Cornell University Library LB3251.T12 The decoration of school grounds.Arbor d 3 1924 013 370 964 Bt\a |9orfe £>tate College of asriculturc Mt Cornell ®ntbersiiti> Stbata, M. S. . ILibmxp v'^ /- ^ =^^^ "^ MICHIGAN ?( TiTE iGRICCLTORU CDLLEGE, eORTICCLTCRAL DEPARTMENT. The Decoration of School Grounds. Arbor Day and Tree Planting. BY Xj. R. TAFT. AGRICULTUEAL COLLEGE, MICH. 1896. T116 sw AflrlGullural Golieoe Offers two regular courses; in one the subjects relate to AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE, and io the other to MECHANIC ARTS. A course for Young Ladies, with instraction in Domestic Economy, is to be added this fall. In addition to instruction along practical lines in those subjects, including STOCK RAISINa, DAIRYING, G-ENERAL FARMING, FRUIT CULTURE, VEGETABLE GARDENING, AND FLORICULTURE, The agricultural course is very full in the Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Modern I/anguages, including English and French or German. It has Three Dormitories, Nine I/aboratories, A I/ibrary and Museum, Shops, Barns and Greenhouses, all surrounded by A BEAUTIFUL PARK. The illustrations on the last page of the cover show some of the buildings occupied by the Horticultural Department, and the Agricultural Laboratory. THE DECORATION OF SCHOOL aROUI^TDS. With this circular we mail to teachers in the rural schools of Michigan, with the compliments of the State Agricultural College, five hundred col- lections of flower seeds to be planted by the pupils upon the school grounds. With a few exceptions the collections will consist of twenty- five varieties, mostly annuals, with a few perennials, the latter being selected as furnishing flowers very early in the season, after this year. Some fifteen years ago the State Horticultural Society, aided by the generosity of one of the leading seed houses of the State, was able to undertake a similar work and the reports from the teachers are printed in the annual volume of the society for 1881. With few exceptions they are very favorable, as the following quotations show. "The children were deeply interested in the work," "It was a decided success," "I was abundantly paid for my trouble in the pleasure of the pupils and in the influence exerted by the experiment upon my school," "It was a marvel of beauty and the admiration of the whole community," "It was an inspiration in our school work." While there was an occasional failure reported, it was generally due to unfavorable conditions, but even in such cases the reports say "It was far more successful than we dared to hope. The project seemed to create an impetus and added materially to the interest of the school. More per- fect unity prevailed during out-of-door exercise, and an increased interest was visibly manifest during school hours." Under the improved conditions of today we have reason to hope for even better reports next autumn. We propose to print a considerable number of these reports, and would urge all to make them as full as possible, stating the methods of arranging the beds, and, if possible, furnishing us with a sketch of the flower beds. We desire to learn of the failures as well as the successes, as in that way others will be able to profit by them. In order to increase the interest of teachers, pupils and patrons, in the decoration of the rural school grounds, and to aid in securing valuable reports from the schools, the Agricultural College will, in the spring of 1897, send to each of the five schools from which the reports are deemed of most value, a collection of hardy shrubs, evergreens, etc., suitable for planting upon school grounds. Reports competing for the prize should be accompanied by a plan showing the arrangement of a school yard, and should contain information along lines that will be of value to other schools. The report itself should be a true record of what was accom- plished, and the methods employed, but the plan or sketch may, if it is preferred, show the arrangement of an ideal school yard. The following suggestions for the planting and care of the flowers for the present season are oJEfered as being likely to suit the average condi- tions. In a few oases slight modifications may be desirable. 