  large  glass  that  was  almost 
full  to  the  brim  with  water.  Oh  the 
glass  was  pasted  the  label:  "Do  seeds 
as  they  swell  exert  any  force?" 

The  next  day,  the  bottom  of  the  bot- 
tle fell  out,  and  the  following  day  it 
was  split  lengthwise,  only  held  to- 
gether by  a  thread  which  was  wrapped 
around   it. 

That  afternoon  the  thread  also 
broke,  the  bottle  was  in  pieces,  and  the 
beans  were  oh  the  bottom  of  the  glass. 
This  teaches  us  that  seeds  do  exert 
force  when   they  swell. 


University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley,  California 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Director 
Entered  as  second-class  matter,  November.  1911,  at  the  Postoffice  at  Berkeley,  Cal. 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

A     LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED    TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol.  I. 


Berkeley.  California.  March  14,  1912 


No.  14 


GARDEN  LESSONS 


(ii  LPTBB    \  i 

PKOIILKM  <U  l>TK)\s 
Soon  you  will  be  at  work  In  the  gar- 
dens. To  grow  vegetables  which  will 
be  Just  as  good  as  the  vegetable  man 
■ells,  and  to  glow  Bowert  such  as  you 
can  buy  at  the  florists,  jrou  must  be 
able  to  answer  the  following  questions: 
1.  Will  seeds  grow  well  in  sand?  In 
clay?  Or,  better.  In  a  mixture  of  the 
two? 

1    Will    seeds   grow   well    In   a  cloddy 
seedbed? 

Will   y<-u   wet   the  seedbed  Just  be- 
fore spading  and  raking? 

4.  What    causes    the    roots    to    grow 
downward? 

5.  Will    you    irrigate    with    trenches, 


I    iuiir,-     I. 

flood,  subirrigate,  or  sprinkle  your  gar- 
den? 

6.  If  sprinkling  is  necessary  at  first 
to  start  the  seeds,  when  should  it  be 
done? 

7  Does  cultivation  keep  the  soil 
water  from  escaping? 

8.  How  deep  will  you  plant  your 
seeds? 

9.  How  far  apart  should  vegetables 
and   flowers  stand? 

There  are  two  ways  to  answer  these 
questions.  You  can  ask  some  one  to 
answer  them  for  you,  or  you  can  set  up 
the  experiments  and  answer  them  your- 
self. You  will  take  the  second  method 
if  you  really  want  to  learn. 


i:\iim  i-i  x    in    MM  \  » 
Tin:    in  BSTIOXI     \nn\  i 

l     Qe(    three    chalk    boxes.      Fill    one 
with  clean  sand,  one  with  clay  and  one 
with     a      mixture    of     sand    and     clay. 
e  soil   in  each  hours 

later  sow  10  of  the  same  kind  of  seeds 
in  each  box.     Note  the  results. 
wo  chalk  boxes  moi  • 
place  tine  soil.     In  the  other  put  cloddy 


5URK/KE     ROOTS 
IN    EXCESS 


wtmm 

soli.     Water  alike  and  sow  10  seeds  In 
Observe  dally. 

ill    a    box    with    dry    soil.      Add 
water  and  stir  at  once.    What  happens? 
Fill  another  box  with  dry  soil.     Water 
Mt    the    box    aside.     Stir    the    soil 
day.    Which  is  the  better  way? 
4.   Knock  out  the  bottom  of  a  chalk- 
box.     Tack  wire  fly  screen  In  its  place. 
Fill    the    box    a    third    full    of    sand    or 
sawdust,     arrange  the  box  as  shown  In 


q-r./*V£;:l 


& 


Figure    3. 

figure  1.  Plant  wheat  seeds  in  the  sand 
or  sawdust.  Add  water.  Watch  the 
roots.  Why  do  they  grow  through  the 
screen  first  and  then  turn  back? 

5.  Get  four  boxes  about  12x14  inches 
in  size.  Prepare  enough  moist  soil  for 
all.  Plant  the  same  kind  of  seeds  (use 
corn  or  peas)  the  same  depth,  in  rows, 
in  each  box.  The  rows  should  be  four 
inches  apart.  Sprinkle  a  pint  of  water 
on  one  box  of  soil.  Dig  trenches  be- 
tween the  rows  in  one  of  the  boxes  and 
fill  with  the  same  amoun*  of  water. 
Cover  the  trenches  after  the  water 
soaks  in.  Add  the  same  amount  of 
water  as  needed  to  both  boxes  until 
one  quart  has  been  used.  Pull  up  a 
few  plants  from  each  box  and  compare 
the  root  growth.  The  sprinkled  plants 
will  probably  have  roots  near  the  sur- 
face, while  the  others  will  have  long 
roots.  Figure  2.  Flood  one  box  with 
a  quart  of  water.  Give  it  the  same 
treatment  as  the  others,  but  do  not  add 
any  more  water.  Make  a  hole  in  one 
side  of  the  last  box.  Insert  a  funnel 
snugly  figure  3).  Pour  into  the  soil 
water  as  needed  until  one  quart  has 
been  used.  This  shows  the  method  of 
subirrigation.  Which  is  the  best  way 
to  water  the  soil  for  plant  growth? 
How  does  a  farmer  subirrigate  his 
land?  Observe  the  experiments  daily, 
and  question  5  will  probably  be  an- 
swered correctly. 


correctly.  Put  one  in  the  sunshine  each 
day  after  watering.  Put  the  other  in 
the  shade.     Note  results. 

7.  Prepare  two  tomato  cans  of  soil 
that  weigh  the  same.  Add  the  same 
amount  of  water  to  each.  Each  day, 
some  time  after  watering,  stir  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil  in  one  can  with  a  small 
stick.  Weigh  every  other  day.  Which 
loses  water  the  more  rapidly? 

8.  Line  a  tumbler,  or  fruit  jar,  with 
black  cloth  and  fill  with  sand  or  saw- 
dust. Place  seeds  at  different  depths 
between  the  cloth  and  the  glass  (figure 
4).  Moisten  the  contents  of  the  tum- 
blers. Note  results  daily.  Which  is 
the  best  depth  for  the  seeds?  How 
many  times  the  diameter  of  the  seed  is 
the  best  depth? 

9.  Arrange  corn  and  wheat  seeds  as 
shown  in  figure  5,  chapter  4.  Put  sev- 
eral thicknesses  of  blotters  between 
the  plates  of  glass.  Observe  the  root 
growth.  Notice  the  surface  roots  (roots 
near  the  seed)   forming. 

It  will  take  some  time  for  each  pupil 
to  set  up  these  exercises  at  school. 
Would  it  not  be  well  to  divide  them 
among  the  class?  You  could  arrange  at 
least  two  experiments.  Your  neighbor 
two  and  so  on,  and  then  all  could  tell 
results.  ¥ou  could  each  perform  all 
the   exercises  at  home. 

You  must  not  get  discouraged  if  your 
experiments  go  wrong.  "Try,  try 
again." 


THIS  WEEK'S  READING 
LIST  AND  REVIEWS 

1.  "Garden   Book  for  Young  People." 
(Alice   Lounsberry.) 

2.  "Flowers   Shown    to   Children."    (J. 
Kelman.) 

3.  "Trees  Every  Child  Should  Know." 
(J.  Rodgers.) 


When  Mother  Lets  Us  Garden 


Oakland. 


EUNICE   FONES, 
Franklin      School,     B     Fifth 
Grade 

The  book,  "When  Mother  Lets  Us 
Garden,"  was  written  by  Frances  Dun- 
can. 

It  tells  how  to  plant  radishes,  carrots, 
turnips  and  many  other  vegetables. 

It  also  tells  how  to  plant  flowers. 

When  you  are  planting  your  vege- 
tables or  flowers  it  is  a  good  book  to 
have. 


Garden  Fairies 


Figure   4. 

6.  Fill    two    boxes    with    soil.      Plant 
seeds   the   same  depth.     Sprinkle   both 


MILDRED   TAYLOR, 

Oakland.       Franklin      School,     B     Fifth 

Grade 

"Garden  Fairies,"  which  was  men- 
tioned in  The  Junior  Call  not  long  ago, 
is  a  very  Interesting  book. 

It  tells  of  a  little  girl  who  was  in  a 
hammock  in  her  garden  when  a  fairy 
came    to    her    and    told    her    all    about 

The  fairy  told  her  to  think  just  of 
the  fairies  that  night  when  she  went 
to  bed  and  she  would  see  and  dream 
of  a  fairy  wedding.  This  book  would 
be  very  interesting  for  other  children 
to  read. 


THE  WORLD'S  GREAT  PAINTINGS 


The  Cleaners**  by  Jean      Francois    Millet 

COURTESY    OF    RABJOFN    &    MO*COM 


If  you  ever  visit  the  historic  Louvre, 
France's  famous  art  gallery,  which  is 
one  of  the  great  show  places  not  only 
of  Paris  but  of  all  Europe,  you  will  in 
all  probability  see  Jean  Francois  Mil- 
let's  painting,    "The   Gleaners." 

The  picture  is  a  wonderful  example 
of  the  beauty  to  be  found  in  homely 
things  and  places.  In  the  foreground 
appear  the  gleaners  working  their  toil- 
some way  across  the  acres  of  the  broad 
fields,  in  an  endeavor  to  glean  from  its 
sunbrowned  stretches  some  small  left- 
overs of  the  harvest.  In  the  back- 
ground are  the  figures  of  the  harvesters 
working  busily,  while  at  the  left  loom 
the  two  enormous  stacks  of  grain 
which  bespeak  the  richness  of  the  har- 
vest's yield.  Away  in  the  distance 
may  be  seen  the  homes  of  the  vil- 
lagers and  a  fringing  line  of  trees.  To 
the  right  sits  the  silent  figure  of  an 
overseer  on  horseback.  Over  the  whole 
scene   the   hot   August  sun   beats  down. 

The  artist  has  concentrated  his  at- 
tention upon  the  figures  of  the  three 
women  in  the  foreground.  The  one 
standing  apart  from  the  others  shows 
her  age.  She  has  worked  long  and  late, 
and  the  toll  is  telling  upon  her.  Her 
attitude  is  strained  and  awkward,  and 
her  tired  muscles  find  it  exceedingly 
hard  to  respond  to  her  direction.  Of 
the  other  two,  one  is  right  in  the  prime 
of  her  womanhood.     Her  back  is  strong 


and  broad  and  her  position  is  free  and 
untrammeled.  One  could  imagine  her 
movtnjr  from  place  to  place  with  the 
machinelike  movement  of  clockwork 
The  third  member  of  the  group  is 
younger  than  either  of  the  others  II. 
hands  are  as  yet  smooth  and  un- 
roughened  with  toll,  and  her  attitude 
is  replete  with  the  lithe  grace  of  ) 

In    painting    his    gleaners    Millet    has 
filled  his  canvas  with  atmosphere 
feels   the   heat   of  the   August   sun,  and 
one    feels    the    weariness    of    the    older 
woman.       There   is   sympathetic    t; 
standing  in   his  handling  of  colors. 

