Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women - Wise Acres Yearbook (Ambler, PA)

Text from Pages 1 - 114 of the 1914 volume:

The Leading Seed and Plant establishment in Philadelphia—Nurseries and Greenhouses comprise nearly 300 acres and grow a complete line of high-grade stock. Garden Implements, Fertilizers, Insecticides Lawn Mowers, Lawn Rollers, Etc. We have increased our facilities by an additional building and are thoroughly equipped for handling our ever-increasing trade. DREER’S GARDEN BOOK FOR 1914 offer, nearly every flower and vrzetnble worth Rrotvlne, and clvea cultural note.. It U profusely Uluntruted—hundred, of photo-reproduction,. 10 colored ttotl duo tone platen. CAM. OK WRITE FOR COPY-FREE Sow Dreer's Lawn Grass Seeds for Sore Sesolls HenryA.Dreer, KSSlfX? Lorgnons Unexcelled Selection of Patterns, in all the Precious Metals, Jeweled and Plain. 9999 Makers of Perfect Fitting Eye Glasses and Spectacles BONSCHUR HOLMES 1533 Chestnut Street Philadelphia Haynes Hupmobiie Overland Open All Night Keystone Phone 651 M Bell Phone 236 ZLe Ambler Garage J. Clayton Reed, Proprietor 517 Butler Avenue, AMBLER, PA. Automobile Stored and Hired. Repair Work a Specialty AUTOMOBILE SUPPLIES TROUBLE CAR ALWAYS ON HAND Asbestos “Century Shingles Last Forever. Never Require Paint. The Cheapest Slates For Permanent Roofing. Architect U. S. Naval Academy Model Cow Barns Contractor GOVERNMENT Annapolis. Md. THEO. P. TROWBRIDGE Annapolis, Md. NAVAL ACADEMY DAIRY. Annapolis, Md., Aug. 28th, 1912. Wallace Gale. Baltimore, Md. Gentlemen:—I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your circular on the use of Asbestos “Century'’ Shingles. After a year's use of these Asbestos Shingles we are better pleased than ever. The roofs and sides look as fresh as when put on, with never a leak and everything snug and tight. Very truly yours, J. A. CONOVER. Manager. Asbestos Century” Shingles. Fireproof, Waterproof and Everlasting. Estimates cheerfully furnished to cover any building. For particulars write Keasbey Mattison Company Ambler, Pennsylvania J. JACOB SHANNON CO. 744 Market St. 1744 � nd EQUIPMENT PHILADELPHIA W. C. Evans Coal, Feed, Grain, Hay, Straw, Etc., Both Telephones AMBLER, PA. DRINK WATER PUREST OF ALL WATERS PUROCK WATER CO. 1228 PARRISH ST., PHILA. The Methods of the House of Burpee Should make a strong appeal to those who wish success with their Garden of Beauty or their Garden of Plenty. The Horticultural School for Women Has given you an insight of the proper methods to apply. Let us start you on the right road by mailing you a Copy of our Annual, and also our 35th Anniversary Supplement. Write today “lest you forget.” A post card will do. W. ATLEE BURPEE CO. Burpee Bldgs., Philadelphia WISE-ACRES March, 1914. Published Three Times a Year. Subscription, Si .00 a Year. Single Copies, 35 cents. Edited by the Students of the School of Horticulture for Women, at Ambler, Pennsylvania. STAFF Editor-in-chiefEmily Exlijy. Associate Editor, Frances Gardiner. Business Manager, Sara Dkming. Art Editor, Frances Shinn. Secretary, Caroline G. Peeler. Advertising Editor, Eleanor Lawrence. The school is planning to erect a new building during the summer to relieve the great pressure on the small buildings now in use, which are very crowded. The plans have been drawn up by Stewardson and Page, who are well known as the architects of the beautiful dormitories of the University of Pennsylvania, Bryn Mawr College and a number of other universities. The new buildings for the school are sure to be comfortable, convenient and good to look upon. The style ofjhe old farm house has been followed as much as possible, harmonizing with the neighborhood and the simple life of the students. Local stone will be used, with white trimmings. The plan as submitted, provides for two wings and a courtyard in between, opening to the south with several porches, offering opportunity for outdoor life. The dining room and kitchens will occupy the east wing: the offices and large hall taking up the west, thus giving a glorious view of the country for many miles, looking toward Chestnut Hill. The two wings will be connected on the north by three classrooms, having large windows to admit northern light. The porch connecting the cast and west wings on the south will be glassed in and paved with red tile, and when decorated with plants and flowers will make a comfortable resting place after a strenuous day. In the courtyard, if desired, there will be formal gardens; the vine covered pergolas giving needed shade in summer and light in winter. This of course is looking far ahead; at present it is proposed to build the east wing and one classroom only. All is ready to begin operations except the —money, and that we hope to have soon. All must pull together to this end, for it is the long pull and the strong pull that counts, and anything that is worth having is worth working and waiting for; a new building we must have! Editorial. One realizes liow handicapped the American of former days was when all he had to depend upon was the information that could be gathered from the different catalogues, issued by the seed and nurserymen, quite inadequate to meet the needs of the beginner, and lead to a successful career in horticulture and floriculture. Quoting Mr. Maurice Fuld, “no more is the amateur willing to be mislead; no longer will he live in the dark, but he seeketh the truth, and those who seek shall find.” The Garden Club Movement in America in an amazingly short time has gathered within its fold thousands of most enthusiastic gardeners, and it is this movement which is responsible for the awakening of the American Horticulturist to seeing his duties and performing them. The growing interest in agriculture in all its branches makes it necessary to have schools and colleges equipped to meet the demands of students who are to make this their life-work, and while there have been many such places open to men, so far, in this country, tnere has been very little opportunity for women to get a thorough and practical knowledge of Horticulture and become efficient in this line of work. Our School was founded in order that the necessary practical and theoretical knowledge might be taught to women; it opens up to them a broad field of intellectual life combined with one of usefulness, healthfulness and independence. A necessary factor for success in horticulture is the attention to detail, which seems natural to women and which men are inclined to overlook. In glass gardening women have made a great success; they have a more delicate touch than men and are able to make the smallest cuttings with ease. At one of the large commercial greenhouses in Germany the cuttings are made by women. For years women have been most successful as florists, market gardeners, proprietors, managers of fruit farms and orchards. Such positions offer high salaries to trained women. If the horticulturist will specialize in some particular branch of fruit, flower or vegetables, a good income may be made from the smallest piece of land. The schools in Europe have long since passed the experimental stage, having now a recognized place in the educational world. Some of the graduates are holding responsible positions as managers of private or public gardens. Dr. Lillias Hamilton, of Studley College of Horticulture for Women, in England, states that some English women gardeners are receiving large salaries and others substantial profits on their outlay. The demand is greater every year for trained women to fill similar positions in this country. E. E. Since this is the first issue of our school paper it may be of interest to hear what a number of prominent men have said of the school and its aims: Dean R. L. Watts in his address at the Conference of Horticulture for Women, held here last May, said “the subject of horticulture is one that interests me greatly. I have had some experience with women at State College, and I want to say that the most enthusiastic students there have been women, and I cannot help but feel that women put more enthusiasm in the work than do the men. Horticulture as a means for women to make a living appeals to me very much, and I believe that women will make better horticulturists than men, and that the bread-winning in many homes will be vastly improved if the men remain at home to mind the baby and let the wife attend to the garden and horticultural work.” “Women make best gardeners, and no garden is complete without them,” so said Mr. H. B. Fullerton, Director of Agricultural Experimental Station of Long Island Railway, in his address at the annual meeting at the School of Horticulture last May. Mr. Fullerton is one of the foremost exponents of the entrance of women into scientific horticulture and it is his opinion that no subject is of greater interest than that of food production. It is even of greater moment than the high cost of living, for it is one of the factors in the solution of the problem which draws the line of demarcation between life and death. As neither man’s nature nor man’s education develops the qualities so vital to the growing of vegetables, berries, fruit and flowers, and raising of animals, we must rely upon the women for the proper management of our gardens, farms and orchards. In a letter the Right Rev. David H. Greer, Bishop of New York, says: “I give herewith my very cordial approval to a school of horticulture for women. It is a kind of industry for which they are, in my judgment, especially fitted, and it is gratifying to know that a school has been established to give them the necessary training for the skillful prosecution of this useful and important work.” Last summer, the resident Director, Miss Jessie T. Morgan, made a tour of the Horticultural Schools in England, to see how the school work was being carried on where they had been long