2 THE DECORATION OP SCHOOL GEOUNDS. AEKANGING THE BEDS. It is unwise to scatter the beds here and there in the lawn, or to have them where they will interfere with the playground. Several plants are climbers, and small beds for these may be placed at either side of a porob, or beneath the windows; others may be trained upon the fence, or on small stakes or strings. The beds for the climbers may be wide enough to admit of planting two or three rows of the low annuals in front of the vines. In some places it may be desirable to have most of the flowers in narrow beds along the sides of the schoolhouse, or near the fences at the sides of the yard. As a rule, the east or west sides of the building should be selected for the beds, although some of the vines will grow at the north side and good results can be obtained upon the south side if the soil is not too dry. It is best to have the beds far enough from the house to be beyond the reach of the water from the eaved. Aside from the danger of washing in severe rainstorms, this is desirable because the soil close to a building is generally very dry. Beds for some of the handsomer plants, as asters and verbenas, may stand alone in the lawn in front of the house, or may be combined with others to form a sort of flower garden at the side, or in one of the rear corners of the lot. As a general rule, few of the beds should be much nearer the street than the front of the house, although one or two ellip- tical or round beds may be along the walks and others a little in front of and to the side of the house. If a cluster or group of beds is decided upon, it will not be best to attempt any elaborate figures, and above all have them so arranged that the children will have ample room to gather about the beds without danger of trampling them, and for this reason we favor having the beds somewhat scattered. A simple method of laying out a group of beds would be to mark out three concentric circles, the inner one six to eight feet in diameter enclosing the center bed; between the first and second circles there would be a walk from three to five feet wide, and between the second and third the strip, which could be of any desired width, would form a number of beds separated by walks, four to six in number, radiating from the main walk. Another form would have for its outline a square, perhaps twenty feet on a side, within which is a circle about the size of the one mentioned above; this should be enclosed with a walk and from this other walks should radiate to the outer edges of the square, meeting it either at the corner or the centers of the sides. The size of the plants is given in the following directions for sowing the seeds and should be taken into account when the place for each variety is selected. The taller kinds should be placed in the center of the beds, or on the back side, if to be viewed but from one direction. The coarser ones, such as the hollyhocks and miniature sunflower should be in the beds farthest from the road and may be placed along the side fences to good advantage. Some of the dwarf sorts, like alyssum and portulaca may be used to border some of the beds, and others may be arranged in one or more rows around the beds. For the most part, how- ever, it will give a better eflfect if the plants of each variety are arranged in a mass. This can be secured if the beds are laid off into sections more or less irregular. THE DECORATION OF SCHOOL GROUNDS. 3 PEEPARING THE GROUND. If the land where the beds are to be located is covered with sod, the grass should be sliced off with a spade, leaving as much of the sod as possible; then spread on from one to three inches of decomposed manure and spade it into the soil, mixing it in evenly. Upon the surface spread about an inch of fine manure and rake it in. Unless the soil is well enriched and thoroughly prepared the best results cannot be expected. If the soil is light and sandy, it would be well for a portion of the beds at least to excavate to a depth of six to twelve inches and fill in with rich loam. This will also need to be enriched before planting the seeds. The mistake is often made of elevating the beds; the surface should be nearly level and should not be raised more than an inch or two above the surrounding ground. SOWING THE SEEDS. In the following pages we give dates at which the different varieties should be planted, but they will vary with the season, and in different parts of the State. They will answer at the latitude of Lansing in most seasons, but in the southern counties the planting should be from five to ten days earlier, while in the more northern ooanties it will be as much later. Make the ground as fine as possible, but do not stir it when it is wet. Vary the depth of the drills according to the size of the seed, making it from five to seven times the average diameter of the seed. For the small seeds like portulaoa and petunia it should be from one-eighth to one- fourth of an inch, according to the character of the soil. A lath or a thin strip of board will be useful for making the drills, pressing its edge into the soil to the required depth. Scatter the seed so that there will be from two to three of the larger ones to ten or twelve small ones for each plant desired. Pinch the sides of the drill together and press the soil firmly down upon the seeds by means of the lath. Place a small stake at each end of each drill so that its location can be seen before the