It is of interest to note that some of the teachers have begun to sow small plots of ground with phacelia, reseda, melissa, and other plants of a similar nature, by which means not only more, but better, honey has been obtained than the localities in question produced before.

Instances occur in which it is related that pupils become greatly interested in horticulture and in the growth of trees. These avail themselves of the opportunity to plant young trees, which are always given when asked for by the pupils. The traveling inspector saw ten such gardens which he considered sufficiently satisfactory to induce him to make application for prizes, in the shape of useful books pertaining to gardens, in order to encourage the pupils.

EXPERIMENT STATIONS.

In conclusion, it may be of interest to point out, with reference to stations for the experimental study of rural industry, that up to the present there are very few in Russia that will admit of comparison with those in western Europe.

Of the stations devoted to some distinct specialty and founded by the Government, may be mentioned the following:

The Tiflis silkworm rearing station, which was founded at Tiflis in the year 1887. The Kharkov bacteriological station, which was established in 1887 for investigating the question of the prophylactic inoculation of cattle as a remedy and preservative against the Siberian plague and other infectious diseases. A sum of $2,500 is granted yearly toward the maintenance of this station.

The chemical station for rural industries, attached to the forest corps, is chiefly devoted to investigations concerning the nature and properties of different soils. The Caucasian experimental station, in the Koutias government, has for its main object the cultivation of American vines and their acclimatization in Russia. The Government cotton plantations-one in Tashkend, in the Syr Dariensk district, and the other in the Tiflis government, on the Government estate at Karayask-are showing excellent results.

There are also two rural industrial stations, one for investigations, in the Orlov government, on the estate of Count Tolstoi; the other, experimental, in the Petersburg government; also three establishments, under the administration of the ministry of public instruction, namely, the chemical experimental station for rural industries, attached to the polytechnic school at Riga; the agronomical laboratory, attached to the university at Kiev, and the technical laboratory, attached to the Kiev department of the Imperial Russian Technical Society.

Among the farms and grounds established by local governments and societies for promoting the experimental study of rural industries, some have either been opened on Government lands, of which a free grant had been made for that purpose, or else they receive a money subvention from the Government. Such are the three experimental farms founded by the zemstvos of the Perm government and the Kharkov, Poltava, and Kiev experimental grounds, as well as those established by the Viatka local authorities, the Odessa experimental station, and the experimental ground under the administration of the Imperial Society for the Furtherance of Rural Industries in Southern Russia.

There are others which receive no Government subsidy, such as the seven stations for seed sowing in the botanical gardens at St. Petersburg, Helsingfors, Kiev, Guriev, Riga, Tver, and Warsaw.

MOSCOW.

Under date of March 24, 1398, United States Consul Smith writes:

There are a number of agricultural schools in Russia, with departments for sheep breeding, for domestic industries, and for instruction in the distillation of

wines and spirits. The Government appropriates for these schoo's 300,000 rubles ($154,200) annually. They are not sufficient to provide all the instruction required, and special classes for teachers have been formed, principally in the provinces of Viatka, Novozibkoff, and Livnsch; but these seem to be of short duration. In the town of Jizdra there is a yearly class, excellently conducted, for teaching gardening, fruit culture, etc.

WARSAW.

United Stated Consul Rawicz, under date of November 12, 1897, says:

I have ascertained that two schools for gardeners, which existed for a number of years at Warsaw and at Czenstochowa, were closed two years ago.

During the present year, however, the educational department has opened at Warsaw, at the pomological garden, a gardeners' school, to prepare instructors for the country gardeners; but, as the institution has existed only a couple of months, it is impossible to say anything about its usefulness or prosperity.

SCHOOL GARDENS IN RUSSIA.

Under date of July 17, 1897, United States Consul-General John Karel sends the following report:

In a good many countries of western Europe, especially in Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland, and partly in Sweden, the public village schools have sections of land allotted to them, which are either devoted to the use of the teachers, who take the profits therefrom, or serve for the establishment of school gardens. School gardens in western Europe bear in a certain measure a scientific character. Children are made to carry out in them practically what they learn about them theoretically.