Millet    was    born    in    1S14    in    Orach? 
near  Cherbourg;  Prase*      Boni  of  the 
peasant     class,     he     was     greatly     im- 
pressed with  their  distinction  as  a 
and    on    arriving    at    man's    estat. 
termlned    to    make    them    the    su)- 
of   his   paintings.       He   began    to   study 
painting   in   earnest   at    the   age   of    18. 
and   was   ftrst  a  student  in  Cherbourg.  ■ 
Later  he  went  to  Paris  and  studied  un- 
der the  great  Delaroche.      His  fame  did 
not  come  without  a  struggle,  hov. 
but  he  worked  on   faithfully.       Af 
time    public     opinion     changed.  11  - 

painting.  "The  Gleaners."  was  first  ex- 
hibited in  the  salon  in  1867.  It  was 
purchased  at  that  time  j,v  M.  Blndoi 
and  later  by  Mme.  Pommeroy.  by  whom 
it  was  presented  to  the  Louvre  in  188». 


EDITORIAL 


Can  you  be  depended  upon,  Junior?  If  you  are  asked  to  drive  a  stake, 
can  you  drive  it  straight?  If  your  teacher  asks  you  to  plant  seed  rows 
14  inches  apart,  is  your  row  distance  14  or  18  inches?  If  you  are  an  officer 
of  a  gardening  club,  do  you  attend  to  your  duties?  We  received  a  letter 
lately  from  a  boy  who  is  interested  in  his  school  club.  He  wrote:  "Our 
club  may  bust  up  because  the  president  does  not  come  to  the  meetings. 
We  don't  want  it  to  bust  up.  What  shall  we  do?"  This  officer  accepted 
the  presidency,  and  in  doing  so  became  responsible  to  his  boy  friends. 
Let  us  ask  you  a  fair  question:  Had  this  boy,  even  if  he  had  lost  interest, 
any  right  to  miss  the  club  meetings?  We  think  not.  He  was  selfish,  and 
thought  little  about  service  for  his  neighbors.  We  are  all  responsible,  not 
only  to  ourselves,  but  to  our  neighbors.  As  we  have  told  you  before,  no 
one  has  a  right  to  neglect  a  cold,  for  an  irritable  person,  coughing  and 
sniffling,  is  not  only  unpleasant  for  his  neighbor,  but  the  friend  may  catch 
the  cold,  since  colds  are  transmitted  from  friend   to  friend. 

A  Garden  city  officer  failed  in  a  responsibility  lately.  The  activities 
of  more  than  100  boys  and  girls  were  upset.  This  individual,  a  girl,  sent 
no  word,  and  evidently  thought  little  about  her  responsibility  to  the  other 
children. 

Last  Sunday  the  Columbia  Park  Boys'  band  delightfully  entertained  the 
people  of  Berkeley  in  the  Greek  theater.  We  are  sure  that  each  one  of 
the  boys  enjoyed  his  service  to  his  Berkeley  friends.  We  know  that  each 
member  of  the  band  was  to  be  depended  upon,  for  the  harmonious  render- 
ing was  perfect.  One  error  by  the  boy  who  struck  the  drum  would  have 
upset,  in  a  measure,  the  good  work  of  the  others.  Have  you  ever  realized 
that  you  are  a  part  of  a  great  orchestra,  a  part  of  a  great  whole,  and  that 
if  you  do  not  "hit  the  drum"  at  the  proper  time  the  very  best  that  you 
know  how,  you  are  causing  a  discord,  you  are  spoiling  the  work  or  play 
of  others? 

If  you  can  not  be  depended' upon,  do  not  accept  a  responsible  position. 
But  if  you  can  not  be  depended  upon,  make  up  your  mind  at  once  that 
from  now  on  you  will  always  drive  the  stake  straight,  plant  seeds  at  the 
required  distance,  hit  the  drum  properly  and  attend  to  your  duties  as  an 
officer  and  as  a  citizen.  Put  a  mark  in  your  notebook  each  time  that  you 
fulfill  a  responsibility  until  you  make  "fulfilling  responsibilities"  a  habit. 
For  if  you  do  not  learn  to  fulfill  responsibilities  now,  at  home  and  in  school, 
you  will  not  be  worth  much  as  a  man  or  as  a  woman  in  the  community  and 
in  the  state.  If,  as  a  boy  or  girl,  you  are  not  a  good  citizen,  we  doubt  if 
you  will  be  one  as  a  man  or  as  a  woman. 


GARDEN   NOTES 


Last  Wednesday  I  met  with  the  club  flower  seeds  in  the  boxes  inside  and 
in  its  first  meeting  of  this  year.  The  then  re-set  the  young  plants  in  the 
meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Vice  school  yard.  They  will  plant  some  more 
President  August  Thiery,  and  where  of  the  red  geraniums,  too.  These  will 
do  you  suppose  it  was  held?  They  be  flowers  which  will  last  and  there 
have  cleared  out  the  basement  of  the  will  always  be  some  one  saying,  "These 
manual  training  building  and  set  some  flowers  were  planted  by  the  garden- 
old  desks  on  the  dirt  floor.  There  are  ing  club  of  1912." 
desks  at  one  side  for  the  officers.  In  •*  *  * 
this    basement    the    club    holds    all    its 

meetings   and   works   during   the   rainy  We   have  just   returned   from  a   2,000 

days.  mile  journey  limited  to  California.    Ev- 

After  the  meeting  was  over  the  chil-  erywhere     we       found     children       and 

dren  worked  out  In   the  gardens.    New  parents  interested  in  agriculture.  Many 

land    was    carefully    prepared    for    an-  !IPw  ..„flrdpnin„  Pi,,hV»  ar*  tn  hP  fnrm^rt 

other     crop    of     radishes    and     onions.  neY    gardening  clubs    are  to  be  formed 

Some  of  the  larger  boys  went  to  work  and  our  lar^e  class  of  junior  gardeners 

and  before  night  succeeded  in  fencing  will  soon  number  5,000. 

about  half  of  the  plats.  They   used   old , _ 

lumber  from  the  school  and  rabbit  wire,  ~  ...  ,       ,,  , 

which  some  of  the  boys  brought  from  Communications  should  be  sent  to 

home.     They    expect    to    continue    the  C.  A.  STEBBINS,  Editor  • 

work  as  soon  as  sufficient  material  can  a~~;„„h„..«i  t?^„«„+;«„  n.Tr,v-rt„ 

be  obtained.    They  also  plan  to  plant  Agricultural  Education  Division 


J> 


University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley,  California 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Director 
Entered  as  second-class  matter,  November,  1911,  at  the  Postoffice  at  Berkeley.  Cal.' 


m 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

v— >*    LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED    TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol.  1. 


Berkeley.  California    March  28,  1912 


No.   18 


1  —                                                                 f                     — 

3                                            -                                    :^§^i& 

*! 

Hap/. 

M   ...  .- 

Squad  of  Bo\}s  and  Girls  at  Work  at  the  People  s  Place,  North  San  Fran 


EDITORIAL 


Last  week  a  small  gardener  said  to  its,  '1  love  to  plant 
something  always  comes  up."     Do  yon  know,  Juniors,  thai 
up-."  wli<.  never  gardened  when  we  wei  ">l.  mist  ng  a 

deal     The  garden  can  teach  so  much  pidet  rod 

velons  home  can   teach   the  most   skillful  designer  and  architect.     The 
birds  as  they  -oar  tell  ta  that  the  brightest  student  of  the  aero- 

plane may   well   listen   to.     The  lowly  ant   i  ^s  of 

patience,  and  the  seed  as  it  sends  t > -rth  a  plant  to  blost 
the  great  lesson  that  we  '"reap  what  that  we  get  from  the  w 

,:t    what    « 

There  is  your  sister,  brother,  mother,  or  father.    Smile  at  him  or  her, 
what  do  you  get  in   return?     Yes,  a   imile  happily, 

corned  a  cheery  remark.     Pol  |oy  into  your  home,  and  rood  cl 

in  on  you;  scowl  crossly  and  speak  harshly,  and  I  .  come.     Your 

friend  is  your  looking  glass.     In  hi.s  face  shon  mile  or  your  sc 

ru  mark  his  face      You  have  no  right  to  be  ci 
you  are  putting  wrinkles  in   some  01  OW  of  friends 

"smile   so   easily,   and   soon   everybody   ifi    snnlv 

Put   care,  patience  and  thought  into  the  of  a  seed,  at 

gift  i  rior  flower.     Put  carel 

advertised  in  the  plant.     If  you  put  un happiness  and  dishonesh 
world,  you  will  suffer  in  their  return.     If  you  help  your  friend,  you  will 

..•'help  in  turn.     It  is  besl  to  - 
that  you  may  reap  service  and  nol  s>elfisbi 

We  want  you  to  tlunk  aboul   service  to  your  friends*,  for  California 
can  never  »rnia  unless  you  Junioi 

selfish  than  arc  so  many   fathers  and  mothers. 


Book  List  for  This  Week 

1.  "A  Little  Garden  Calendar"  by  A. 
Paine.  (Book  review  concerning  same 
by  Helen  Diehl.) 

2.  "Trees  Shown  to  Children"  by  J. 
Kelman. 

3.  "First  Book  of  Forestry,'    by  Roth. 


The  Ideal  Home 


'A  Little  Garden  Caiendar" 


HELEN    DIEHL, 

Oakland.        B      Fifth      Grade,     Franklin 

School 

The  book  entitled  "A  Little  Garden 
Calendar,"  written  by  Albert  Paine, 
tells  about  the  different  flowers  grown 
in  the  different  months. 

The  story  part  is  about  a  little  boy 
named  David,  his  sister  Prudence  and 
the  gardener. 

In  January  the  children  are  told  all 
about  seeds  and  how  to  plant  them  in 
flower  pots.  Then  in  February  the 
little  plants  come  up.  The  children  are 
told  how  to  care  for  them. 

In  March  David  and  Prue  discover 
that  some  of  their  little  plants  are 
really  radishes. 

In  April  the  showers  come  and  the 
children  find  that  the  yellow  dust  or 
pollen  is  food  for  the  seeds.  They  are 
told  how  seeds  are  fertilized  in  May. 

June  is  the  month  when  they  go 
down  to  the  strawberry  patch. 

The  next  month  is  July,  when  weeds 
are  studied. 

In  August  they  learn  about  the  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  leaves. 

The  next  month  is  September  and 
the  children  are  told  about  the  servants 
of  the  flowers. 

The  month  of  October  is  the  time 
when  the  scattering  of  seeds  is  studied. 

In  November  they  are  told  about  an- 
nuals and  perennials. 