plants come up. CULTIVATING THE BEDS. Within three or four days after the seeds are planted, give the soil between the drills a shallow stirring with a rake or hoe, and repeat once a week until the plants cover the ground. Pull out all weeds that appear, taking care not to mistake the flowers for weeds. Do not stir the soil when it or the plants are wet. WATERING. If the soil is dry when the seeds are to be sown, make a drill where it will be required for the seeds, but have it one inch deeper. In this care- fully pour a pail of water, taking care that it does not run over upon the surface. After it has all soaked in, fill up the trench until of the right depth for the seeds, and plant as directed below. Unless absolutely necessary it is not advisable, after the seeds have been planted, to sprinkle water upon the surface of the beds to secure their germination. A better way is to make a trench a few inches away from the drills, turn in the water, and when it has soaked away replace the soil. When it can be done this will be found the best way of water- 4 THE DECORATION OF SOHOOL GROUNDS. ing at all times. If water is sprinkled upon the surface it com pacts the soil and when the sun comes out it gives off water into the air very rapidly. To prevent this give the surface of the soil a shallow stirring, and a similar treatment is desirable after every rain, waiting until the ground becomes dry enough to work. SWEET ALYSSUM.— Height, 6 to 8 inches. Sow in a sunny, well-drained spot, as soon as the ground can be prepared, in rows 6 or 8 inches apart, and thin to 4 or 5 inches. Color, white. Excellent as a border plant for beds. AMARANTHUS TEICOLOE.— ( Jacob's Coat ) 8 feet. Plant in poor soil in the full sunlight. Sow about May 15 in rows 15 inches apart and thin to 4 inches; when they begin to crowd remove poorest plants, leaving them 15 inches in the rows. Beautiful for its foliage which becomes variegated with red and yellow. ASTERg, CHINA MIXED.-2 feet. Choose very rich soil and prepare thoroughly. Plant May 10 in rows 10 inches apart, and when they have five oi six leaves transplant so that they will stand 10 or 12 inches each way. Keep the ground well stirred until the buds are half grown and then mulch between the rows with coarse manure or fine cut grass. The asters require rich, moist soil, and will well repay frequent cultivation and good care. Colors white, red and purple. BALSAM, CHOICE MIXED.— 1>4 feet. These need even richer soil than asters. Plant May 20, in rows 12-15 inches apart, dropping the seed 2 or 3 inches apart. When two inches high transplant so that they will stand 12-15 inches each way. Pinch back the young shoots. Colors, white, pink and yellow. CALENDULA, METEOR.— (Pot Marigold), 1 foot. Sow about May 15 in rows 12 inches apart, and transplant so that they will stand twelve inches each way. They will do best in full sunshine. Color, yellowish white, nearly covered with orange stripes. CALLIOPSIS, FINE MIXED.-2 feet. Sow May 10 in rich soil in rows 18 inches apart, and thin to 18 inches in the rows. If seed pods are removed they will flower longer. Several shades of yellow, crimson and brown. CANDYTUFT, FINE MIXED.— 15 inches. Sow as soon as ground can be prepared. Looks best if grown in a mass. Sow in rows 12 inches apart and transplant to 12 inches. Colors white and light purple. It may be sown thinly among mignonette and removed when through flowering. CYPRESS VINE.— (Climbing Vine), 10 to J6 feet. Plant along a fence or the walls of the house, or in the center of a bed, and train upon strings. Soak the seed over night and drop 2 inches apart. It requires rich soil, moisture and sunshine. Do not transplant. THE DECORATION OP SCHOOL GROUNDS. 6 B8CH8CHOLTZIA.— (California Poppy), 1 foot. Plant on the poorest soil abont May 10, in rows six inches apart and thin to six inches in the row. Colors, white, yellow and scarlet. GAILLAHDIA, SINGLE MIXED.-2 feet. Sow about May 20 in moderately rich, well drained soil, in rows 15 inches apart and when the plants have foiir leaves transplant to 12 to 15 inches. Colors yellow, orange and scarlet. HOLLYHOCK, MIXED.— Hardy perennial, 6-7 feet. Plant in the background or along the fence, about the first of June, In September transplant so that they will stand two feet apart. They will not flower until the second year. Tie to a stake when the flower stalk starts. MARIGOLD. DOUBLE FEENCH.-l foot. Sow about May 15 in a rich, sunny spot, in rows 12 inches apart and thin to 12 inches. Colors, yellow, brown and crimson, striped. MIGNONETTE.-1 foot. Sow one-half of the seed as soon as the beds can be prepared, and the remainder about May 25, in drills six inches apart, and when the plants have three leaves thin to six inches in the rows. Cut off the blossoms before the seed forms. MORNING GLORY, MIXED.