In Russia, since the ascension to the throne of Emperor Alexander II, and since the liberation of the serfs in 1861, and of the Crown peasants from the jurisdiction of the ministry of Crown domains, the system of developing agricultural industry has completely changed in everyone of its branches. It was well known that the landowners and peasants were in great need of instruction in farming; consequently schools of all kinds were established by the ministry of agriculture throughout the country. Many schools were endowed with lands, and already in 1843, according to the regulations for public parish schools in villages of Crown peasants, sections of land for kitchen gardens, taken from the Government lands, were attached to these schools for the benefit of the teacher or his assistant. For the development of the gardening industry, schools were founded first in Penza in Bessarabia, near Kishinev, in the town of Verny of the Semirechinsk district, and in 1869 a school of gardening and viticulture was founded at Nikitsk. The work of the Nikitsk school was divided as follows: During the winter semester there were three hours of lessons per day and four and one-half hours of practical study in the garden, vineyard, and in the cellar. During the summer semester the lessons in class lasted only one hour, or sometimes two hours, but the practical studies occupied daily six and even eight hours.

In 1875, according to the regulations of the ministry of public instruction, for one and two class schools, the opening of such schools was permitted on condition that the founder would endow any such school with not less than one desiatina (2.6997 acres) of land. Many village schools in Riga and Warsaw districts possess lands granted to them by the local laws to insure their maintenance, and the use of the land is given to the teacher as a part of his compensation. By giving

land to schools in those districts, and also to those in the villages of Crown peasants, no scientific aim was in view. The same question is raised now that it is proposed to grant Government lands for school needs in the newly organized villages of emigrants who settled on the free Government lands in Siberia.

The movement for developing a knowledge of gardening began in the seventies, but on account of the small interest taken in agricultural occupations many teachers did not devote their attention to school gardens, which consequently remained uncultivated and were not a source of profit. In 1887 the ministry of agriculture and Crown domains took special steps to encourage and facilitate the establishment of school gardens. They distributed plants and seeds, and to certain provinces sent expert gardeners to instruct teachers how to organize and direct garden operations. In different provinces courses in some one branch of agricultural science were organized for the purpose of acquainting the teachers (male and female) of village primary schools with the work, and to the best and most energetic were given gratis manuals on gardening (by I. I. Meschersky and W. A. Alexandrov), and other books, implements, and seeds. Besides, the ministry gave subsidies to some of the zemstvos' for the organization of similar courses and pecuniary assistance for teaching gardening and farming in seminaries and in some of the lower schools.

For the further encouragement of teachers, the ministry began in 1895 to give, through the ministry of public instruction, to the most successful in the dissemination of agricultural knowledge premiums to the amount of 50 rubles each as a reward. In 1855 61 teachers received such premiums; moreover, during recent years some teachers have received medals and official acknowledgment of their labors; others, again, medals from different societies and medals at expositions. But the principal inducements for the teacher to occupy himself with gardening are the income derived from the sale of fruit trees, fruit, berries, vegetables, honey, wax, cocoons, hops, etc., and the providing of vegetables enough for himself during winter.

In some cases, and especially at the beginning, the local school administrations were not in favor of teachers occupying themselves with such work, in consequence of which the ministry of public instruction issued a circular in 1894 directing the school councils, directors and inspectors of public schools, and through them the local school administrations, to take such measures as would be found, according to the local conditions, necessary for the organization of school gardens, as well as for sowing cereals and grass where a sufficient amount of land was available, and to invite village and town societies and zemstvos to organize garden societies. The circular required, also, the directors and inspectors of the public schools to state in their reports what schools endowed with land have school gardens and what ones have not; to state the reason why not, and to suggest measures which may be necessary for their establishment.