The  last  month  is  December,  when 
they  talk  about  the  Christmas  tree. 

The  book  is  very  interesting. 

Other  teachers  should  take  advan- 
tage of  the  Junior  to  vitalize  composi- 
tion work.  Boys  and  girls,  why  do  you 
not  send  me  in  more  letters? 


If  gardens  are  started  in  cans  or 
pots  be  sure  to  use  soil  containing 
one-third  sand.  The  soil  should  be 
wet  at  least  24  hours  before  stirring 
and  using.  Get  the  soil  ready  before 
placing  it  in  the  cans.  Do  not  keep 
the  soil  too  moist.  Why  do,  you  gar- 
deners use  water  so  much?  Saturday 
morning  followed  a  heavy  rain,  yet 
six  of  the  Berkeley  gardeners  asked  if 
they  might  irrigate.  One  club  has 
failed  just  because  the  boys  and  girls 
"puddled"  the  soil. 


Perseverance 


LLOYD  PETERS, 
Sixth  Grade,  Pitts  School 

We  have  joined  the  Junior  Garden- 
ing club  and  in  the  spring  we  hope  to 
do  something  in  the  vegetable  line.  We 
have  received  our  seeds  and  were  glad 
to  get  them,  and  now  we  hope  soon 
to  get  our  papers  and  pins.  We  have  a 
few  house  plants  and  will  have  more. 
We  had  some  bulbs  three  years  ago 
and  some  turned  out  good  and  others 
were  failures.  This  year  we  have  some 
more  bulbs  in  tin  cans,  all  the  same 
size,  and  hope  they  will  grow  well. 
Still,  if  they  do  not  we  will  keep  on 
trying. 


The  children  of  the  B  Fifth  grade, 
Franklin  school,  Oakland,  have  formed 
in  miniature  on  a  sand  dirt  table  in  the 
schoolroom  an  ideal  home.  The  teacher, 
in  connection  with  her  nature  study 
work,  has  been  teaching  the  children 
the  points  to  be  considered  in  making 
a  beautiful  home.  This  is  nature 
study  well  aimed,  indeed.  The  arti- 
cles below  were  written  by  two  mem- 
bers of  her  class. — Editor. 
AN  IDEAL  HOME 
Stewart   Carter 

An  ideal  home  must  have  plenty  of 
sunlight  and  pure  air.  The  house  should 
be  placed  on  a  slope,  where  the  water 
will  run  off.  It  should  have  a  good  out- 
look or  view,  such  as  a  lake  that  you 
can  just  see  a  little  of  through  the 
trees,  or  a  meadow  filled  with  flowers, 
hills  in  the  distance  or  any  pretty  view 
of  nature. 

If  you  have  a  garden  do  not  cut  it  up 
by  planting  different  kinds  of  flowers 
here  and  there,  but  make  it  look  rest- 
ful. You  should  not  have  paths  that 
wind  around  too  much,  but  just  have 
slight  turns.  To  make  it  pretty  mass 
the  foliage.  Do  not  have  a  tree  or  bed 
of  flowers  right  in  the  middle  of  the 
lawn.  Have  it  open  in  the  center.  Have 
colors  that  harmonize.  If  you  have  a 
variety  of  flowers  that  blend  plant  them 
according  to  height. 

AN  IDEAL  HOME 
Eunice  Fones 

An  ideal  home  must  have  plenty  of 
pure  air  and  sunshine.  It  should  not  be 
closed  in  by  high  buildings  nor  be  near 
any  factories. 

The  drainage  should  also  be  good, 
otherwise  the  water  would  get  in  the 
basement  and  it  would  not  be  healthy. 
The  home  should  be  on  a  slight  hill. 

The  ideal  home  should  have  a  good 
outlook,  such  as  a  lake,  meadow  or 
hills. 

The  garden  should  look  restful,  flow- 
ers that  blend  placed  next  to  each  other 
and  the  paths  slightly  curved.  The  tall 
flowers  should  be  near  the  fence  and 
the  smaller  ones  in  front. 


An  Appreciation 

DOROTHY  DOW 

Our  teacher,  Mrs.  Melquiond,  is  hav- 
ing us  write  about  our  gardens.  I  have 
planted  a  garden  at  home  that  is  doing 
better  than  the  one  at  school.  In  my 
home  garden  I  have  planted  lettuce 
and  radishes  that  are  coming  up,  and 
carrots,  onions  and  spinach  that  have 
not  yet  come  up. 

For  flowers  I  have  planted  sweet- 
peas,  poppies  and  pansies.  Monday  I 
am  going  to  plant  more  seeds  in  my 
school  garden.  We  wish  to  thank  Pro- 
fessor Stebbins  for  all  the  things  that 
he  has  given  us  to  start  the  garden 
with,  and  know  that  he  will  be  glad 
to   learn    that   they   are   doing  well. 


In  Piedmont  there  is  a  model  twen- 
tieth century  school  sitting  high  on  a 
hill.  We  were  pleased,  indeed,  with 
the  cosy  homelike  building  and  its 
big  family.  Each  child  in  the  school 
from  the  first  to  the  eighth  grade  has 
a  garden.  This  week  we  hope  to  have 
them  join  our  big  class. 
*  *  * 

We  hope  that  you  are  studying  the 
garden  lessons.  Can  you  answer  all 
the  questions?  The  lessons  should  be 
kept  on  file  and  used  as  a  textbook. 


Garden  Notes 


This    is   the   garden    time  of  the 
for  most  plants.     Put  the  seeds  into  the 
•  rly; 

*  *  * 

Teachers    and    children    should    make 
Of  the  "picture  and  book"  corner. 
»  •  « 

New    clubs    are    being    formed    • 

Within   the   last   t  »•.  more 

the  gardei 
which    numbers    nearly    ;,.iiuu    boys    and 

girls. 

*  #         # 

«»     wish  ee     in 

k 

enta     it   is  •>  manual. 

*  *         * 

We  articles  written  by 

Juniors.     Send  in  your  compoaitlOl 

*  #  * 

s"     ;u,.     written     by 

children   ol  mklin   school, 

land,  Miss  A.  Sellander,  teacher.    Teach, 
lo  you  not  use-  the  Junior  page 
c    new    life    to   your   composition 
work,  as  has  this  Oakland  teach* 

*  *  * 

Berkeley  garden  city  is  flourish- 
in  u.     The  bank  is  hard  pressed,  during 
nort    banking    hour,    10:30    to    11 
k  nn  Saturday  mornings,  to  handle 
the  financial  activities  of  the  city.  Many 
ibles   and    flowers    were    sold    this 
last  ■  president  of  the  univer- 

sity has  kindly  given  us  more  land,  and 
through  the  assistance  of  the  children 
and  the  student  teachers  an  embryo  city 
will  be  ideally  built  about  the  gardens. 
From  20  to  50  visitors  are  welcomed  on 
garden  day. 

*  * 

Principal  Edgar  of  the  Franklin 
school,  Oakland,  itas  obtained  a  vacant 
lot  tot  a  garden.  Under  the  direction 
of  the  regular  teachers,  Mrs.  Smith, 
lindley  and  Miss  Graham,  160 
children  have  made  an  excellent  start. 
re  glad  to  welcome  them  all  as 
new  members  of  the  great  class  of 
California  Junior  gardeners.  The 
Franklin  school  children  do  things  so 
well  that  we  expect  "something  differ- 
ent" in  school  gardens  from  them. 

*  #  •* 

A  miniature  farm  has  been  started  by 

one    grade   on    a    sand    table    under    the 

tlon     of     Miss     a.     Sellander.       The 

small    cottage    was    made    in    art    work. 

Vines  and  young  trees  have  been  grown 

to  satisfy   landscape  architecture.     The 

children  are  making  a  study  of  an  ideal 

We  like  this  idea,  for  nothing  is 

quite   so   fundamental    to    the   future   of 

t ate   as   raising   the   ideals   of   the 

homes. 

Through  the  sand  and  dirt  table,  art, 
i  y,     manual     training,     arithmetic, 
etc,  mav  be  given  new  and  vital  direc- 
tion,      in    addition,     the    principles    of 
agriculture  may  be  taught. 

Have  the  boys  make  a  box  4x6  feet 
and  6  to  8  inches  deep.  Fill  this  with 
equal  parts  of  sand,  leaf  mold  and  gar- 
den soil.  Plan  in  miniature  an  ideal 
farm  home  and  reproduce  it  in  the  box. 
young  trees,  a  lawn,  flower  beds, 
vegetables  and  grains  in  their  proper 
places.  Try  out  simple  agricultural  ex- 
periments. "Elementary  School  Agri- 
culture," published  by  the  Macmillan 
company,  San  Francisco,  price  30  cents, 
will  be  of  assistance. 

»  *  # 

Garden  city  citizens  should  hand 
their  grievances  in  writing  to  the 
mayor  for  adjustment  by   the  council. 


Mr.  Packard,  in  charge  of  the  Im- 
perial Valley  Experiment  station,  has 
undertaken  the  organization  of  cotton 
growing  contests  in  Imperial  county.  A 
large  sum  of  money  has  been  donated 
for  prizes  to  be  given    t  l  who 

grow  the  best  half  acre  of  cotton.  The 
high  school  men  in  the  county  who  are 
interested  in  agriculture  are  to  assist 
Mr.  Packard  in  forming  local  clubs.  One 
does  not  know  California  until  a 
is   made  through    the  southland. 


The  Awakening  of  the  Seed 
ii.  n  .Ns.tv 

oaklniHi.       i  rnui  |la     tea*  i.      v     Fifth 
Orate. 

When   I 
lima    bean    on  it    bad 

soaked    for    three    d  i    the 

ater     the 
through    t: 

When    the  ntered    this    caused 

SCtlon   in   the  seed  and   made  sugar.  The 
next  drawn  through  the  cont 
of  the  seed  by  osmosis. 

w  •     then    opened   the   seed   coat 
saw    the    embryo,   whlcb   is 
plant,    and  AS,     which     are 

wo  fat  set- 

What  awakened  the  seed?    The  w 
awakened    the  seed,     in    what   kin  i    ol 
soil     should    seeds    be     i 
should  r  ted   in   moist  soil. 

(-IIAPTKR    VII 

The  Garden 

Now  you  are  ready  to  start  your 
garden.  You  should  have  a  home  gar- 
den, whether  a  garden  is  given  to  you 
at  school  or  not.  You  may  start  your 
garden  at  any  time.  If  started  in  the 
fall,  yon  must  first  water  the  soil  well 
several  days  before  spading.  (Exercise 
3,   chapter   VI,    taught   you   this.) 

Selection  of  I'lat — Select  as  good 
soil  is  can  be  found  in  a  sunny  place. 
If  the  soil  is  too  clayey,  add  sand.  If 
humus  is  necessary,  stir  in  two  inches 
of  dry,  decayed  manure.  Plants  do  not 
grow  wel!  in  sand  or  clay  alone,  as 
shown  by  exercise  1,  chapter  vi. 