— (Climbing vine), 10 feat. Plant about May 15 on the west or north side of building or a fence, after soaking the seeds for twelve hours. Drop the seeds three inches apart, and cover two inches. Train upon strings or twigs. Colors range from white to blue. NASTURTIUM, TALL MIXED.-6 to 8 feet. Make ground very rich, sow about May 15 in a drill, dropping the seeds 3 inches apart and thin to 6 inches. Train same as morning glory. Colors, yellow and orange to dark maroon. PETUNIA, MIXED.-2 feet. Plant about May 10 in rich soil and give the same care as to asters. Cover seed but slightly. PHLOX DRUMMONDII— 1 foot. Should have very rich soil. Plant May 10 in rows 9 inches apart and transplant to 9 inches in the row. Colors, white and pink to dark crimson. POPPY, SINGLE ANNUAL.-m feet. Sow in driest soil about May 10, in drills 8 inches apart, and thin to 6 or 8 inches. PORTULACA, FINE MIXED.— 8 to 9 inches. Select sunniest and poorest soil, and plant about May 25 in rows 6 inches apart, and transplant to 3 inches. Color, from white and yellow to pink and crimson. b THE DECORATION OP SCHOOL GROUNDS. SUNFLOWER, MINIATURE— 3 feet. Place in the background. Sow seeds about May 20 in drills 18 inches apart, and transplant, when the plants have four leaves, to 1& or 18 inches. They are of branching habit and produce an immense number of small, single flowers. SWEET PEiS, MIXBD.-5 to 6 feet. Select a deep, rich and moist, but well drained soil. Soak seeds 12 hours before planting. Sow in a circular drill in the center of a bed, or along a fence, where they will have the full sun, as soon as the bed can be prepared. Make the drill five inches deep, drop the seeds three inches apart and cover two inches. After the seeds have germinated gradually fill the trenches. Train upon brush, strings or wire netting. Mulch if the season is a dry one. SWEET WILLIAM, SINGLE MIXED.— 1!4 feet. Plat May 1 in rich soil, in drills 12 inches apart, and transplant to 10 inches. Colors from pink to crimson. A few flowers may be expected in the autumn, but this is a perennial and will flower very early next year. VERBENA, FINE MIXED. -IH feet. Plant May 10 in drills 12 inches apart, and transplant to 12 inches when the plants have four leaves. One of the easiest grown and most desir- able annuals. Colors, from white to pink, crimson and purple. ZINNIA, DOUBLE MIIBD.-2-S feet. Plant May 12 in moist, rich soil,, in rows 15 inches apart, and when they have four leaves transplant to 12 to 15 inches. Colors, white, yel- low, scarlet and crimson. CUTTING THE FLOWERS. The flowers upon all plants should be out o£F as soon as all upon the truss have opened. They will not only be desirable for the decoration of the school room, but the plants will produce many more flowers if those first formed are not allowed to develop seeds. OARE DURING THE SUMMER. The weak place in any scheme for decorating our school grounds is that the schools are closed during the summer months when the care is prticularly needed. For the number of plants that can be grown from the seeds furnished by the Agricultural College, a comparatively small amount of time will suffice to keep them growing. This would be, stir- ring the surface of the beds to the depth of one inch and pulling out any weeds that may have appeared; watering such plants as show the need and cutting off the flowers that are going to seed. If, before the spring term closes, the care of the beds during the sum- mer vacation could be divided among the older pupils, each one of whom would be responsible for the care during a specified period, it might result in carrying the flowers through the summer in such condition as would enable them to furnish at the opening of the autumn term a wealth of bloom for the decoration of school room, as well as of school grbnnds. ARBOK DAY FOE SCHOOLS. The first day of May of this year has been designated by Governor Rich for the planting of trees, and, aside from its being an admirable idea, the bareness of the average rural and village school yard can well be urged as a reason for devoting a few minutes of the day to exercises appropriate to the occasion. We would suggest that in the graded schools each class plant a tree, and in the rural schools one or more could be set out accord- ing to the number of pupils. The exercises could consist of the reading of short selections or of original essays upon some subject relating to trees, and of short recitations and songs, the whole not occupying over an hour. SELECTING AND PLANTING THE TREES. The trees selected should preferably be such as grow naturally upon similar soil in the locality. It will generally be advisable to select speci- mens from one and one-half to two inches in diameter, and eight to twleve feet high. It will generally be better to select one growing in the full sunlight upon upland