established. She believes that tlieday has dawned for the woman gardener. In England the increased number of professional women gardeners is remarkable and graduates of many of the schools are now managing their own estates or are managers of private and public gardens. In glass gardening women were found to have made greater success than men, and in some lines have made independent incomes. Miss Morgan attributes this to the fundamental training received at the horticultural schools. One is impressed with the wastefulness of land in this country as compared with the utilization of even the smallest bit of land in Europe, and there surely must be much more scope for the woman gardener of the United States than has been realized. The School of Horticulture for Women was established about three years ago by club and college women of Philadelphia, who saw the need for such a school in this country. The idea is to give a thorough practical training in such branches of horticulture as will fit women for a life work, either as teachers or managers of gardens for themselves or for others. Women's National Agricultural Association. President—Mrs. Francis King, Alma, Mich. Corresponding Secretary—Mrs. S. H. Vollmer, Huntington, N. Y. Treasurer—Miss Louise G. Davis, Ambler, Pa. A national association of women interested in horticulture and agriculture has been formed by the express wish of (a hundred of) those who were present at the Horticultural Conference held at the School of Horticulture, Ambler, Pennsylvania, May, 1913. The objects of this association are to promote interest and success in horticulture and agriculture by the exchange of information among its members; to bring together supply and demand both by produce and of labor, and to increase the knowledge and use of existing institutions. As a means to this end it is hoped that a general secretary be employed, conferences of a practical nature may be held, local exhibitions be encouraged and printed matter distributed. Women horticulturists in Europe have succeeded through co-operation. Will you become part of the forward movement in America by helping to upbuild this national association. The membership dues are $1.00 a year. The initiation fee is $1.00. $2.00 may be forwarded to the secretarv. Address Mrs. S. H. V. Huntington, N. Y. A Cold Reception to a Would-Be Horticulturist. The fourteenth of January, ninetcen-fourteen A little red owl in the maple was seen. She looked very wise With her big round eyes And said: Pll be a student of horticulture, I ween. Now young Miss “Britain ’ who among us resides, Disapproved of a student with such big eyes. She picked up a stone And with skill all her own Hurled it at this stranger of diminutive size. So little Miss Owl with amazement untold Backed into her nest from a reception so cold, And said with a sigh, Oh me, and oh my! Strange welcome indeed, but no grudge will I hold. C. G. P. School Notes. One and three-quarters of our Wise-Acres raised $2000 worth of strawberries a year ago. Blasting has been holding our attention for the last few weeks. The students’ orchard has been progressing in fine shape and as soon as the weather permits the trees will be set out. The number of apple root grafts made by the students ought to fill a good-sized orchard in the future. At the meeting held for the purpose of organizing a National Woman’s Agricultural and Horticultural Association, an invitation was given to hold the first meeting of the new organization at the school, probably in May. The invitation was accepted. Afternoon tea attracts some of the students more than a hearty dinner. The cottage is the scene of this social event. Miss Exley’s “apartment” being the rendezvous. We never knew Cleveland was such a flourishing city, but now we have it fully impressed upon our minds. One of our most brilliant students hails from there. Framingham, Mass., is also a place where people dwell. There is a good product from there, who has arrived in our midst. Strange how we never realized we were tongue-tied or lisped until we were told to give the scientific names of the greenhouse plants. The lectures given by the Garden and Orchard Club of Germantown have been most enjoyable. We were very much gratified to have Mr. Fullerton show pictures of the school in his lecture, which gave an idea of just what was going on out here. The last month brought us several invitations to visit some of the lovely places near Ambler. Among them was one from Mr. Warner, of “Ellenwood Farms.” Prize Guernseys and fancy poultry were among the attractions. On January 23d we went to Mr. James Burke’s at Olney. Miss Ethel Burke showed us the greenhouses and told many interesting facts of how the different plants had been obtained. There were many exquisite specimens. One house was extremely beautiful, fitted with fascinating pale pink butterfly orchids from the Philippines. We also saw a very fine collection of gold fish and a hatchery under glass. Bull, the prize fish, who seemed to respond when spoken to, was very proud to be handled. Bobbie, the walking perch, afforded us great amusement. Recently, at the beautiful greeenhouses at North Wales, Mr. Fuersten-burg, the enthusiastic president of the Florex Company, made our visit very instructive and pleasant by his courtesy. In the refrigerator were 15,000 roses cut that day.—Wilmer Atkinson. Miss Elizabeth L. Lee began on February 3d a most instructive course of lectures on landscape gardening. Having been engaged in this work for a number of years, she is a most interesting and able lecturer. The practical part of the course is efficiently carried on by Mr. Doan at the school. The course extends over a period of twenty weeks; lectures each Tuesday morning at 10.30 and in the afternoon practical work. The first class in landscape gardening was held in our new sun-porch, just finished. The students were listening with great interest to Miss Lee, when one of them noticed that three of the barn cats were sitting in a row upon the step, looking in longingly as though they wished they could “make” notes also. Found—Something that Mr. Doan does not know. A pesky little weed that looks like a dandelion, only isn't. If our professor doesn't know it, it certainly cannot have a name, that is all there is about it! Miss Jane B. Haines has kindly offered the use of her famous Colonial home “Wyck” in Germantown for the Dutch tea and flower sale to be given in May for the benefit of the school. There will be seedlings, bulbs and plants from the school greenhouses and hotbeds, sold by the students, dressed in costumes of the different provinces of Holland. A present of a box of oranges and grapefruit was recently received from Mrs. Susan H. Vollmer’s orange grove at Cocoa, Florida, which was greatly appreciated. We have also to thank Mr. Hires, of Haverford, for delicious grapefruit. Mrs. John Gribbel, of Wyncote, Pa., kindly gave us some Rex begonia cuttings, the beginning of our special collection of these beautiful plants. We are experimenting with the fig cuttings sent us by Mr. E. Jenkins, of Lenox, Mass., and hope to have figs in about eight months from these two varieties, Negro Largo and Brown Turkey. The Baines' Crib. From six begonia leaves, presented to the school by Mrs. John Gribbel, were propagated 125 tiny plants, which makes a fine addition to our collection of begonias. When we open the door to nature's energies, she repays us lavishly, but she demands constant and watchful care for her babies. Tucked in with the begonias were cuttings from 50 heliotrope, 300 alter-nanthera of different varieties. 100 coleus, 50 fuchsias, 10 crotons, 25 abutilons. The propagating bed is only 3 ft. x 3 ft. Rather an elastic crib, don’t you think? “Charles,” said Mrs. Newlj'wed, “I wonder why our hens don’t lay?” “Perhaps you don’t feed them properly.” “I hadn’t thought of that, I’ll go and get some egg plant.” “Henry, the alarm has just gone off.” “Thank goodness! I hope it never comes back.” - (This is appreciated by several of the students, we feel sure.) ar Our whole neighborhood has been stirred up, said the resident. Reporter: Tell me all about it, we want news. “Ploughing,” said the resident. If you can’t laugh at the jokes of the age, just laugh at the age of the jokes. ar Young man (over telephone), “Is Miss Smith there?” Voice at other end : “No Sir.” Young man: “Would you kindly tell me how I can get into communication with her?” Voice at other end grows mirthful ; “Really, Sir, I can’t tell you; she has beeu dead six months.” Some of our Editors remind us That their times are not sublime; But they have to work like thunder To get their copy out on time. V isitors. Dean R. L. Watts, State College, Mr. and Mrs. J. Star, Germantown, The Carter Garden Study Class, Germantown, Mrs. Frederick Gardiner, Chestnut Hill, Mrs. Hart, Ambler, Miss Mary Hart, Ambler, Miss Alice R. Shinn. Colorado Springs, Dr. A. H. Stirk, Philadelphia, Miss Jane B. Haines, Germantown, Miss Elizabeth Leighton Lee, Philadelphia, Miss Emma Blakeston, Philadelphia, Miss W. Morrison, Germantown, Mrs. J. H. Shinn, Germantown, Mrs. J. S. Lawrence, Germantown, President and Mrs. Hollis Godfrey, of Drexel Institute, Philadelphia, Miss Myra Dock, Fayetteville, Miss M. Grace Osborne, Indianapolis. All For a Holly Busk. Did you ever get the “digging fever?” My father and I are fond of going off on “digging” expeditions, and one day in early spring the fever suddenly seized us to be off. We had long set our hearts on getting some really beautiful holly bushes that grew in a certain New Jersey swamp that we knew, so on this eventful day we started off early in the morning, armed with spade and gunny sacks. Our meandering train finally landed us at our destination, a forlorn little town that straggled along the sand-dunes between the ocean and the bay. As we stood on the station platform