I.n>lnx  eat  Uir  <ardrn — Do  not  make 
your  first  garden  too  large.  A  plat  lOx 
20  feet  for  vegetables  and  a  smaller 
space  for  flowers  will  be  about  all  that 
an  attend  to.  Here  is  a  simple 
plan  for  the  vegetable  garden  (figs.  1 
and  2). 

Most  vegetables  are  sown  in  rows. 
The  rows  should  be  far  enough  apart 
to  allow  ease  of  cultivation  and  trench 
irrigation,  10  to  14  Inches.  Such  plants 
as  corn,  potatoes,  tomatoes,  etc.,  should 
not  be  grown  next  to  rows  of  radish 
kther  low  growing  plants.  Grow 
them  in  plots  by  themselves.  Tall 
growing  plant*  are  best  grown  on  the 
north,  so  as  not  to  shade  others. 

A  l.nrac  Harden — You  may  wish  to 
grow  vegetables  either  at  home  or  at 
school  to  sell  In  the  market.  Here  is 
what  some  children  have  done: 

"During  the  first  year  I  raised  enough 
garden  truck  to  supply  our  own  family, 
and  besides  that  I  sold  $12  worth  to  the 
neighbors.  With  this  I  bought  myself 
a  watch  and  chain,"  said  one  gardener 
from  Ohio      Another  raised  $105  worth 


—  so* — 


FIO.  2, 


of  veg^tsbles  and  sold  about  half  of 
them.  One  girl  sold  enough  vegetables 
in  one  year  to  supply  the  family  and 
buy  a  bicycle. 

Tbe  picture  shows  a  method  used  by 
truck  gardeners.  It  insures  plenty  of 
water  to  the  plants  at  little  expense  for 
labor. 

If  the  garden  is  started  before  the 
rains,  raise,  a  small  levee,  or  embank- 
ment, around  the  whole  plat  and  flood 
with  three  or  four  inches  of  water.  The 
ground  should  be  plowed  or  spaded, 
raked  or  harrowed,  and  made  with  a 
slight  slope.  The  trench  (a)  should  be 
made  by  banking  up  loose  dirt.  Each 
plat,  4x5  feet,  should  be  banked  in  the 
same  way.  Sow  seeds  broadcast  or  in 
rows.  Thin  out  and  cultivate  as  needed. 
From  a  hose,  a  hydrant  or  a  stream  run 
the  water  into  the  trench  (a).  Remove 
a  portion  of  the  bank  at  (b)  and  dam 
the  trench  with  the  soil.  Flood  (X) 
with  two  or  three  inches  of  water. 
Treat  (y)  and  the  other  plats  in  the 
same  way.  After  a  few  hours  cultivate 
each  plat.  In  the  hot  weather  such 
flooding  may  be  done  once  a  week  or 
less  often. 

Fig.  (3)  also  shows  another  method 
of  irrigating  a  large  garden.  Vege- 
tables groAvn  close  to  the  trenches  re- 
ceive water  in  large  quantities  from 
below.  Therefore  the  roots  grow  deep 
in   the   ground. 

Room  is  left  between  the  rows  for 
thorough  cultivation. 

Tf  you  make  a  plan  of  the  back  yard 
for  both  vegetables  and  flowers,  here 
are  a  few  points  in  flower  growing  to 
think  about: 

(1)  Flowers  should  not  be  scattered 
about — red  here,  yellow  there.  It  is 
better  to  have  a  gay  show  of  reds, 
yellows,  blues,  etc.,  as  one  colo-  scheme 
throughout  the  garden. 


(2)  Tall  flowers  should  not  be  grown 
next  to  short  flowers. 

(3)  If  there  is  a  fence  around  your 
yard,  grow  sweet  peas  and  let  them 
climb  ovei  it.  Flowers  are  used  gen- 
erally for  decorations.  They  show  off 
best  when  seen  against  a  background. 
Such  a  background  may  be  a  building, 
a  rock,  a  fence,  trees,  shrubbery,  an 
ash  barrel,  etc. 

(4)  Do  not  grow  flowers  in  an  open 
lawn.  The  lawn  should  be  a  solid  un- 
broken green  with  possibly  a  tree  or 
two. 

(5)  Flowers  may  be  used  to  edge  a 
path,  to  screen  a  rubbish  pile. 

»G)  If  there  is  a  tall  fence  around 
your  back  yard  try  this  plan:  Grow 
double  sunflowers  close  to  the  fence. 
Follow  with  coreopsis  and  edge  with 
dwarf  yellow   nasturtiums. 

With  your  garden  planned,  get  a 
string,  stakes,  a  mallet,  a  yardstick  or 
tapeline  and  stake  the  garden  out. 
Paint  the  stakes  one  color  and  make 
them  all  the  same  size,  about  14  inches 
long  by  1%  by  1%.  Stretch  the  string 
from  post  to  post  to  guide  you  in  keep- 
ing the  stakes  in  line.  Make  the  stakes 
in  the  manual  training  department. 
Prepare  three  stakes  for  each  pupil 
who    has    a    school    garden, 

TooIh — Little  need  be  said  about 
tools.  A  spade,  a  hoe  and  a  rake  are 
needed. 


The  membership  of  our  large  garden- 
ing class  is  growing  rapidly.  Many 
seeds  and  pins  have  been  sent  out  dur- 
ing the  last  week,  yet  we  have  a  great 
many  left.  You  should  enroll  at  once 
before  the  seeds  and  pins  are  gone. 
*  *  * 

The    Franklin    School    club,    Oakland, 
is  very  much  alive. 


WIT  i. 


University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley,  California 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Director  Agricultural  Education 

Entered  as  second-class  matter,  November,  1911,  at  the  Postoffice  at  Berkeley.  Cal. 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

A    LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED    TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol.  I.  Berkeley.  California.     April  14,  1912  No.  16 

SWEET  PEA  CONTESTANTS 


UM  fill  out   the  blanks  below  and  mall  to  the  agricultural  education 
division,    University   ->r"   California,   Berk<  it   Is   necessary  that   you   do 

to  be  considered  an  earnest  applicant  for  a  prise: 
l.   When  and  where  « 1  i *  1  you  plant  your  seeds? 


_'.   What   variety  of  seeds  did  you  use? 

Prom  whom  were  they  obtained? 
:     Briefly   state   how  you  prepared  the  seedbed? 
J.    U<.\v  deep  were  the  seeds  planted? 

Bow  far  apart? 
5.   Wlu-n  did  your  plants  come  up! 

H«»w  tall  are  they  now? 


ho  knows  about  the  planting  of  your  sweet  peas?     Give  name  and 
address. 

7.   Will    you   send   in   a  photograph   of   your   blossoms   before   they   are 
i»i<-ked,   with   those  which   you  wish  to  enter  in   the  contest? 

S.  Are  you  keeping  a  diary? 

in  order  that  you  may  not  forget  the  terms  of  the  contest,  they  are 
repeated  below: 

First — in  order  to  enter  the  contest  as  an  Individual,  you  must  be  a 
California  Junior  Gardener.  It  Is  only  necessary  to  send  your  name  and 
address  to  C.  A.  Stebblns,  Berkeley,  asking  to  become  a  member  of  the 
large  class,  if  you  are  not  already  enrolled. 

Each    school    that   contests    shall   be    organized    as    a   California   Junior 
blob.      Write   for   Information    to    the   agricultural    education   division, 
versity  of  Callforni 

■  nd — Contestants    shall    have    no    direct    assistance    In    planting    the 

-  or  caring  for  the  plants  further  than  that  obtained  from  suggestions 

:  iends  or  from   reading.     Each   contestant  shall  do  all   of  the   work   in 
ing    the    sweet    peas.      He    shall    keep    a    diary    noting    the    following 
points:   (l)  Variety  of  seed  planted  and  where  obtained;  (2)  place  and  date 
anting;    (3)    details   of   planting,   preparation   of  soli,   depth   of  sowing 
seeds,  distance  apart,  etc.;   (4)  time  young  plants  are  first  seen;  (5)  draw- 
of  the  young  plants  two  weeks  and  four  weeks  old;   (41)   care  of  the 
seedlings,  cultivation.  Irrigation,  etc.;   (7)   time  "f  blossoming;   (8)   the  sig- 
nature  of   your   teacher   or  another  friend   who   knows   of  your  sweet   pea 
gani.  in  a  legible  form  shall  be  sent  in  with  the  20  sprays  of 

IW4  el   pass  t-ntered. 


Third — Prizes  will  be  awarded  on  20  sprays  from  the  following  score 
card:  Points. 

For  freshness  and  good  color 6 

For  number  of  flowers  to  stem  (four) 4 

For  length  of  stem   (approximately  18  inches) 4 

For  arrangement  of  flowers  on  the  stem 4 

For    size    of    bloom — approximate     width     of    standard,     1%; 

Spencers,  1  *4 .  and  others 4 

For  neatness,  arrangement,  spelling  in  relation  to  the  diary..   3 

Total 25 

Fourth — The  prizes  are  as  follows: 

First    prize    for    the    best    20    sprays    grown    by    a    Cali- 
fornia Junior  Gardening  club $10.00 

Second  prize    5.00 

Third  prize .      2.50 

First  prize  for  the  best  20  sprays  grown  by  an  individual 

California  Junior  Gardener $10.00 

Second  prize,  a  set  of  gardening  tools. 5.00 

Third  prize    2.50 

The  next  15  prize  winners. 1.00  each 

Fifth— The  awards  will  De  made  at  an  exhibit  to  be  held  in  Hearst  hall, 
University  of  California,  the  latter  part  of  May.  Announcement  will  be 
made  at  the  proper  time  as  to  methods  of  sending  in  the  flowers  and 
the  date. 

Sixth — Flowers  grown  in  hothouses  are  not  eligible. 

Seventh — After  the  exhibit  the  flowers  will  be  sold:  (1)  To  help  pay  the 
expenses  of  the  exhibit  and  vegetable  luncheon;  (2)  to  further  the  Junior 
gardening  work. 

The  following  institutions  have  donated  prizes:  The  San  Francisco 
Call;  the  Morse  Seed  company,  San  Francisco;  the  California  Seed  company, 
San  Francisco,  and  the  Germain  Seed  company,  Los  Angeles. 