soil, rather than in a foresti or marsh, and it should be taken up with as many roots as possible. The branches should be beaded back about one-half to cause the head to thicken up and to equalize the root and leaf surface. Dig the holes from two to four feet in diameter, according to the size of the roots and the character of the soil. In light sand it will pay to remove the soil to the depth of two feet and a diameter of four feet and fill in with rich loam. The tree should be set a couple of inches deeper than it was originally, and good, surface soil, free from sods should be carefully worked among the roots. Pack it down firmly, taking care not to injure the roots. Keep all manure from contact with the roots, but, if the soil is not sufficiently rich, decomposed manure may be freely mixed with the soil used for filling the upper half of the hole. If the soil is dry it will be well to use water. This can be best applied when the hole has been about one-half filled, using from five to fifteen gallons. Whenit has soaked away, fill the hole, leaving the surface loose to the depth of an inch or so. During the summer vacation, unless the trees can have the soil about them loosened at frequent intervals, it will be well to place a mulch of straw, or strawy manure, to a depth of three or four inches about the trees, covering a space four or five feet in diameter, The principal reason why so many shade trees die during the first two years after they are planted is that they have been attacked by borers. The eggs from which the borers hatch are laid under a rough place in the bark. When they hatch they eat their way through the bark and burrow in the soft tissues, often completely girdling the tree. Several borers are sometimes found in a tree and even though the tree may not be killed at 8 ARBOR DAY FOR SCHOOLS. onoe they seldom live more than one or two years. The maples ore par- ticularly subjeot, -while the elm, ash, oak and basswood are by no means exempt. Another cause of failure, which is also one reason why the borers are so troublesome in dry seasons and tu recently transplanted trees, is that the tall, bare trunks become so dry, under the influence of the evaporation from the leaves and bark, combined with a short supply of water in the soil, that the bark is often killed upon the south and southwest sides. Among other remedies, the one that seems best adapted for use upon school grounds, is the wrapping of the trunk from the ground to the branches with three or four thicknesses of coarse sacking or burlap. This will prevent the deposition of the eggs, and to a large extent the drying out of the bark. If the weather is very dry it will be desirable, but not necessary, to wet the covering onoe or twice a week, making the applica- tion just at night or early in the morning. If it becomes necessary to water the trees during the summer, scrape back the soil to the depth of two or three inches so as to form a basin four feet in diameter. In this pour a half barrel of water, and as soon as this has been taken up replace the soil and mulch. With these few precautions the liability of failure will be greatly reduced and a fair growth of the trees should be secured. I trust that these suggestions may aid some of the public schools of our State in add- ing to the appearance of tbeii grounds. L. R. TAFT. Agkioultueal College, Mich., April 14, 1896. \ You want a practical education and you want to know what is going on around you. THE MICHIGAII AGRICULTUBAL COLLEGE Has the best facilities for teaching the practical application of the sciences. Tou can work your way through. Others have done it, you can. WE ALL WORK HERE And if you have to work extra to pay your way, no one will remark it to your disad- vantage, but will respect you for doing so. Some of our Graduates paid all of their College expenses by hard labor. The work of the class room is supplemented with practical work in field, garden and shop; and this together with military drill, gymnasium practice and athletics promotes vigorous health. A street car line connects us with the city, thus giving us exceptional social and religious privileges. EXPENSES ARE REASONABLE. TUITION IS FREE to residents of the State; $5.00 per term to non-residents. Board in clubs costs about $2.50 per week. You can get board and rooms in the city if you desire. The students maintain SIX OPEN LITERARY SOCIETIES AND THREE FRATERNITIES. The Next College Year Begins in September* And, now, if you are interested in getting an education, an education that is broad and practical, one that does not develop the intellectual at the expense of the physical, one that does develop the skilled farmer and mechanic, send us your name and let us furnish you with catalog and further particulars. Address THE SE10I2.E]T^ie-":r, Agricaltnral College, Mich.