and looked about us there seemed no sign of life anywhere, but we soon spied a fishing smack down at the dock and made our way to it. The old fisherman, who had just brought in his morning catch, evidently thought us strange ghosts as we came down the dock toward him, carrying our spades and sacks. When we explained our errand—that we had come all the way down to N--------- just to get some holly bushes he was evi- dently firmly convinced of our insanity, but he agreed to rent us a rowboat to cross the bay to our swamp and even suggested that his wife might be willing to sell us some “victuals” if we would come to the house with him. We accepted this invitation with alacrity and his cheery little wife filled a basket for us with bread and bacon and a nice big apple pie that looked luscious. Then we went down to the dock again and he started us on our way in his rowboat. It was a glorious day of wind and sun, and the sparkle of the water in our eyes and the taste of the salt on our lips made the whole world seem worth living in, for we were almost tempted to forget about our holly and spend the day on the water, but the thought of the jeers awaiting us at home kept us on our way. The swamp lay inland a mile or so and our only way to reach it was across a salt marsh, so we made our landing in a tiny cove and pulled our boat upon the shore. Perhaps you have never tried to cross a salt-marsh, but if you have you know how a mile stretches itself out interminably. We took for our goal a pine knoll which lay between the marsh and our swamp, and when we reached it we were so exhausted and so hungry that we could not resist the fish-wife’s basket. We climbed up to the very tip-top of the knoll and there we built a fire. Is there anything quite so delicious as a hot bacon sandwich when you are hungry, and is there anything more deliciously comfortable afterwards than to stretch out on the pine needles! Just the tall, dark trees above soughing in the wind, the salt breeze blowing on our faces, and out beyond, seen between the trunks of the trees, the dazzling blue and white of the bay—the whole trip was worth while if only for that half hour’s rest. About three o'clock we roused ourselves and made our way down to the swamp. We chose four splendid hushes and then began our work. They were the most securely established specimens I have ever had the pleasure of tackling. It was boggy under foot and we slipped and splashed about; scratched our faces and hands and ankles, yanked our hair, lost our temper a dozen times, but finally triumphed. They were beauties and we tucked two in each sack and started homeward. It is hard enough to cross a salt marsh under any circumstances, but if you want a really exasperating occupation let me recommend trying to hop from tussock to tussock of this same marsh, and at the same time drag two holly bushes after you. We were wet to our knees, dead tired and absolutely speechless when we found our boat. The sun had dropped, the air had grown damp and chilly, by the time we had rowed across the bay and got where our old fisherman could cheer us up. He escorted us to the station and waved us a good-by, shaking his head over the follies of city folk. We did cheer up a bit in the train, and by the time we reached civilization we had persuaded ourselves that it had been good fun after all, and we even saw elements of humor in the picture we must have made as we alighted in the station, scratched, disheveled and dirty, loaded with holly—still carrying the spades. Our holly bushes are thriving, but perhaps you will agree with me that it is easier to let the nurseryman do the digging. F. V. G. The Talc of tke Dog. No one knows where he came from, this dog, but he arrived one morning in time to greet us all at the breakfast table. A happy-looking little fellow that did not have the least air of a watch dog. He evidently had come to stay, at least so says one with much authority, and it depends on all of us whether he is useful or simply ornamental. When lie blinks happily at us from the centre of the dining table, we cannot hold a grudge against him. Yes, it is a queer place for a dog, but you see this is not an ordinary dog, he is a little white metal one, attached to a suspicious-looking barrel-like arrangement with a slit in the top. We have been threatened with something of the sort for a long time; at least the tardy ones had. So when the subject of piano came up and we all thought we needed one, The Lady in Authority commanded that all who straggled in late for meals (a pernicious habit) should pay one cent a minute after the tinkle of the little bell. Would it be polite to tell who paid the first fine, or loyal to say that those brand new horticultural clocks by all the whistles are five minutes fast 1 The little dog looks serenely on, faithfully guarding his increasing load and the piano seems almost a reality. S. A. D. Life is a quarry, out of which we are to mould and chisel and complete a character.—Goethe. Visit to the Farm Journal Building. Miss Jessie T. Morgan, the Director, and studeuts were delightfully entertained by Wilmer Atkinson at the Farm Journal Building. After taking them over the building and showing them the wonderful up-to-date improvements, he took them to the beautiful dining room on the top floor, where luncheon was served. Mr. Atkinson is on the advisory board of the School and is frequently consulted regarding matters of importance. “New Jobs for New Women” is the title of an interesting article in Everybody’s for March, in which the writer says: “In one of the large New York Bureau’s for Trained Women they are carefully answering hundreds of questions as to whether Germany or the United States has the better schools for market-gardening and fruit growing; also if an expert in Oriental rugs might establish herself in business and whether there might be a chance for a domestic-science teacher in the far East. Though salaried positions are few, agriculture, gardening and bee raising and intensive farming offer fine opportunities to the women with a little capital and much business ability.” We have just received Volumes V, VI and VII of the Reports of the Thirteenth Decennial Census relating to Agriculture. These books contain a summary of the statistics by subjects, with a general analysis, data regarding each, being presented by geographical division and States. It takes up the subject of agriculture in each State, giving size of farms, individual crops, number of domestic animals, poultry: and bees, expenditure for labor, fertilizers, value of crops, etc. The three volumes will be of great value to the farmer. Bees. In all our broad and beautiful land, one is amazed to find that bee culture is on the decline, only four tarms out of every hundred reporting apiaries in the United States. In our own State the number of farms with bees has decreased 23 per cent. This seems such an important industry, as there is always a demand for good wax and honey. “No one need be afraid of bees, as the Italian bees are as amiable as kittens. The Queen, given a brand-new house and a brand-new door, with a preliminary skirmish, enters, her workers following, dragging their stings behind them. It is most interesting to watch the nurses offering honey-drops to the big bee-babies on the tips of their little red tongues. Bee keeping is a most interesting and lucrative business,” so says The Spectator in one of A. I. Root s pamphlets, and so say we all of us, for last year from a few small hives we gathered 400 pounds of strained honey which we sold for thirty cents a pound, besides the wax which we used on hundreds of grafts; in addition, the wonderful increase in our orchard was largely due to the work of our honey-bees in the fertilization of the fruit blooms. The burden of suffering seems a mill-stone hung about our necks, while in reality, it is only the weight which is necessary to keep down the diver while lie is hunting for pearls.—Richter. The Students at work m Greenhouse CITY GARAGE Strehle-MyersMotorCo. Proprietors Ford and Oakland Cars Demonstrations on revest Full Line of Accessories Cars to hire at all hours for all purposes at reasonable rates by hour or trip. Both Phones. The James G. Downward Go. ..Manufacturers of.. FERTILIZERS — and---- Importers of Chemicals Special Mixtures Made to Order. FACTORY: C0ATF8VILLE, PA. J. E. UNDERWOOD AMBLER, PA. USE HIRE’S COLD MILK Purest and Most Wholesome SOLD BY FIRST-CLASS GROCERS Yezzir! Thirsts of any age or either sex subdued with Hires 5 cents per quaff At fountains or in bottle at grocers’, fruit stands, etc. G.M.DECK £ CO s, HARDWARE MOUSE FURNISHINGS AMBLER HEATING TINSMITHING PENNA. THOMAS ATKINSON REAL ESTATE INSURANCE ND INVESTMENTS AMBLER. PA. COLLECTIONS BOTH PHONES THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF AMBLER, PA. Capital, Surplus, $100,000 $80,000 Accounts solicited. Accommodations granted proportionate to balances carried. Savings Accounts earn 3 per cent, interest, compounded thrice yearly. Safe Deposit Department J. Watson Craft E. H. Faust President Vice-President Win. A. Davis, Cashier VICTOR MAYER Ladies’ and Men’s Tailor Steam Dyeing and Scouring Altering, Cleaning and Pressing. Repairing Neatly Done B U42a 421 Butler Avenue, Ambler, Pa. An Unfermented Champagne A NEW BEVERAGEI A NEW FLAVORI A NEW DELICIOUSN ESS I You surely will de interested to know of our wonderful new discovery in the way of a most delightful beverage. We have named it HIRES CHAMPAGNE GINGER ALE; an article that is peer to the finest champagne in the world minus the alcohol. It is like a fountain of bubbling topaz, sparkling and gliistening in the sunlight, and its aroma, bouquet and flavor are exquisite. When you wish to entertain friends at dinner, or have callers and want to surprise and charm them, we are sure you can do it by serving this delectable