EDITORIAL 


We  hope  that  you  read  the  editorial  in  last  Saturday's  Junior 
Call  and  that  you  have  done  BEST  things  mostly  since  then.  Have  you 
been  thinking  and  preparing  to  enter  the  sweet  pea  contest?  Here  is  a 
chance  to  be  best,  or  one  of  the  best,  in  growing  this  plant.  We  want 
you  to  grow  the  best  sweet  peas,  but  do  not  forget  that  we  are  more 
interested  in  you  and  the  way  you  grow  the  peas  than  in  the  plants 
themselves.  You  must  prepare  the  soil,  plant  the  seeds  and  take  care 
of  the  plants  yourself.  In  the  spring  your  sweet  peas  should  hold  up 
their  heads,  look  you  straight  in  the  eyes  and  say,  "We  were  raised 
squarely,  according  to  the  rules  governing  the  contest;  we  stand  for  hon- 
esty and  we  deserve  the  prize."  Look  at  a  boy's  work  in  the  manual 
training  shop  or  at  a  girl's  problem  in  sewing,  and  much  is  told  of  their 
character  and  of  the  kind  of  man  and  woman  the  workers  will  make. 
So  the  sweet  peas  you  grow  and  enter  in  this  contest  will  speak  of  your 
character.    Be  sure  that  they  speak  of  conscientious'  work  alone. 


GARDEN   NOTES 


PLAN 

Ten  Acre    F  *>«»* 


Figu 


Tin-  Km«  rson  school  gardeners  of 
ley  planted  their  seeds  last  week. 
The  gardens  are  staked  out  neatly.  An 
adjoining  vacant  lot  has  been  sowed  to 
dwarf  sweet  peas  and  nasturtiums.  The 
whole  plot  of  two  vacant  lots  has  been 
l. minded  by  giant  Russian  sunflowers. 
We  expect  to  find  the  Emerson  school 
children  strong  contestants  for  one 
«if   the   "rotating"  banners. 


Siturday  was  market  day  at  the 
Berkeley  garden  city.  The  vegetables 
were  placed  for  sale  on  a  new  stand. 
AJbCTt  Becker,  the  garden  commis- 
si., n. -r.  was  in  charge.  Albert  does  ex- 
<••ll.ru  work  and  is  a  good  citizen.  Soon 
>pe  to  have  stars  for  each  officer. 

Many  new  gardens  have  been  started 
at  the  "city."  Pins  are  to  be  given  to 
the  gardeners  who  work  a  plat  contin- 
uously  for   5   or   10   months. 


A  piece  of  ground  20x100  has  been  set 
for  a  miniature  ideal  farm.  The 
fifth  grade  boys  of  the  Washington 
school,  with  their  teacher.  Miss  Wil- 
son, come  on  Tuesday  afternoons  to 
work  out  the  plan.  Last  Tuesday  an 
area  of  wheat  was  planted.  A  part 
was  broadcasted,  a  part  drilled  and  a 
part  broadcasted  and  rolled.  A  thor- 
ough study  will  be  made  of  the  factors 
which  make  for  an  ideal  farm.  (See 
figure  A.)  Several  plats  10x20  have  been 
set  aside  for  flower  gardens. 


The  second  grade  children  of  the 
Lafayette  school,  Oakland,  have  formed 
an  ideal  farm  in  the  schoolroom  on  a 
dirt      table    4x6      feet.     (See    figure   B.) 


Figure   B. 


Miss  Rogers  and  Miss  Collier  have 
taught  the  gardeners  a  great  deal 
about  plant  life.  The  farmhouse,  barn, 
chickens,  stock,  etc.,  were  made  in  the 
art  work.  Alfalfa,  wheat,  corn  and  a 
small  orchard  are  growing  excellently. 


You  Junior  gardeners  should  take 
time  some  day  to  thank  Mr.  Morse  of 
the  Morse  8eed  company.  48  Jackson 
street,  San  Francisco,  for  your  free 
seeds.  He  has  furnished  free  seeds  for 
pawing  Berkeley  vacant  lots. 


My  Spring  Garden 


HENRY     WOOD, 
Le  com--  School,  High  Fifth  Grade 

At  the  beginning  of  the  term  I  found 
my  garden  in  a  pretty  bad  siiape.  There 
were  a  good  many  weeds  and  the  plants 
were  very   crowded. 

The  first  time  we  went  out  to  our 
gardens  we  took  out  the  weeds  and 
thinned  out  the  plants.  The  ground 
was  wet.  so  we  could  not  do  any  culti- 
vating. 

We  thinned  out  the  lettuce  plants 
and  had  a  sale  at  which  we  made 
nearly  $2.  We  sold  most  of  the  plants 
to  the  mothers  of  the  children.  We 
used  some  of  this  money  to  buy  seeds 
for  the  sweet   pea  contest. 

There  are  still  things  to  do,  such  as 
cultivating,  pulling  more  weeds  and 
transplanting,  but  it  is  still  too  wet  to 
do  much. 

We  expect  to  have  a  pretty  good 
crop  later  on  in  the  term. 


Caterpillars 


Fifth 


My  Sweet  Peas 


JIMMY  RHINEHART, 
Oakland,      Franklin      School,      R 
Grade 

My  home  garden  consists  of  a  little 
plat  of  sweet  peas.  On  Saturday,  Janu- 
ary »j,  I  broke  the  soil.  I  dug  it  one 
and  a  half  spade  blades  in  depth.  On 
January  8  I  bought  the  seeds  and  put 
them  to  soak  in  a  cup  of  lukewarm 
water. 

The  next  day,  January  9,  I  made 
a  trench  the  length  of  my  plat  and 
five  inches  deep.  Next  I  put  the  seeds 
in  the  ground  about  an  inch  apart  and 
put  one  inch  of  soil  over  them,  leaving 
the  other  four  inches  open. 

The  seeds  came  up  on  January  19. 
Every  day.  as  my  little  plants  grow,  I 
gradually  fill  up  the  trench.  A  few 
days  ago  I  thinned  out  the  plants  about 
a  foot  apart.  My  sweet  peas  are  up 
about  four  inches  now. 


JANE   REILLY, 
Le  Conte  School,  High  Fifth  Grade 

One  day  a  girl  in  our  room  brought 
three  caterpillars,  which  our  teacher 
put  in  a  jar.  Soon  after,  when  we 
looked  at  them,  instead  of  caterpillars 
there  were  three  cocoons.  After  that 
two  of  the  caterpillars  formed  crysa- 
lids  but  the  third  died.  The  one  that 
died  I  am  going  to  tell  you  about. 

First  a  fly,  named  ichneumon, 
stung  him  in  the  back  and  laid  its 
eggs  there.  After  that  the  eggs  .turned 
into  grubs.  The  caterpillar  then  died 
and  shriveled  up,  but  the  grubs  grew 
larger.  Soon  after  he  was  dead  some 
brown  pea  shaped  crysalids  rolled  out 
of  his  body.  In  a  few  days,  when  we 
went  to  look  into  the  jar.  instead  of 
crysalids  there  were  two  flies. 

These  flies  were  the  ichneumon  flies. 
The  ichneumon  fly  is  one  of  the  cater- 
pillar's enemies. 


Sweet  Pea  Contest  at  School 


BROWNIE  FRANCIS, 
Le  Conte  School,  High  Fifth  Grade 

When  we  started  our  plat  we  first 
dug  it  up  about  two  spades  deep.  Our 
plat  is  at  the  southwestern  corner  of 
the  building.  The  sweet  peas  will 
climb  up  the  side  of  the  school  build- 
ing* 

There  is  a  lot  near  the  school  where 
some  of  our  boys  got  some  fertilizer. 
Tnis  we  spread  over  the  plat.  We  also 
used  a  bone  fertilizer.  These  two  we 
dug  into  the  soil,  mixing  them  well. 

We  did  not  do  the  seed  planting  un- 
til a  few  days  after.  The  girls  planted 
the  seeds.  They  first  made  a  trench 
about  two  inches  deep.  Then  they  put 
the  seeds  in  about  six  inches  apart. 
We  expect  to  make  a  success  of  our 
sweet  pea  growing.  Our  seven  varieties 
are  Countess  Spencer.  Prima  Donna. 
Hon.  Mrs.  E.  Kenyon,  Mrs.  Willmott. 
Lady  Grisel  Hamilton.  Dorothy  Eckford 
and  King  Edward  VII. 


A  Word  with  the  Teacher 


We  hope  that  you  have  school  gardens,  not  for  the  sake  of  the  gardens 
alone,  not  because  school  gardens  are  fashionable,  but  because  of  the  larger 
lessons  toward  which  the  gardens  point.  The  school  garden  is  a  funda- 
mental factor  in  education.  It  should  be  potential  in  giving  new  direction 
to  the  old  subjects.  Its  activities  should  be  woven  into  the  school  work. 
Also,  you  should  teach  by  experiment  the  principles  underlying  agriculture. 
Follow  the  classroom  experiment  into  the  garden,  then  into  the  community. 
Capillary  action  at  work  in  glass  tubes  in  the  schoolroom  is  the  same  force 
which  the  boy  gardener  and  the  farmer  must  in  like  manner  take  cog- 
nizance. Far  too  much  farming  is  being  done  by  rule  and  not  through  the 
application  of  principles.  Will  you  not  give  this  new  agricultural  movement, 
which  is  so  fundamental  to  our  welfare,  your  close  attention  and  study? 
It  depends  on  you,  the  regular  teachers,  not  on  the  university,  not  on  the 
supervisors,  for  its  success.  You  have  done  considerable  this  term.  Plan 
to  conserve  the  work  indefinitely.  The  way  of  least  resistance  is  to  follow 
and  to  teach  the  lessons  which   are  printed  in   The  Junior. 

It  is  a  task  on  the  university  division  to  print  and  to  mail  out  5,000 
copies  of  The  Junior  Agriculturist;  will  you  not  see  that  the  paper  is  read 
by  the  Juniors?  Let  it  be  used  to  give  new  direction  to  the  composition 
work.  Read  and  discuss  the  editorials  with  the  children.  Make  a  study  of 
the  "famous"  pictures  as  they  are  issued.  Have  the  children  perform  the 
experiments  and  recite  on  the   lessons. 


University  of  California,  College  of  Agriculture,  Berkeley,  California 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Director  Agricultural  Education 

Entered  as  second-class  matter,  November,  1911.  at  the  Postoffice  at  Berkeley.  Cal. 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

-^A     LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED    TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol.  1.  Hkrkeley.  California.  May    14,  1912  No.  17 

LOOK  FOR  THE  GOOD  IN  PEOPLE 

Soma    Months  ago  certain   school   children   started    gardens.     Anxiously 
oung  plants  to  appear.     Patience  was  Anally  rewarded 
and  the  leaves  timidly  pushed  the^r   way   through  the  «tll     Bach  day   I 

isnn-ii   the  growth   of  the  plants.     But  one  morning  indignation 
ran    high,    for    the    young    vegetables    ha. J    been    snipped    off    close    to    t 

in. I.     Many  were  the  threats  that  were  made.     All  day  long  al" 

they    watched    for    tlo  »,     To    the   astonishment    <»f    the    children    the 

white   crowned    sparrows.  be   guilty.     The  class   Immediately   de- 

<i-h  itroy    the  Would    you  is    the   san 

Another    pupil     made    war    with    slingshot     and    alrgun    on    California 
wc  suss   he   had   ssen   one   make  ■    hole  in   his   bam.     Would 

yon    have  done    the   same? 

