rangement?"

"Suppose we work out some plans to see what is possible."

A lesson such as this followed:--

A rectangle was drawn on the board to represent the plat. Beside it was
a statement of the number of beds to be laid off and the width of the
paths between. In the arrangement of these beds and paths there must be
artistic effect.

[Illustration: A FLOWER FROM THE COUNTRY]

Each child then drew a rectangle on paper and made an original plan for
landscaping. Those showing most thought were placed before the class
and their good points commended. The children decided that not one met
every requirement. The supervisor's plan was again shown, discussed,
and adopted.

This plan called for twenty rectangular beds 3x11 feet in area, four
shorter rectangular beds with a triangular section marked off from the
end of each toward the center of the garden; and a circular bed, four
feet in diameter, in the middle of the plat. It also allowed for one
three-foot path running through the center the entire length of the
garden, and a one-foot path separating the beds. There was to be a
1-1/2-foot path around the middle circle.

In a further study of this plan the following arithmetic problems were
developed:--

"What is the area of a garden plat fifty feet long and twenty-five feet
wide?"

"What would be the cost of this plat at one dollar and twenty-five
cents a square foot?"

"How many feet of fence will be required to enclose this plat?"

"If the posts are set five feet apart, how many posts will be
required?"

"There are two rows of cross beams, and each beam is ten feet long; how
many will be needed for the fence?"

"How much will it cost to fence this garden at twelve cents a foot?"

"What is the area of a garden bed three feet by eleven feet? the
perimeter?"

"What is the circumference of a circular flower bed four feet in
diameter?"

By this time the ground was in condition to be worked. Which should we
do first, spade it up, or lay it off? We decided that we would first
dig up the entire plat and level it. Now, in spacing off, should we
begin at the center or from opposite ends? The advantages of each
method were strongly advocated, and finally, the children themselves
concluded that it would be easier to measure for the center and space
off from that point.

Stakes and cord had been brought. Children stood at the sides and ends
of the garden. The middle points of the sides were determined and
conn