drink. It is composed principally of the white Niagara grape juice, grape fruit and the finest ginger. Ask for it at your hotel, club, on the train, or at your fine grocers. W. N. HEISS ---DEALER IN- Dry Goods, Notions, Millinery, Men’s Furnishings 303-305 Butler Ave., AMBLER, PA. H. J. DAGER, INC. SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE. INSURANCE AND MORTGAGES FARMS A SPECIALTY AMBLER. PA- FRANK PALUMBO Ladies’ and Men’s TAILOR Both Phones Knight Bldg., AMBLER, PA. This Magazine and all the Stationery for the School of Horticulture was printed by H. A. Gehman, Job Printer, Main St., Ambler, Pa. A k for price on large or mall order . (Bell Phone.) nehlerliandy Garden Tools Sold by every large Seed, Hardware and Department Store In the United States. Work with ease, save the knees. More and better work In less time. Send for Catalogue describing the Mehler Handy Garden Tools. Mehler GardenTool Co. HANDY GARDENER Ambler, Pa.,U.S.A. Bedding We’ve Got White Enamel Beds Brass Beds Springs for Beds Palmleaf Mattress Cotton Mattresses Hair Mattresses Felt Mattresses Pillows, Bolsters Large assortment to select from. Our prices are lower than Philadelphia Stores A. LAPETINA 405 Butler Ave., AMBLER, PA. Wm. H. Embick Sons TAILORS 1618-20-28 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia Spray your vines and trees and you are taking out the best kind of insurance against insects and parasites. Best spray mixtures can be had at Stillwagon’s Drug Store Main St., Ambler, Pa. Joseph H. Fretz LIVERY Ambler, Pa. Horses Bought and Sold Orders taken for Heavy Teams Bartlett Tours Company 200 So. 1 3th St., Philadelphia Steamship Tickets Cruises Escorted 1 ours Edward C. Dixon Ellis A. Schnabel President Vice-President Charles A. Tyler, Manager J. Watson Craft Ambler, Pa. Manufacturer of and Dealer in “Enterprise” Brand of Scratch and Mash Feed Dairy Feed constantly in stock. Complete Line of Building Material LEHIGH COAL Pittsburg Electric Fence and other Fencing Materials Watering Flowers Inspecting Garden Cutting Rv«es YOUR GARDEN Spring is coming! Now is the time to prepare to have a splendid supply of fragrant flowers and good fresh vegetables from your garden during the Summer months. MICHELES SEED BOOK Planting Seeds Tells how to plant all kinds of flower and vegetable seeds; also how to cultivate the young plants. Even experienced gardeners value it. The most practical seed catalog published. Send your name and address on postal or call for your Copy. It’s Free, of course. SEED HOUSE 618 MARKET STREET Dept. M. PHILADELPHIA Ordering By Mall Asbestos Century” Shingles Last Forever. Never Require Paint. The Cheapest Slates For Permanent Roofing. Architect U. S. Naval Academy Model Cow Barns Contractor GOVERNMENT Annapolis. Md. THEO. P. TROWBRIDGE Annapolis. Md. NAVAL ACADEMY DAIRY. Annapolis, Md.. Aug. 28th. 1912. Wallace Gale, Baltimore. Md. Gentlemen:—I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your circular on the use of Asbestos '•Century” Shingles. After a year’s use of these Asbestos Shingles we are better pleased than ever. The roofs and sides look as fresh as when put on, with never a leak and everything snug and tight. Very truly yours. J. A. CONOVER. Manager. Asbestos “Century” Shingles. Fireproof, Waterproof and Everlasting. Estimates cheerfully furnished to cover any building. For particulars write Keasbey Mattison Company Ambler, Pennsylvania J. JACOB SHANNON CO. SS1744 Market St. 1744 � d EQUIPMENT PHILADELPHIA W. C. Evans Coal, Feed, Grain, Hay, Straw, Etc., DRINK WATER PUREST OF ALL WATERS Both Telephones AMBLER, PA. PUROCK WATER CO. 1228 PARRISH ST., PH I LA. The Methods of the House of Burpee Should make a strong appeal to those who wish success with their Garden of Beauty or their Garden of Plenty. The Horticultural School for Women Has given you an insight of the proper methods to apply. Let us start you on the right road by mailing you a Copy of our Annual, and also our 35th Anniversary Supplement. Write today “lest you forget.” A post card will do. W. ATLEE BURPEE CO. Burpee Bldgs., Philadelphia WISE-ACRES JESSIE T. MORGAN. Director of School Vol. i. June, 1914. No. 2. Subscription. $1.00 a Year. Single Copies, 35 cents. Edited by the Students of the School of Horticulture for Women, at Ambler, Pennsylvania. Application has been made for the admission of this publication to the second class of mail matter at the Ambler Postofficc. PUBLISHED QUARTERLY STAFF Edilor-in - Chief, Emily ExlBY. Associate Editor, Frances Gardiner. Business Manager, Sara Deming. Art Editor, Frances Shinn. Secretary, Caroline G. Peeler. Advertising Editor, Eleanor Lawrence. EDITORIAL There seems to be nothing materially wrong with our present educational systems, so far as they apply to those able to take advantage of the excellent opportunities afforded by the extensive and varied courses of our colleges and universities. Many of our high schools are also equipping for successful careers earnest boys and girls who have not the opportunity for higher education. But let us ask ourselves here, what is the real value of our educational system and what proportion of our boys and girls have the opportunity for a college training, or even a high school education? Statistics show that of those of school age only 1.71% secure college educations; 5.35% take the high school work, and less than half of the rest reach the eighth grade in the elementary schools. By the present system the students in our elementary and high schools, and to a large extent in our colleges, are required to take largely abstract work, particularly that of a literary character; most of this does little toward preparing the student directly for the work of life, and results in a numerous aftermath of failures and non-valeurs. Vocational training gives the student opportunity to ascertain his fitness for the vocation he looks toward following, or helps him to find for what line of work he is best suited. The education of the hand is one of the best ways of educating the mind, and helps greatly in creating an attitude of interest toward their life work. In Germany the predominant characteristic of education has been the love of learning for its own sake; in France, it has been the pursuit of culture, and in England the development of the will, but the new interpretation of the word is the development of the man or woman. During President Lincoln’s administration a measure was passed granting money to the States to establish colleges in agriculture and the mechanical arts. Under its provisions every State has set up such a school and sixteen of the Southern States have established two such colleges each. It is to these schools that the Page-Nelson Bill grants money for the training of teachers, and the teaching of extension work offers opportunity to the youth of our country, but young women are not encouraged to take it up, and in many places no provisions are made for them at all. The problem of woman's work is discussed at times as if it had not appeared until the last generation, but ages ago women did manufacturing and similar work in their homes. The Hebrew ideal of a virtuous woman includes such work, and according to the ancient record, the honored Hebrew matron was a manufacturer, a planter and a merchant. Such were the duties of our women a hundred years ago, but now most of this work has been transferred to the factories, where a great part of it is still done by women. Economic causes are forcing women into industry, and in the future, instead of fewer we shall find more women in occupations other than homekeeping. Many of the schools for the vocational training of girls are under private management, having been established by those who have recognized the modern tendency of women to become wage earners. Vocational training and wage earning are so closely allied that one can scarcely think of the former except in relation to the latter. If more girls can be given some vocational training the number of unskilled workers will decrease. This will enable the women workers to demand and receive higher wages and will be a distinct benefit to the community at large. But such training is good, not only for the poor girl and the girl of moderate means, but every girl, irrespective of her financial condition. It gives her a more healthful outlook on life and broadens her views, by bringing her into contact with those less fortunate than herself. What is a more pathetic sight than to see a middle-aged woman wholly unfitted to support herself, thrown upon her own resources! If women are trained to take hold of life with a firm grip at some particular point, success or failure rests with their several characters and abilities. E. B. PROTECTION AGAINST PLANT PESTS Fifty delegates visited Rome, Italy, in March, representing thirty-five nations, to discuss the subject of insects and fungous pests. This is the first effort ever made to bring about co-operation between the nations in combating these troubles. The Conference voted to ask each of the countries represented to do three things; first, to support an institute for studying plant pests; second, efficient supervision of nurseries, including the packing and dispatching of plants; third, to require that only such plants be exported as arc accompanied by an official certificate, showing they are free from insects and fungi, and to admit only those certified to. The scheme is admirable in every way and should do much to prevent spreading of such pests. The proposed certificates should also go a little further and guarantee that each plant is true to name. Indians in Wayne Springs Agency, Crook County, Washington, are taking a keen and practical interest in agricultural development and much is being done to help them to a better understanding of all farm work. More than seventy Indians attended the meetings of the first Farmers’ Institute, conducted for the redskins in this territory, practical agriculturists lecturing on farming, orcharding and gardening. March the 14th the final steps were taken to complete the organization of the International Garden Club, which is modeled after the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain, and it is intended to become to professional and amateur gardeners in this country what the British Society is to its members. The idea of the club met with great enthusiasm by leading horticulturists, and it has been suggested to take Bartow House and grounds in Pelham, Bay Park, just outside of New York, for a club house. The grounds will be made into experimental gardens, lectures and exhibits will be given in the club house. Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler, president of Columbia, is honorary president of the club; Mrs. Charles F. Hoffman, president. Extract from letter of N. B. Critchfield, Secretary of Agriculture of Penn: sylvania: “Horticulture has not in the past received the attention that its importance merits. I have full faith in the results of your work at Ambler; first, because of its importance, and. secondly, because of my confidence in the earnestness and ability of those engaged in it.” The subject of vocational training is one that has recently been receiving a great deal of attention and thought. A few years ago a woman college graduate was supposed to be “prepared for life” merely by the fact that she was in the possession of a diploma; somehow people thought that by that fact alone she was fitted to enter practically any business pursuit. It was hardly noticed that almost invariably the girl graduate drifted into teaching, and that many of these teachers were mediocre or really inefficint, for, contrary notwithstand- ing, the fact that one has been taught for four years by eminent teachers does no more make one a good teacher than watching an acrobat qualifies one to repeat the same feats. Lately, however, men’s and women’s colleges have been compared rather sharply, and it was realized that whereas a woman-graduate was considered “ready for the world,” a man-graduate who wished to follow a specific vocation began his training after college days were over, the would-be doctor has years ahead of him, the embryo lawyer has to study against the day when he must face the bar, and the engineer takes a year or two at some technological institute. We approve of vocational training in all lines, at all ages, and for both sexes. It seems to us that the child who is not to have the advantages of a specific “higher education” should have as much as is practical during his school years. If he is only to be educated to the compulsory age of fourteen, let him then leave school not only able to read and write, but equipped with a working knowledge of some trade—a skilled, not an inefficient, laborer. School years are supposed to be the years when we fit ourselves for life, when we learn valuable habits of self-control, concentration and punctuality, when our characters form and when each lesson learned is an asset in after years. This training is indeed invaluable, but why not add to these mental and moral advantages with which we debit ourselves upon leaving school the material asset of a sound training in some line that will permit us to enter the ranks of the skilled wage earners? The trend of today is to specialize, and “specialists” in all lines of work are sought after in preference to the desired Jack-of-all-Trades of yesterday. HOPE BUTLER. MAY SIXTEENTH AT AMBLER, PA. The first conference of the Woman’s National Agricultural and Horticultural Association was a great success. It was a perfect day and every one of the four hundred and fifty people here enjoyed it thoroughly. On account of the illness of the association president, Mrs. Francis King, of Alma, Mich., which prevented her attendance, Mrs. II. R. Fullerton, of Medford, L. I., presided charmingly as chairman. Mrs. King's address, “The True Role of the Horticultural Society.” was read by the secretary, Miss Hilda Loines. Mr. David Fairchild was unavoidably detained in Washington. His subject was, “Foreign Food Plants,” and it was with real regret that the chairman announced his absence. Mr. Fairchild one hundred of the Japanese Udo plants to be distributed among the vis-..ors. Mr. George T. Powell, New York city, gave a most instructive talk on “Small Fruit Culture for Women”; Miss Martha Van Resselaer, Cornell University, subject: “Farm Housekeeping”; Mr. W. P. Hartman, Medford, L. I., subject: “The Grangers’ Market Bureau”; Mr. W’alter P. Stokes, Philadelphia, Pa., subject: “Seed Growing for Women”; Mrs. J. Willis Martin. Philadelphia, Pa., subject: “The Co-operation of the W. N. A. and H. A. and the Gar- den Club of America’’; Prof. F. Warner, State College, Pa., subject: “Broilers for Profit”; Miss Elsie McFate, Turtle Creek, Pa., subject: “Hardy Flower Culture ; Mr. Bertrand H. Farr, Wyomissing. Pa., subject: “Raising Rainbows. All who beard the program were most hearty in their praise land everyone felt the future of the association was assured. The Woman's National Agricultural and Horticultural Association was formed in New York in December, 1913, and at a later meeting in Philadelphia officers were elected and the association became a reality. No call for members was sent out until March of this year, and )to date nearly five hundred members are enrolled from all over the United States. New names are being added daily and before the next meeting it should reach a thousand. Everywhere the idea of a national organization to rouse an interest in agriculture and horticulture among women is hailed with the greatest enthusiasm and all who attended the conference felt the progressive spirit manifest at the meeting. SOME SCHOOLS OF GARDENING ABROAD Of late years there has arisen, both at home and abroad, an especial interest in the training of women in horticultural pursuits, and many women are turning to these as a means of livelihood or as a matter of interest. As in many other educational departments, England and Germany have been aniong the pioneers in founding schools of practical horticulture women. Swanley College, in Kent, England, has the distinction of being the oldest school of this kind, for it was founded in 1889. Its purpose is to provide for women a sound training in gardening and allied subjects. The estate contains forty-three acres, divided into flo ver and kitchen gardens, orchards, wall fruit and meadow land, with glass and forcing houses. 'I'lie college accommodates sixty students, and it prepares them both for practical gardening in England, and for emigration and colonial life. The courses of study include all branches of horticultural science, and the school is always full. Over 50% of its graduates are self-supporting in some branch of horticulture. The school at Studley Castle, founded by Lady Warwick, was opened in 1898 as a hotel for women students in connection with the agricultural college at Reading. In 1903 the beautiful estate of Studley Castle, 350 acres in extent, fifteen miles from Birmingham, was purchased, and here the college has prospered exceedingly. Rose and flower gardens, a rock garden, an orangery, orchards and 400 feet of glass in a walled garden half a mile distant from the castle, offer every facility for practical training in horticulture. Fruit, melons and tomatoes are grown under glass and marketed at a profit. The Studley jams and bottled fruits are a popular specialty, and are exported even to the Far East. Another school was opened in 1901 at Glvnde, in Surrey, by Lady Frances YVolseley. It is conducted on a smaller scale and with rather different methods, but aims at giving gentlewomen, at a moderate rate, a practical training. At Thatchani is a scnool of gardening where a specialty is made of Frenc.i gardening methods. Hotbeds, cloches and intensive cultivation are the special points, and 28 students are active all the time on five acres of ground. In all these schools, as well as those elsewhere in Europe, a minimum of lecture work and a maximum of pracical work is the rule, the ratio being about two hours of lectures to six hours in the garden. They aim to be especially training schools of especial practical value. Both Swanley and Studley attract students from abroad, Germans, Bus sians, Swiss, a few Americans, and even a Japanese having found their way there. The fees average from $430 up. In both Germany and England, there are several schools presided over and taught by graduates of the large colleges, and often trained women with their own commercial undertakings will take pupils and apprentices to train as gardeners. In Germany there are at least three important schools of gardening for women. Marienfelde, near Berlin, was founded in 1894 by Fraulein Dr. Castner Over 50 women from German), Austria, Russia, Italy, Holland, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Roumania, Norway and even from America are in attendance, and this school has become a pioneer and leader in the work of horticultural education for women in Germany. Frauenschule Maidburg, situated close to Kempen in Posen was opened in 1904 by Der Verein fur wirtschaftliche Frauenschule auf dem Lande. It is designed primarily for educated women, and the courses include beside gardening, dairying, domestic economy, etc. Godesberg on the Rhine has a school of gardening of which one of the coprincipals is an English woman from one of the English colleges. Here on a small estate 50 students are taught practical gardening and fruit growing, all the work being done by the students and their teachers, for no men gardeners are employed—only a couple of laborers for the heavy work. The lectures on horticulture are given by those members of the staff who take the same subjects in practical