The    boys    and    girls    who    condemn.  :ite    crowned    sparrows    so 

quickly    and   the   pupil    who   destroyed   woodpeckers   were    led   to   study   the 
birds,   and   soon   they  thai    both    the   sparrows  and   woodpeckers   do 

more  good  than  harm.  So  we  all  have  sharp  eyes  for  evil  and  dull  eyes 
for  the  good.  The  farmer  seas  the  meadow  lark  as  he  picks  up  the  grain. 
but  he  does  not  set  the  bird  at  be  eats  grasshopper  after  grasshopper  (an.) 
is.shoppers  are  rery  I  armful  to  the  farmer),  and  Just  so  we  are  quick  to 
see  and  to  talk  about  the  faults  "i  oui  friends  ratbsj  than  about  their 
virtues. 

rar  as  we  know,  all  life  has  good  within  it.  Even  the  housefly  has 
some  us. -fulness.  If  you  ask  yourself  this  question,  "Where  is  the  good 
within?"  and  then  use  sharp  eyes,  you  will  be  surprised  with  what  you  c. 
find.  Whom  do  you  consider  your  worst  enemy?  Now  use  sharp  eyes  for 
the  good  which  is  there.  We  want  you  to  use  sharp  eyes  for  the  good  and 
dull  eyes  for  the  »vil  \\ '•■  \\..nt  you  not  only  to  do  this,  but  to  keep  point- 
ing out  to  your  friends  what  you  see  In  them  and  about    i 


Mr.    Stebblns:     It    has    been    a  our    new    school    yet.    and    are    obi 

long    time    since    I    wrote    you    last,    so  to  plant   in   boxes,   but   will    tran   ; 

this  time  I   have  quite  a  lot  to  tell.  later. 

My  sweet  peas  are  quite  large  now.  At  school  last  1  plan  tad  let- 
Last  Saturday  I  started  tying  th»m  up.  tuce  seeds  In  a  cigar  box  and  now 
but  have  not  finished  yet.  I  have  are  one  and  three-fourths  Inches  high 
learned  that  the  peas  that  get  the  The  stem  is  long  and  frail,  whit 
morning  sun  are  the  best,  for  they  caused  from  not  having  enough  air  and 
are  higher  and  are  a  darker  green  than  sun.  I  also  planted  tomato  seeds,  but 
the   others.  they  are  not  up  yet. 

We    are    disappointed    in    not    having  The    seeds    I    planted    a    long    time 


ago  grew  very  well  but  the  chickens 
found  them  and  they  were  destroyed 
before  1  discovered  the  harm  the> 
had   done. 

I  will  close  now.  hoping  all  the  chil- 
dren  belonging  to   the  Junior   Agricul- 
turist  club    will    have    good    luck    with 
their  plants.      I  am  your  junior  friend. 
F'LORA  Mac  DONALD. 

Salada  Beach,  April  30,  1912. 
*  *  * 

Dear  Sir:  I  am  a  member  of  the 
Junior  Agriculturist  and  I  received 
vour  letter  stating  that  you  would  like 
"to  hear  from  me.  The  reason  I  did 
not  write  sooner  was  because  I  was 
waiting  for  my  vegetables  and  flowers 
to  sprout.  I  planted  the  following 
seeds:  Carrots,  radishes,  kale,  lettuce, 
onions     and      potatoes.  The      flower 

seeds  are:  Sweet  William,  sweet  peas, 
daisies  and  California  poppies.  They 
are  all  growing  nicely  now.  I  have 
not  received  an  issue  of  the  Junior 
Agriculturist  since  March  14,  1912,  and 
I  would  like  to  receive  it  regularly. 

As  I  am  a  pupil  of  the  Hunters 
Point  school  I  have  my  garden  at  home. 
The  reason  the  pupils  have  no  garden 
at  our  school  is  because  the  soil  is  very 
sterile  and  will  not  produce  any  crops. 
Hoping  to  receive  my  paper  regularly. 
Yours    truly,  MAY   DONOHUE. 

San    Francisco,    April    16,    1912. 


little  gullies,  and  muddy  streams  came 
tearing  down.  If  there  were  a  farm  at 
the  bottom  of  the  mountain  it  would 
be  flooded.  If  there  were  a  farm  at 
the  bottom  of  the  forest  side  it  would 
not  be  flooded  out  because  there  was 
nothing  but  a  clear  little  stream  there. 


Our  Bulbs 


BY   FREDERICK   BYRNES, 
Seventh    Grade,    Pitta    School 

The  bulbs  we  planted  last  fall  have 
all  blossomed  except  one.  One  did  not 
bloom  because  it  was  planted  too  deep. 
The  largest  bulb  grew  29  inches  high 
and  the  blossom  was  four  inches  in  di- 
ameter. Each  bulb  had  two  blossoms, 
while  one  had  three  and  another  four 
blossoms.  After  tne  blossoms  had  died 
we  cut  the  leaves  off  about  four  inches 
above  the  ground. 

We  are  now  watering  them  very 
sparingly  waiting  for  the  remaining 
leaves  to  die.  When  they  die  we  will 
place  the  can  and  bulbs  in  a  cool,  dry 
place. 

Next  October  we  will  prepare  a  place 
outside,  take  the  bulbs  out  of  the 
cans,  separate  and  plant  them  about 
six  inches  apart. 


An  Experiment 

MILDRED    TAYLOR, 
Oakland.       5   B   Grade,   Franklin    School 

A  few  days  ago  we  tried  an  experi- 
ment on  our  zinc  lined  sand  table  to 
show  that  forests  prevent  erosion  of 
the  soil. 

A  few  children  made  a  mound  of 
earth  very  solid,  two  feet  in  diameter 
and  one  and  a  half  feet  in  height,  to 
represent  a  mountain.  Our  teacher  put 
some  moss  and  little  twigs  in  the 
ground  to  represent  a  forest  and  left 
the  other  sides  bare.  She  took  a 
sprinkling  can  and  held  it  about  two 
feet  high  and  let  the  water  come  down 
as  if  it  were  rain. 

The  results  were  the  barren  side  had 


JIMMY    RINERART, 
Oakland.       5  B   Grade,   Franklin    School 

A  few  days  ago  we  tried  an  experi- 
ment on  our  zinc  lined  sand  table  to 
show  that  forests  prevent  erosion  of 
the    soil. 

First,  we  made  a  mound  of  earth  two 
feet  in  diameter  and  one  and  a  half 
feet  high.  This  mound  was  packed 
hard.  Next  on  one  of  the  sides  we 
stuck  in  pine  twigs  to  represent  trees. 
and  moss  to  represent  underbrush. 
Then  we  took  a  sprinkling  can  and 
sprinkled  water  on  the  top  of  the 
mound  to  represent  rain. 

The  result  was  that  the  barren  side 
had  all  the  good,  fertile  soil  and  some 
of  the  pebbles  washed  down  to  its  base, 
while  the  side  with  the  forest  was 
just  the  same,  only  under  the  growth 
the  ground  was  soaked. 

This  happened  in  the  Sacramento  val- 
ley on  a  larger  scale  when  the  moun- 
tain forests  were  cut  down.  Before  the 
forests  Were  cut  down,  steamers  used  to 
go  up  the  Sacramento  river  almost  to 
Shasta,  and  now  they  can  go  only  about 
half  this  distance.  The  reason  for  this 
is  that  since  the  forests  have  been  cut 
the  heavy  rains  have  washed  down  fl'ne 
soil  and  loosened  boulders,  which,  com- 
ing down,   have   filled  up  the   river  bed. 


Reading  List 

1.  "Tree    Stories." — L.    E.    Mulets. 

2.  "Little    Brothers   of   the   Air" — Mil- 
ler. 

3.  Pacific     Nature     Stories — H.     Wag- 
ner. 


TREE    STORIES 

Edith  Warness. 
The  book  entitled  "Tree  Stories"  is 
written  by  Lenore  E.  Mulets.  It  is 
very  interesting.  Some  of  the  pupils 
in  our  class  told  the  stories  about  the 
oak  tree  and  the  pussy  willows.  The 
following  are  some  of  the  stories  in 
the  book:  "Why  the  Poplar  Branches 
Turn  Upward,"  "Why  the  Aspen  Leaves 
Always  Tremble,"  and  "Why  Some 
Trees  are   Always  Green." 


Since  the  sweet  peas  are  maturing  so 
slowly,  the  awards  will  be  made  in  July 
at  a  potato  bake  to  be  held  at  the  Ber- 
keley garden  city.  All  contestants  are 
invited  to  attend.  Potatoes,  radishes, 
lettuce,  etc.,  will  be  furnished,  but  vis- 
itors will  be  asked  to  bring  cakes  and 
pies.  The  potatoes  will  be  baked  on  the 
grounds  by  individuals  and  groups.  We 
are  looking  forward  to  a  good  time.  No- 
tice of  the  exact  date  for  shipment  of 
the  peas  and  for  the  bake  will  be  given 
later. 


Packing  Sweet  Peas  for  Exhibition 

With  care  in  packing  sweet  pea>  111   do  little 

harm.      If   you   live   |  select    the   best    t> p.<    IL 

SI   "i    30  sprays,  and   cut   them   the   morning   of   the  awards.     Mai, 
will   have  to  be  shipped   son.  pea  blossoms  should   be   <ir> 

when    d.kK.,1.     Cut    the   sprays  in   the   morning   after   the   .lt-w    bai 
or  kfte  in  the  afternoon.    Cut  the  epra 

the   peas   lightly    in    water  and   set    them  a  here 

the  air  is  in   motion    (not   in    the   sunlight   nor   in   the   dark). 

«'ut     the    ■prmyg    when    the    h.w«r    blossoms    ur.  .  n    and    tl 

bioss..  open  or  win  n  maturity  Is  nearij  ma  should 

not   "soft"  and   Break      Ifoisten  cotton  and   wrap  the  ends  Of  the 

stems   and   place   the   oiied  sprays  in   past< >1  \es.      (They   may   be  ob- 

tained from  florists,  or  a  shoebox,  cut  down,  will  do 

I    paper    if   the    w.ather   is   hot.      This   keeps   the    plant    moisture 
evaporating.     Lay   the   sprays  close   together   in    rows  and   cover   • 
tissue  paper.     Do  not  put  too  many  sp  box   for  I 

Qowera     Pack   the  box   with   tissue  paper  t"   h  tome  ti«h: 

place. 

<  m  arrival  at   the  place  of  destination,   pi  is   sofl 

water  at   once,  and   arrange   in   attractive   transparent   glasses.      In   a  short 
time   tli»'   blossoms  will   awake  in  their  freshness  and   beaut  \. 

if  possible,   go  with   your  sprays   to  the   exhibition   so   thai    yon   may 
arrange   them   artistically   as   to   color   and   stems. 

it   Is  planned  to  has.    i  pea  content  .lose  during  the  first  week 

in  July. 