The above-mentioned course adopted by the ministry of public instruction, and the approval of the teachers' activities in that direction expressed by the Emperor at three different times, gave an impulse to the development of school gardens and of the branches of agricultural industry pursued in the schools. Besides, the desire to add something to the low salaries of the village school-teachers and, on the other hand, to acquaint as much as possible not only children, but also grown-up people, with gardening, sericulture, and apiculture has caused an increase during the last ten years in the number of school gardens, apiaries, and silkworm hatcheries. In 1892 there were about 2,000 school gardens in Russia. At the present

1 Zemstvos are special bodies composed of landowners existing in 34 of the governments for the administration of economical affairs.

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time there are 7,521, with 532 apiaries and 372 silkworm hatcheries, which are distributed as follows:

As an experiment, with pecuniary assistance from the ministry of agriculture, at some of the schools of the ministry of public instruction and the holy synod, and also in some of the kindergartens, classes in gardening and farming have been organized. At present this instruction is given in 23 schools, namely, in 7 normal schools, 6 elementary schools, 7 parish schools, in 1 elementary school of the Empress Maria, and in 2 kindergartens.

Besides, in 1897 the department of agriculture provided pecuniary assistance for organizing agricultural classes in three village schools: Beloiarski in the Shadrinsk district, government of Perm, and on estates Zatishie and Kiloshitsy, district of Luga, government of St. Petersburg.

THE OBJECT OF SCHOOL GARDENS.

Mr. I. I. Mescherski, who is chief of one of the departments of agriculture, and one of the principal advocates of school gardens in Russia, has stated the object of school gardens and their significance as follows: "School gardens," he says, "which are being organized at present at public schools in many governments of European Russia, are of importance on the following grounds: (1) Hygienic, as being a place for physical labor in the open air, so necessary for the teacher and pupils who have been kept confined in the bad and heated air of public schools; (2) scientific educational, as acquainting children with the life of useful plants, developing their minds by the study of nature, and promoting in the rising generation a regard for labor and a more moral and æsthetic sentiment concerning trees; (3) general economical, as spreading among the people new knowledge relating to gardening, kitchen gardening, and to the farming industry in general, and thereby leading to the production of such food articles as the people of some localities do not now possess; and (4) personal economical, as regards public teachers, who may avail themselves gratis of the products they have grown, such as fruit, vegetables, etc., and besides get some income from the sale of the superfluity of these products and from the cultivation of plants and seeds. The same refers also to school apiaries, silkworm hatcheries, trial fields, and to school farms in general."

A school garden, to answer the purpose for which it is intended, should include: 1) An orchard, from which might be procured grafts, and, in the south, also a vineyard.

(2) Berry bushes and stone-fruit trees.

(3) Nurseries of fruit, berry, and forest trees, or an ornamental plot for growing young plants.

(4) A kitchen garden; if possible, with a hothouse.

In addition, it is desirable to have decorative trees and a flower garden. Sometimes hops, mulberry trees, balm mints, melliferous plants, etc., are planted.

The management of the garden must conform absolutely to the local conditions. The size of a school garden depends in part on the amount of land procurable. The normal size of the garden may be considered from three-fourths of an acre to 1 acres.

When there is a large area of land connected with a school, the teachers generally utilize it by sowing field crops or growing kitchen-garden and other plants with a view to profit.

At the Nizshni-Novgorod exhibition in 1896 the commission for organizing the educational section for the ministry of public instruction, in constructing a building for the representation of a village elementary school, found it desirable to have a school garden attached to it, which would give visitors an idea of the character of school gardens and of the mutual relations of the different operations which are carried on in them. The forming of the plan was intrusted to W. Pashkewicz, a specialist in gardening at the department of agriculture, with the assistance of 'I. I. Mescherski, the former secretary of the society, and a secretary and member of the commission.

The model school garden arranged on the exhibition grounds was not large, as it contained only 1,225 square yards. To organize a garden of normal size (from three-fourths of an acre to 1 acres) was difficult, and even impossible, owing to lack of space and to the high cost of material and of trees, which had to be bought fully grown.

The school garden at the exposition consisted of (1) a nursery, (2) a kitchen garden, (3) plots of berry bushes and stone-fruit trees, and (4) fruit trees.

A plan of the above-mentioned model school garden, with explanations, is attached to this report.