Junior  Agriculturist 

sts   us  a    ur.  at    deal    to   send    you    The  Junior.      If  you    want    li 

term    Oil    out    the    blank    and    eend    II    to    the   editor,    C     a     Btebblna, 

■ley. 

Bdltor —  Dat. 

I  shall  grow  plants  next  term.     Kindly  keep  my  nam.-  on  your  mailing 
ii«t  t"  receive  the  Junior  Agrlculturli 


Name 


Addi 


School    and    Club 


Teacher's  Name  and  Address. 


LESSON   7— Concluded.  Pt°<   facing  one  edge.     Press  the  spade 

i f   t •    ■     is   a   riKht   way  '  ground    as    far    as     you     can 

to  use   tools.     When   you   are   ready   to  (about  «lx   Inches  from   the  edge)    with- 
stand   in    one     corner     of     your 


the     handle     forward     and     backward, 
then    throw    the    dirt    a    few    inches    in 


front.  Be  sure  to  break  up  the  clods 
thoroughly  as  each  spadeful  is  turned 
over.  Plants  do  not  grow  well  in 
cloddy  soil.  Exercise  2,  Chapter  VI. 
taught  you  this.  Continue  spading 
across  the  garden,  leaving  a  trench  in 
front.  Guided  by  the  trench  spade  an- 
other row.  Keep  the  trench  open  as 
each  row  is  spaded.      (Fig.  4.) 

With  the  whole  plot  spaded  or  at 
least  the  part  spaded  which  you  wish 
to  saw  at  once,  rake  back  and  forth  to 
?>reak  up  any  lumps  still  left.  It  is  a 
good  plan  to  push  the  rake  from  you, 
otherwise  the  soil  will  be  drawn  from 
the  center  to  the  edges.  When  finished 
the  bed  should  be  soft,  a  little  higher 
in  the  center  than  at  the  edges.  It 
should  be  raised  about  two  inches.  The 
^dges  should  be  in  line  with  the  stakes, 
string  stretched  around  the  plot  will 
guide  you  in  making  straight  edges. 

The  School  Garden — A  diagram  of 
school  gardens  will  appear  in  the  next 
issue.  If  you  have  a  school  garden 
your  teacher  will  help  you  in  planning 
Mid  laying  out  the  garden  as  a  whole. 
An  individual  garden  will  be  given  you, 
you  may  work  in  a  group  with  others, 
you  may  have  an  experimental  garden 
or  you  may  do  all  three.  However, 
what  you  have  learned  will  help  in 
the  school  garden.  Unless  your  teach- 
er has  given  you  a  plan  to  follow, 
work  out  some  original  way.  Follow 
his  instruction  closely  so  as  to  grow 
the  best  vegetables  and  flowers.  Any 
one  can  grow  a  radish,  but  any  one 
can   not  grow   the   best   radish. 


You  and  your  neighbors  should  plan 
to  arrange  your  vegetables  and  flowers 
so  as  to  make  the  garden  as  a  whole 
attractive.  A  row  of  corn  next  to  a 
row  of  beets  would  not  look  well.  Two 
rows  not  parallel  would  not  only  spoil 
the  appearance  of  one  garden  but 
would  make  the  whole  plot  less  at- 
tractive. You  and  your  neighbors  must 
think    of   the    good    01    all. 

Tools — You  may  ha\e  to  furnish 
your  own  tools.  The  school  may  fur- 
nish them.  In  either  case,  take  care 
of  them.  Put  them  in  a  tool  house 
or  a  box  carefully  and  well  cleaned. 
When  not  being  used  in  the  gardens 
lay  hoes  and  rakes  with  the  prongs 
down.  Fo-ne  one  may  fall  or  step  on 
them.  Probably  there  will  not  be 
enough  to  give  each  pupil  a  set.  Re- 
member your  neighbor  and  be  satisfied 
with    one   tool. 

A  tool  broken  by  a  gardener  should 
be  fixed  or  replaced  by  him. 

With  the  seed  bed  carefully  spaded, 
raked  and  formed  you  are  ready  to 
plant  seeds.  Do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to 
plant,  however.  The  most  important 
step  in  growing  the  best  radish  is  a 
perfect  seed  bed.  After  the  seeds  are 
in  little  can  be  done  to  improve  the  bed. 

If  clods  persist  rake  then  into  a  pile. 
Dig  a  hole  in  one  corner  of  the  garden 
and  bury  them. 
QUESTIONS 

1.  What  should  determine  the  choice 
of  the  garden  plat? 

2.  -How  far  apart  should  the  rows  be? 

3.  Why  not  plant  corn  and  beets  close 
together? 

4.  Give  some  rules  for  the  growing 
of    flowers. 

5.  Explain  the  proper  way  to  spade 
and  to  rake. 

6.  Describe  an  ideal  seed  bed. 

7.  What  steps  does  a  farmer  take  in 
preparing  a  good  seed  bed? 

8.  What  should  each  pupil  bear  in 
mind  to  make  the  whole  plat  atractive? 

9.  What  is  the  most  important  step 
in  growing  the  best  vegetable  or 
flower? 

HOWE    STUDIES 

1.  Why  does  a  farmer  select  well 
drained  land  when  buying? 

2  Why  will  ordinary  crops  not  grow 
on  wet  lowlands? 

3.  How  might  swampy  land  be  re- 
claimed? 

4.  How  far  apart  does  the  farmer 
plant  corn  and  wheat?  How  are  the 
seeds  sown? 

5.  How  might  your  own  and  the 
homes  of  others  living  near  be  made 
more  beautiful?  Make  a  rough  plan  of 
a  flower  scheme  for  your  home. 

6.  What  will  be  the  cost  of  such  a 
garden  as  shown  in  figure  2?  Find  out 
what  vegetables  and  flowers  are  worth 
and  estimate  the  profit  to  be  gained. 

7.  What  methods  are  used  to  irrigate 
orchards,  gardens  and  fields  in  your 
vicinity? 

8.  Study  figure  5  carefully,  for  this  10 
acre  farm  will  be  referred  to  often. 
What  would  it  cost  to  fence  this  farm? 
How  many  years  will  a  good  fence  last? 
What   kind   of  posts   is   it   best   to   use? 


UN  20  1912  * 

**  University  of  California,  College  of  AgricufiAUfSSBceley,  California 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station,  E.  J.  Wickson,  Director  Agricultural  Education 
Entered  as  second-class  matter.  November.  1911.  at  the  Postoffice  at  Berkeley.  Cal. 


The  Junior  Agriculturist 

^-<\     LITTLE    PAPER     ISSUED    TWICE    A    MONTH 
FOR  THE  JUNIOR  GARDENERS  OF  CALIFORNIA 


Vol.  I.  Berkeley.  California.     June  14,  1912  No.  18 


What  Are  You  Going  To  Do  for  1915 

In  the  Junior  Call  we  wrote  you  about  Johnnie,  who  had  no  right 

green  apples  because  he  made  so  many  people  unhappy.     We  told  you 

that   '«ne  should  care  for  a  cold,   since   others  might  be  made  sick.     A 

h    boy   or   girl   or   selfish    parents    will   not  agree   with   us,   for  they 

think  that  they  can  do  anything  they  please.     There  is  some  excuse  for 

Y>u  hoys  and  girls,  but  no  excuse  for  parents  and  others  for  so  much 

of  self.     Truly,  the  man  or  woman  who  thinks  only  of  himself  or 

If  is  not  quite  grown  up. 

There  are  nearly  200  children  who  work  in  the  Berkeley  Garden 
Each  has  an  individual  garden.  Last  week  we  walked  through  the 
gardens.  We  found  a  few  plats  full  of  weeds.  The  presence  of  weeds 
two  stories:  (1)  That  the  o\rners  of  the  weedy  gardens  are  not 
good  workers,  and  (2)  that  they  are  selfish.  They  have  no  right  to 
ajlow  the  weeds  to  grow.  One  weed  will  grow  thousands  of  seeds,  each 
of  which  will  make  a  new  weed.  Thus  because  of  one  selfish  boy  or  girl 
all  of  the  other  children  will  have  to  do  extra  work  to  keep  weeds  from 
their  gardens.  Not  only  does  selfishness  cause  their  neighbors  extra 
work,  but  a  weedy,  unsightly  plat  spoils  the  appearance  of  the  whole 
garden  and  makes  visitors  feel  that  we  are  all  careless.  How  much 
better  if  these  selfish  gardeners  would  serve  the  whole  city  by  keeping 
their  plats  clean  and  attractive. 

Such  thoughtless  gardeners  we  may  excuse,  yet  not  praise  in  our 
Garden  city,  for  the  boys  and  girls  are  young,  but  we  have  no  excuse 
nor  any  praise  for  the  selfish  owner  of  a  vacant  lot  overrun  with  weeds. 
He  or  she  furnishes  a  breeding  place  for  the  weeds,  which  later  all  of 
the  neighbors  have  to  fight.  The  unsightly  lot  helps  to-  keep  strangers 
from  locating  in  the  city,  for  they  feel  that  individuals  who  will  not 
treat  their  neighbors  right  will  not  vote  right.  Thus  property  adjoining 
such  a  lot  is  of  less  value.  Why  do  these  individuals  not  grow  up  and 
serve  their  city? 

In  1915  thousands  and  thousands  of  visitors  are  coming  to  Cali- 
fornia. We  want  many  of  them  to  stay,  and  we  want  all  of  the  others 
to  speak  a  good  word  for  California  when  they  return  home.  Let  us  all 
our  >tate  by  making  the  cities  and  the  country  beautiful.  If  each 
city  school  would  beautify  and  make  useful  one  vacant  lot,  if  the  chil- 
dren of  each  rural  district  would  beautify  their  own  schoolyard,  grow 
and  plant  trees  along  the  country  roads  and  see  that  fences  and  homes 
were  improved,  what  a  great  amount  of  service  they  might  do.  Think 
about  it.  you  10,000  Juniors,  talk  about  it,  for  we  may  ask  you  all  to  take 
hold  soon  for  California. 


Junior  Agriculturist 


It  costs  us  a  great  deal  to  send  you  the  Junior.  If  you  want  it  again 
next  term  fill  out  the  blank  and  send  it  to  the  editor,  C.  A.  Stebbins, 
Berkeley. 

Date 

Dear  Editor — 


I  shall  grow  plants  next  term.    Kindly  keep  my  name   on  your  mailing 
list  to  receive  the  Junior  Agriculturist. 


Name 

Address 

School  and  Club 

Teacher's  Name  and  Address. 


Packing  Sweet  Peas  for  Exhibition 


With  care  in  packing-  sweet  peas  a  1?  to  15  hour  journey  will  do  little 
harm.  If  you  live  near  the  place  of  exhibition,  select  the  best  type  flowers, 
20  or  30  sprays,  and  cut  them  the  morning  of  the  awards.  Many  flowers 
will  have  to  be  shipped  some  distance.  Sweet  pea  blossoms  should  be  dry 
when  packed.  Cut  the  sprays  in  the  morning  after  the  dew  has  dried  up 
or  late  in  the  afternoon.  Cut  the  sprays  at  least  two  hours  before  packing. 
Place  the  peas  lightly  in  water  and  set  them  in  a  dry,  light  plaee  where 
the  air  is  in  motion  (not  in  the  sunlight  nor  in  the  dark). 

Cut  the  sprays  when  the  lower  blossoms  are  well  open  and  the  top 
blossoms  half  open  or  when  maturity  is  nearly  reached.  The  stems  should 
be  woody,  not  "soft"  and  weak.  Moisten  cotton  and  wrap  the  ends  of  the 
stems  and  place  the  dried  sprays  in  pasteboard  boxes.  (They  may  be  ob- 
tained from  florists;  or  a  shoebox,  cut  down,  will  do.)  Line  the  boxes 
with  waxed  paper  if  the  weather  is  hot  This  keeps  the  plant  moisture 
from  evaporating.  Lay  the  sprays  close  together  in  rows  and  cover  each 
with  tissue  paper.  Do  not  put  too  many  sprays  in  a  box,  for  fear  of 
bruising  the  flowers.  Pack  the  box  with  tissue  paper  to  keep  the  blos- 
soms tightly  in  place. 

On  arrival  at  the  place  of  destination,  place  the  sprays  in  clean,  soft 
water  at  once,  and  arrange  in  attractive  transparent  glasses.  In  a  short 
time  the  blossoms  will  awake  in  their  freshness  and  beauty. 

If  possible,  go  with  your  sprays  to  the  exhibition  so  that  you  may 
arrange  them  artistically  as  to  color  and  stems. 

It  is  planned  to  have  the  sweet  pea  contest  close  during  the  first  week 
in  July. 


GARDEN  NOTES 


\W     visited    the    Melrose    school    gar-  state  pays  supervisors  of  agriculture  in 
dens   last   week.     Mr.  Mortensen,     with  the    elementary     schools.        Thus 
his    willing-    workers,    has    converted    a  schools   ai  :ig  of  dir. 
weedy    vacant    lot      into    an    attractive  i                      communities.      We    hope    sin- 
spot.     He  intends  next  term  to  enlarge  cerely   that    the    legislature   of   Califor- 
nia   idea   of   pupil   self-government   and  n,a  at   its  next   session   will 
to  extend  it   to  the  school  ga                  A  plan    possible    in    California.     The    San 
market    and   a   banking   institution   are  Leandro  school  is  a  model   In 
to     be     established.     A     definite      plan  |  ipal. 
whereby    the   activities    in    the   gardens 

may  be  woven  into  the  school  subjects  *  #  # 

Is  to  be  worked  out.  Miss  McDermott  of  San  Francisco     is 

*  *  *  doing  an  excellent  piece  of  work 

Principal  Crane  and  his  school  board  has   over   300   children    entered    in      the 

are   interested   in   gardens  and   agricul-  sweet    pea   contest.     It    in.  ms    nil 

ture.     We  hope   that   the  school   boards  the    future    of    San    Francisco    to    brln^c 

of   Melrose.    San      Leandro    and    Decoto  children  close   to  the  soil  and  growing 

will    co-operate   in   employing  a  auper-  things.     The  closer  a  man   gets  to  the 

visor    of    agriculture.     In    Oregon      the  soil   the   purer  he   la. 

SWEET  PEA  CONTESTANTS 


The  awards  which  are  indicated  belaw  will  be  made  at  the  Berkeley 
Garden  city  on  Saturday,  June  29.  A  potato  bake  will  be  held  at  the  Garden 
city  the  day  the  awards  are  made.  All  contestants  and  their  parents  are 
invited  to  attend.  The  Berkeley  gardeners  will  furnish  potatoes  and  other 
vegetables.  The  visitors  are  requested  to  bring  their  own  bread,  pies, 
cakes,  etc.  "     For  the  noon  meal  come  early. 

Be  sure  to  follow  Instructions  in  pages  of  The  Junior  as  given  as 
to  shipping  sweet  peas,  if  you  do  not  bring  them  yourselves. 

Please  prepay  all  packages  of  flowers  and  mail  or  express  them  so  they  will  arrive 
in  Berkeley  on  June  28.  Be  sure  to  send  your  diary.  See  that  the  sweet  peas  are  labeled 
with  your  name  and  address. 

Prizes  will  be  awarded  from  the  following  score  card: 

Points. 

For  freshness  and  good  ojolor 6 

For  number  of  flowers  to  stem  (four) 4 

For  length  of  stem   (approximately  18  inches) 4 

For  arrangement  of  flowers  on  the  stem 4 

For     size     of     bloom — approximate     width     of     standard,     1%; 

Spencers,  1  hi  ;  and  others 4 

Neatness,  etc.,  in  diary  keeping t 

Total     -.26 

Prizes  will  be  awarded  on  the  20  best  sprays  of  sweet  peas,  not  on  a 
great  number. 

The  prizes  are  as  follows: 

First  prize  for  the  best  20  sprays  grown  by  a  California  Junior 

Gardening   club .  .$10.00 

Second  prize    5.00 

Third   prize    2.50 

First  prize  for  the  best  20  sprays  grown  by  an  individual 

California    Junior    gardener 10.00 

Second  prize,  a  set  of  gardening  tools  5.00 

Third  prize   2.60 

The  next  16  prize  winners 1-00  each 

One  or  more  of  the  following  varieties  must  have  been  grown: 

1.  King  Edward  VII;  red.  2.  Dorothy  Eckford;  white. 

3.  Prima  Donna;  pink.  4.  Lady  Grlsel  Hamilton;  lavender. 

6.  Miss  Willmott;  orange  pink.        6.  Hon.  Mrs.  E.  Kenyon;  primrose. 

7.  The  Countess  Spencer;  giant  pink. 
Flowers  grown  in  hothouses  are  not  eligible. 

After  the  exhibit  the  flowers  will  be  sold:  (1)  To  help  pay  the  expenses 
of  the  exhibit  and  vegetable  luncheon;  (2)  to  further  the  Junior  gardening 
work. 


Money  to  Be  Changed  Into  Glen 
Park  School  Banner 

DANIEL     LYNCH 

The  children  of  the  Glen  Park  school 
have  taken  great  interest  in  the  agri- 
cultural movement.  We  have  planted 
various  kinds  of  vegetables,  including 
parsley,  onions,  carrots,  beets,  turnips, 
radishes,  lettuce,  parsnips,  endives, 
peas,  beans  and  muskmelons. 

The  day  after  May  day  I  read  the 
fcllowing  in  The  Call: 

"Some  school  without  a  banner  had 
its  pretty  girls  in  bright  hued  gowns, 
and  on  each  head  a  bright  pink  bow  on 
01  e  side  and  a  pale  blue  on  the  other." 

That  school  whicn  was  so  unfortu- 
nate as  to  be  without  a  banner  is,  I  am 
sorry  to  say.  the  Glen  Park  school. 
But  u  shall  be  without  a  banner  no 
longer,  for  the  enthusiastic  gardeners 
have  decided  to  buy  a  banner  with  the 
money  derived  from  the  sale  of  vege- 
tables. A  few  of  the  children  in  one 
of  the  smaller  classes  proposed  this 
p:an  to  Miss  McDcrmott  and  it  was  met 
with  approval,  not  only  by  Miss  McDer- 
mott,  but  also  by  Miss  Wade,  our  prin- 
cipal, and  all  the  gardeners. 

We  have  only  sold  our  radishes,  as 
the  other  vegetables  are  not  large 
enough  to  dispose  of. 

Last  week  the  eighth  grade  pupils 
thinned  their  turnips  and  found  sale 
for  the  greens.  I  have  been  told  that 
these  greens,  when  cooked,  form  a 
good  substitute  for  spinach. 

We  planted  onion  seeds  twice,  but 
somehow  or  other  we  did  not  have  luck 
with  them  and  therefore  were  forced 
to  p'ant   onion   sets. 

W  e  transplanted  our  lettuce  and  beets 
and  the  first  two  days  they  looked  as 
if  they  would  not  grow,  but  on  the 
third  day  I  was  surprised  to  see  them 
lift  their  heads.  Some  of,  the  children 
were  not  successful  in  their  trans- 
planting, because  they  handled  the 
plants  too  roughly. 

Each  class  is  allowed  one  hour  a 
week  to  devote  to  its  vegetables..  For 
instance  I,  as  president,  choose  four 
children  to  work  in  the  garden  on  Tues_ 
day  for  half  an  hour;  and  four  different 


children  on  Thursday  for  the  same 
length  of  time.  I  choose  the  children 
from  the  B  eighth  grade  on  Tuesday 
and  from  the  A  eighth  grade  on  Thurs- 
day, thus  giving  every  gardener  a 
chance  to  work  in  the  garden. 

All  the  other  classes  do  likewise,  al- 
though they  do  not  all  choose  the  same 
day. 

We  have  the  following  amount  in  the 
treasury: 

Eighth  grade $0.05 

Seventh  grade 15 

B  sixth  grade .10 

A  sixth  grade 20 

A  fifth  grade 20 

B  fifth  grade 05 

Fourth   grade 15 

Third  grade 15 

Total $1.05 

This  amount  was  obtained  from  the 
sale  of  radishes  and  turnip  greens  only. 

Energetic  Alhambra  Gardeners 

MARY     SUTTON 

In  Alhambra  we  have  four  ward 
schools  and  one  central  high  school. 
The  high  school  and  three  of  the  other 
schools   have  school   gardens. 

At  the  Garfield  Avenue  school  we 
have  two  garden  plats.  One  belongs 
to  the  lower  grades  and  the  other  to 
the  higher  grades.  Besides  these  school 
gardens  there  are  181  pupils  who  have 
home  gardens. 

The  pupils  of  the  sixth  grade  in  this 
school  have  organized  a  junior  garden- 
ing club.  There  are  25  members  of  our 
club.  We  receive  the  Junior  Agricul- 
turist. 

We  (the  club)  have  sold  55  cents' 
worth  of  radishes  from  our  garden  this 
year  and  will  have  peas,  turnips,  beans 
and  onions  ready  for  market  before  the 
close  of  school  in  June. 

This  is  our  first  year  in  gardening. 
We  like  the  work. 


The  Week's  Reading  List 

1.  Plants    and    Their    Children — Mrs. 
Dana. 

2.  Little  Flower  People — Hale. 

3.  Seed    Travels — C.    Weed. 


A  Vacant  Lot  in  North  San  Francisco  Before  Beautifying  by  a  California  Junior  Garden  Club.