gardening, and for pure theory visiting lecturers from Godesberg or Bonn come in. In Russia, as long ago as 1889, Baroness Budberg established an agricultural school for women on her husband’s estate at Ponicruove in Courtland. As well as horticulture, this school i Produced teaching in dairying, domestic economy, etc., and many women have passed through it. The example of the founder stimulated other women of rank to similar efforts in Poland (18941 and in Bavaria (1895) where graduates of her school have been engaged to start institutions of the same kind Tn Hungary. Austria and Spain the movement has been taken up, in spite of conservative resistance. At Niguarda. near Milan. Ttalv, Miss Aurelie Josz opened a school of horti- culture for women in 1905. Gardening, poultry, bee keeping arc the main subjects. Switzerland has one or two schools of gardening, the one at Chateau la Chatelaine being presided over by an English lady. Belgium, Holland and Denmark are well supplied with agricultural schools, and “traveling courses’' are a feature of their method. Teachers go to certain towns and provinces and give on the spot their lectures and instruction to the farmers. Dairy work for women is made a specialty. The schools at Bouchout in Belgium, and Charlottenlund, in Denmark, have courses in gardening, fruit growing, etc., designed especially for women. The school of horticulture for women at Briccointe-Robert, in France, is one of the latest to join the ranks. It was founded in 1913, and is bound to be one oi the important schools of its kind—so practical as are the French. The graduates of these various schools are found today all over the world. Canada, South Africa, Teneriffe, British Columbia and the United States have all had their attractions, and women with this thorough training in this the oldest of the arts, are everywhere making good. J. b. haines. THE THINNING OF FRUIT Too often the orchardist wlio is careful in the pruning, spraying and cultivation of his trees thinks that he cannot spare time and money to thin the fruit. This is a serious mistake. No other orchard operation pays better. The profit of the crop depends to a large extent upon the proportion of number one fruit. When crops are very large, the best grade may be the only one to yield a profit, and in years of scarcity fine fruit brings fancy prices. In thinning, the blemished and infested fruits are removed, leaving only what is sound ; and if this should he too thick, it is thinned out until the individual fruits are not nearer to each other than t ie width of one’s hand. This reduces the amount of culls to a minimum. Nature’s purpose in bearing fruit is to produce seeds, and these cause a much greater proportional drain on the tree than does the rest of the fruit. A small apple usually has as many and as perfect seeds as a large one; and a bushel of large apples is much less exhausting to the parent tree than the same amount of small ones. In the case of peaches the difference is still greater, as it takes as much vitality to produce a stone as to form the flesh of several peaches. Thinning the fruit is a great help in conserving the strength of the tree for the following year. Such trees as the apple and pear, that hear their fruit on spurs, do not mature fruit on the same spur on two successive years. Bv removing all the fruit from some spurs early in the season, they will be likely to bear the next year. Careful experiments indicate that the statement that thinning overloaded trees does not reduce the yield for that year is overdrawn, in the case of apples, though the quality and value of the crop are increased. But probably in a series of years trees whose fruit is systematically thinned each year will exceed the yield of similar trees whose fruit is not thinned during the same period, and the net; profits from the thinned trees will be much larger. A considerable part of the thinning may be done by the removal of superfluous branches. The direct removal of fruits should take place immediately after the “June Drop,” when a larger proportion of the blemished fruit falls. If a canvas be spread under the tree before thinning, the fruits removed may be easily and quickly collected and destroyed. Peaches should be removed when somewhat larger than cherries and apples and pears when three-quarters of an inch or so in diameter. The impression that thinning means a great deal of extra work is erroneous. The fruits rapidly gatheied and dropped in June do not have to be picked and graded as seconds or culls in the autumn, when the fruit grower is more pressed with work than in early summer. No great amount of additional time is required, and the work is more evenly distributed through the season. Plums may be thinned when about the size of cherries; and not only is there a gain in the size and quality of the fruit, but the danger of the spread of brown rot is much less than when this is done. Currants may be thinned by clipping off the tips of the clusters with scissors before the flowers open. An experiment of this kind at the New Jersey Experiment Station in 1889 showed a marked gain in size, quality and yield by this method. As the work can be done rapidly, it would probably pay better when the fruit is sold in a discriminating market. The direct thinning of fruit on raspberry and blackberry bushes did not seem profitable in some experiments conducted at Cornell; but the amount of fruit on such bushes may readily be controlled by careful pruning in spring after the buds have developed sufficiently for one to judge how much bloom there will be, some allowance being made for the occurrence of late spring frosts. J. L. Doan, Department of Fruit Growing. THE GARDEN SPOT OF ITALY “Madonna!” The young Italian intoned the word softly, caressingly. And while she waited, her dark eyes fell upon the great bunch of flowers in her arms and then lifted to the face of the English girl who sat dreaming. For one moment she lingered hesitatingly and then, half kneeling, held out her hands with their light burden. “Madonna Mia!—the flowers------■—!” The dreamer stirred and from some distant vision brought her eyes back to this other vision at her feet. “Why, child, child, where have you come from? Are you Kundrv, from Klingsor’s magic garden? Rut no. you have never heard of Klingsor nor of Wagner, have you?” No, Signorina! But the flowers, you love them?” Ah, they are wonderful with a beauty too wonderful!” Signorina, this is the white narcissus, and this is marjorem, here a delicate rose like your fair cheeks, and this is campanula, blue like the shadows under your eyes, Madonna, lovely, but, oh, so sad,—and Jasmine, do you love the starry Jasmine? It makes me think of the bridal days of princesses. May I make a wreath with a star for your forehead?” While she talked she wove quickly a wreath of star flowers and luted it gently over her mistress’ rich golden hair. “Ah, our artist, the Signor Maixo, should sec you now—from over there through the vistas of these dark trees, and your face sidewise so,—a profile against the dreaming sea. He would paint you and we would have a new picture for our Church of San Giovanni. We need new pictures since the old Padre Tafuri whitewashed the beauties all away.” “He whitewashed them, when, Ula?” “Ah, I know not, Signorina, but many, many years ago. The bishop hated the frescoes because lie thought they had been done by heathen hands.” “Heathen hands?—many peoples have visited your southern cities, Ula, but can you tell me why they built this city in such an inaccessible spot as on this mountain top? How did they find this garden spot of Italy, Ravello? How beautiful the name is.” The Italian flushed with pleasure. “You love it, too, then? But why we are here I know not. An old man once told me that long ages ago, before the Blessed Virgin came to guard our land, there were pirates of the high .-� cas. Some were fair with golden hair like your own, Signorina, and some were dark with brown skin and fierce black eyes, and they plundered our coast cities and carried off our maidens on their evil-looking ships. One night there was moonlight on the water and the watchers from those dark towers, you see there jutting out into the sea, saw swift sails coming from the east. Then the bells from all the watch towers along the coast rang a warning to the people that the pirates were coming. The saints came to the rescue of the merchants and poor fisher folk and bade them flee to these hills. They took good care of the pirates, too, for the next morning the pirates, their ships and half Amalfi had vanished beneath the sea. “Amalfi was a great city once, but after that the rich nobles and merchants made their home here in Ravello. It was Signor Rufolo who built these gardens. He was a merchant prince and some whisper that once he. himsc!r '• -been a pirate. His great wealth was known over all Italy. He feasted t jou Kings, and wild tales are told of those feasts, Signorina. It is said that after each feast the silver dishes were cast from this very terrace into the sea. Can you believe in such riches? And Signora--------?” Her voice trailed off into a question, for the thoughts of her mistress were once more far away. A frightened look came into Ida's eyes. “Madonna. Mia!” she whispered. “Will the Madonna not go in? Already the shadows are creeping up the mountains and the light on the waters will soon be gone.’’ “No! No! Ula!” protested the English girl a little impatiently. “But the Signor, your father, he told me—!” “My, Ula, can you not see that nothing could harm one in such a garden land as this? See how the wild flowers root themselves in every cleft, and how the fragrance of the mar jorum and wild thyme are blown to us from every hollow and ravine. Hear the little birds twittering their sleep songs! No! No! I want to see the sunset—yes, and the darkness come.” “But is it good to be left alone in the darkness---” “Ah—the sunset!” “Come nearer, child,—so—now you can see the waters. The Mediterranean lay like a great opal with colors ever changing, pearl tints, liquid blues and emerald greens, and here and there a Hash of flame. The mountain tops to the north were purple, those to the south gleamed forth from mists of rose, and all the heavens seemed on fire. In the garden magic was wrought. The star flowers were touched to a delicate pink, orange and lemon fruit shone from the shadows like globes of light. Suddenly the bells of more than a hundred churches began to ring the Angelus; some near, some from far across the sea, from valley and mountain top, all joining in one wild but grand harmony that came softened by the waters and the distance. A look of exaltation came into the face of the English woman. She thought what wonder that Wagner had loved Ravello, and wrote of it— “Klingsors’ Zaubergarten ist gefunden.” This beauty, too, was but a dream that must vanish into nothingness! Ula with intuitive love saw the changing emotions that swept across the sensitive face of her mistress. Upon the moment’s exaltation followed pain, the pain of one who had suffered beyond all thought of tears or of outcry. The Italian could not comprehend the silence of such suffering and thought of her mistress as of some sacred spii it that would fade sometime beyond her longing touch. “Ah, Caramia,” she whispered, “I will love you and guard you well I prom- ise. It was but a breath, a whisper to her own heart. UNDA. S HIRES. (To Be Continued) IN SUMMER Brightly shone the evening star. Brighter still the moon afar With shimmering shadows here and there. And crickets chirping everywhere. The lulling breeze came soft and low. As it swept the treetops, then dipped belcw To make in the leaves a murmur deep As if to sooth a babe to sleep, m. f. s Patrick cut a chicken’s head oil and put the fowl on the floor. It commenced to flop around, but Patrick explained the matter by saying: “It's dead, but it don’t realize it.’’ Old Lady (sniffling). “What’s that odor I smell?” Farmer: “That’s fertilizer.” Old Lady (astonished): “For the land’s sake!” Farmer: “Yes, ma’am.” A lady wrote to recommend felt shoes for hens that scratch up the garden, as all barefooted hens do. This is certainly a new way to “shoo” a hen. Swiss guide: “This is the famous Matterhorn precipice; it is 3000 feet deep.” Lady climber: “And do people often fall over there?” Swiss guide: “No, mum; only once.” Little Albert was helping his father pack down the meat for the winter and surprised the parent by saying: “Pop, why don’t you ask a blessing over the barrel, so as to save time when we come to table?” Had Experience—“I want a pair of button shoes for my wife.” “This way, sir. What kind do you wish, sir?” “Doesn’t matter, just so they don’t button in the back.”—Philadelphia Public Ledger. VISITORS Mrs. Charles Henry, Chestnut Hill. Mrs. Graham, Chestnut Hill. Miss Gertrude S. Ely, Bryn Mawr, Pa. Miss Nancy MacLeod, Bryn Mawr College. Mr. Robert B. Strunk, Philadelphia. Mr. Wilson, Jenkintown, Pa. Dr. Martha Tracy, Germantown. Mr. and Mrs. Francis Goodhue, Germantown. Mr. Thomas Evans, Germantown. Miss Smith, Bryn Mawr. Miss Snodgrass, Bryn Mawr. Miss Grace Osborne, Indianapolis. Miss Elizabeth L. Clark, Baltimore. Mrs. George Flagg, Philadelphia. Miss Mary R. Keenan, Chambersburg, Pa. Miss Elizabeth Wiestlinp’ Chambersburg, Pa. Miss Lilian R. Chandlee, Lansdowne, Pa. Mrs. Chas. Henry, Chestnut Hill, Pa. Miss Edith A. Chandlee, Lansdowne, Pa. Miss Martha Doan, Vassar College. Mrs. H. Hahn, Philadelphia. Mrs. E. B. Leaf, Philadelphia. Mrs. John Henry, Chestnut Hill, Pa. Mrs. J. Vaughn Merrick, Philadelphia. Mrs. J. H. Shinn, Germantown. Mr. J. H. Warner, Hatboro. Mr. J. S. Briggs, Norristown. Mr. and Mrs. Lumsdcn, Baltimore. Dr. Potter, Germantown. Miss Mabelle Ingle, New York. Mrs. David S. Alsop, Philadelphia. Mrs. Willis Martin, Philadelphia. Miss Anne A. Rand, Longwood, Florida. Mrs. II. D. Auchenclass, 33 E. 67th St., Now York City. Miss A. B. Jennings, 48 Park Ave., New York City. Miss F. E. Wickham. 10 West 43rd St., New York City. Miss Elizabeth B. Colles, Williamsburg, Mass. Mrs. Ira Davenport, 31 E. 39th St.. New York City. Mr. and Mrs. Geo. E. Bickel, Philadelphia. Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Fullerton, Medford, Long Island, N. Y. Airs. Joseph Wills, Philadelphia. Miss Isabel 1 J. Harrity, Philadelphia. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS This new department lias jusi been started and it is hoped that our readers will send us many questions in regard to horticulture. Wise-Acres will do its best to answer them. All questions should be addressed to the Associate Editor. What is a good summer flowering hedge? For hedge 3 to 4 feet high, the rugosa rose is most effective. For a higher hedge althea is attractive. Toth of these can be obtained in white, pink or in rather an ugly red. Is it a good thing to plant peach trees as fdlers in an apple orchard? Whether or not it is wise to use peach trees as fillers is a much disputed question. In this locality where peach trees thrive, it is profitable and is often done. The disadvantage is that peach trees cannot stand as strong a spray solution as apple trees require and this means much inconvenience in the care of the orchard. Dwarf early bearing apples are often used as fillers, but the disadvantage of this is that they must be cut down in their prime in order that the permanent trees may have all the room. This is true also of the peaches. Many growers advise bush fruit or vegetable crops. Will spring bulbs in the garden bloom the second year.? If the bulbs are left undisturbed until the leaves have faded and turned yellow, so that the bulbs have a chance to ripen, they will bloom on for many years. To lessen the conspicuousness of the unsightly yellowing leaves, they may be tied together and held to the ground by a forked stick or small staple. JUST PLAIN HERBS The main reason why we love to plan for hardy gardens and the old-time flowers and herbs is the joy with which we look for their appearance in the early spring. In some little brain-cell we have hidden away delightful memories of watching for the first green points of the sturdy plants that have weathered the cold winter, and how eagerly we scrape away the leaves to give them more breathing space and warm sunshine. The perennials love leaf-mold, so be sure to make little pockets near their roots and fill with decayed leaves. Most of our sweet herbs are very old. We find that many of them grew wild near the Mediterranean Sea when the Roman Empire flourished. “Thyme growing on the sunny slopes of Hymettus gave to the bees the sweetest and most famed of all honey.” We all know that the Greeks first and then the Romans were epicures and these herbs were transplanted to their gardens to; give the pungent, spicy or peppery flavors that their jaded appetites craved. In more modern times the French rarely cook without savory herbs, and the herb stall is a feature in their markets which we might well follow. Our markets contain little but parsley, celery and horse-radish for seasoning, al- though now and then we see an old colored woman on the street offering her small bundles of sweet “yarbs.” The Catalogues offer a large variety of seeds and plants for the herb bed, but it is difficult to find from them the ones that are really worth growing and for what purpose. The best cuts of meat need nothing to improve them, but the coarser portions require some assistance and the kitchen herb bed gives a result that would make even a pampered Roman envious. In the School Herb Garden this summer will be found many an old time favorite: Balm with its lemon-scented foliage; Bene, the oil of which is used for softening and whitening the skin; Catnip, one of the first to come up in the spring and very hardy. The cats love it and so do the bees, bumble-bees, honey bees and bees with names that make one stutter. After one or two prunings, a clump of catnip is a mass of green and white which retains its shape throughout the growing season and all winter holds its mass of seed pods high above the snow for the birds. Thyme, Alphonse Karr says, “takes upon itself to embellish the parts of the earth which other plants disdain. If there is an arid, stony, dry soil, burnt up by the sun, it is there thyme spreads its charming green beds, perfumed, close, thick, elastic, scattered over with little balls of blossoms, pink in color and of a delightful fragrance.” This is another plant that our bees love. In many of the lovely English homes thyme grows like a carpet in a velvety mass between the stepping stones of foot paths and the crevices of the walls. Lavender with its blue haze reminds us of the well-kept linen closets of our grandmothers. Unfortunately, it is not hardy and the winter kills it. Caraway Seeds for the children's cookies; Dill for flavoring cucumber pickles; and; Tansy, which has a beauty all its own. In Washington’s day when refrigerators were unknown, it was rubbed on the meat to preserve it. Tarragon is propagated by root division. A few drops of Tarragon vinegar adds the last touch to a perfect salad and other vinegars are flat in comparison. The Mints have no special beauty of blossom, but the shape and color of their leaves is attractive and their odor is intensified in the dewy coolness of morning or evening. Lord Bacon says in his Essay on Gardens: “Those which perfume the air most delightfully, being trodden upon and crushed, are Burnet, Wild Thyme and Water Mints. Therefore you are to set whole alleys of them, to have the pleasure when you walk or tread.” An Oriental proverb says: “To raise flowers is a common thing. God alone gave them fragrance.” All these herbs and many more you will find in my little garden plot this summer. Caroline g. peeler. THE GLORY OF THE GARDEN Our England is a garden that is full of stately views, Of borders, beds and shrubberies, and lawns and avenues, With statues on the terraces and peacocks strutting by; But the Glory of the Garden lies in more than meets the eye. For where the old thick laurels grow, along the thin red wall. You’ll find the tools and potting-sheds which are the heart of all, The cold-frames and the hot houses, the dung-pita and the tanks, The rollers, carta and drain-pipes, with the barrows and the planks. And there you’ll see the gardeners, the men and 'prentice boys Told off to do as they are bid and do it without noise; For, except when seeds are planted and we shout to scare the birds, The Glory of the Garden it abideth not in words. And some can pot begonias, and some can bud a rose, And some are hardly fit to trust with anything that grows; But they can roll and trim the lawns, and sift the sand and loam, For the Glory of the Garden occupieth all who come. Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made By singing:—“Oh, how beautiful,” and sitting in the shade, While better men than we go out and start their working lives At grubbing weeds from gravel-paths with broken dinner-knives. There’s not a pair of legs so thin, there’s not a head so thick, There’s not a hand so weak and white, nor yet a heart so sick, But it can find some needful job that's crying to be done, For the Glory of the Garden glorifieth every one. Then seek your job with thankfulness and work till further orders, If it’s only netting strawberries or killing bugs on borders; And when your back stops aching and your hands begin to harden, You will find yourself a partner In the Glory of the Garden. Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees, So when your work is finished, you can wash your hands and pray, For the Glory of the Garden that it may not pass away! And the Glory of the Garden it shall never pass away! —Rudyard Kipling SCHOOL NOTES March the twenty-third Miss Morgan, accompanied by a number of the students, visited the International Flower Show, held at the Grand Central Palace in New York. It was Rose Day and the display was unusually beautiful; the growing rose that we thought particularly attractive was Lady Gray, on the order of Dorothy Perkins, but much more beautiful. The exhibit of cut flowers was exquisite, stimulating the thought of larger green houses of our own. Some day we may take a prize! Who knows! The South African vine attracted much attention with its crimson flowers resembling Lilium Speciosum. The Acacias and the Bougainvillas as well as the large display of Hy-drangias in all shades of pink, blue and white, were especially beautiful. To us who have had a little experience in the raising of Cinerarias and Schizan- thus, these plants appealed most strongly. Also the wonderful red nasturtiums were quite worthy of mention. In the centre of the hall was a unique miniature representation of thirty-nine Japanese gardens which though interesting were not especially attractive. The unusually fine display of orchids and bulbs, as well as almost all kinds of flowering shrubs and plants, could scarcely be comprehended in one day, but we all left with the remembrance of a delightful trip and new inspiration and love for our work in horticulture. L. L. R. It was a moment of great excitement and interest when the boxes containing grape, currant and gooseberry cuttings and the many varieties of apple cions grafted on seedling roots were brought up from the vegetable cellar in the barn. The work of preparing these had occupied many hours of the cold winter weather when our city friends were wondering how we could be employing our time. We had heeled them in during the winter to be planted in the spring in our individual rows in the Educational Orchard. Question! ! ! Living or dead? ? ? Verdict: Very much alive! ! ! Ha! Ha! At last the weather has permitted us to plant out our trees in the holes dynamited in December for the apple orchard. Peach fillers were also planted from which we hope to receive revenue before the apple trees come into tearing. We received two hundred and fifty strawberry plants from Mr. W. F. Allen, Nurseryman, of Salisbury, Maryland. They arrived in excellent condition and the students planted them that same day, having received a tip from the Weather Bureau that a soft rain was headed this way. We are very grateful to Mr. Allen and hope soon to have the pleasure of sending him some of the “fruits” of our labors. The varieties are as follows: Gold Dollar, Rewastico, Chesapeake, Early Giant, Early Ozark, Warren, Longfellow, Progressive and Amanda. The peonies received from Cottage Garden Nurseries, Queen’s, Long Island, in the autumn of 1912, look very promising. On Friday, May 22d, the School held a “Flower Market” at “Wyck,” Miss Haines’ old Colonial home, Walnut Lane and Main Street, Germantown. We sold many seedlings and potted plants; book shelves and bird houses made in the carpenter shop; home made candy: baskets; orange marmalade; silhouettes, etc., etc., and exhibited a demonstration bee-hive. Six tarragon plants were received from Miss Emma Blakiston for the Herb Garden; also two dwarf apple trees and many plants of small fruits. We received one hundred Boltonia plants from Miss Elizabeth Doughty, Englewood, New Jersey. Mrs. Peeler has planted them along the edge of the Herb Garden. Everything in sight seems to be appropriated for this garden, and if you want any plants for your own plot, it is a case of “Watchful Waiting.” On March 17th, Miss Lee took the Landscape Garden Class on a very interesting trip. The grounds of the University Museum and the garden of Mrs. Samuel Fels were visited in the morning. In the afternoon a lecture was given at the Philomusian Club on “The Possibilities of Beautifying the City Back Yards.” On the 17th of April, Mr. D. W. Steckbeck gave the Botany Class the pleasure of visiting the Botanical Garden and Conservatories of the University of Pennsylvania. They were also shown a demonstration of experiments made by the University students of plants, showing growth both with and without the essential elements. Lantern slides showing root and stem cross sections of buckwheat, corn, peas and various trees were much enjoyed. Two of our students were asked to go to the farm of Dr. Martha Tracy, Dowlin, Chester Co., just above Downingtown, Pa., to inspect and prune apple trees. The teaching given in the “Educational Orchard” at the School was well carried out, we are sure, for they were very enthusiastic over their day’s work. When the beautiful gentian-blue Anchusa was first advertised, one of the students raised a number of plants. They are perennials and bloom the second year. Mrs. Brown, in her lecture on “Color Schemes in the Garden,” spoke of them as “When Lavender Walks With Blue” in her list of plants for a blue garden. On May 6th, the Architects, Messrs. Page and Stewardson, came out and staked off the place where the new building is to be erected. One of these gentlemen left his raincoat gracefully draped on a fence post. We have received contributions of all kinds and descriptions and have made use of same, hut this is the first time a man’s raincoat has been donated; unfortunately, it didn’t fit. therefore it was returned to the owner with regrets. Miss Myra Dock sent in an Easter present of two volumes of “A Naturalist in Western China.” An anonymous gift of ten dollars from a very dear friend. It is always a red letter day when we can have Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Fullerton, of Medford, L. I., at the school. From the time they arrive until the dust of the taxi hides their farewell salute, they just radiate good cheer and the joy of living. This year was no exception and we all look forward to having them come again. BEE KEEPING From an amateur’s point of view bee keeping is a most delightful and interesting hobby. Its chief advantage is, that, with very little time spent at the proper seasons, your bees will work away, whether you are at home or traveling. On the other hand you can spend endless hours increasing your apiary or forcing a larger crop of honey by restraining the swarming tendency, or with scientific experiment and the breeding and raising of queens. Combined with the raising of poultry, or the growing of fruit, bees are a splendid investment. The benefit is mutual, as the bees fertilize the blossoms. An enthusiastic beginner can occupy each month by reading the endless books ancient and modern, the superstitions of the middle ages being as interesting as the discoveries and inventions of the last half century. The Spring brings its work of preparing hives and frames and the busy hours of nailing the hives and fitting the frames together pass very quickly. In the late spring the very interestin' work of opening the hives begins. You will find the bees have stored away honey and pollen almost before you have realized that the flowers are in bloom. Very soon the supers must he put on, for the fruit blossoms contain an abundance of honey; then later the tulip-poplar and basswood trees; strawberries, raspberries, blackberries; clover alfalfa, etc. The bees must have plenty of room to store this honey. When the section combs are filled and sealed over with wax, they may be removed, but if the honey is to be extracted, it is often left in the hive until the end of July or August and all extracted at one time. After which the sticky frames with the empty wax cells are returned to the bees, who clean them and store away fresh honey for their winter use. i September in this locality with the golden rod and asters gives the bees an opportunity to get ready for the winter. About the end of September or early October you must see that sufficient honey has been collected and the horrid honey dew, which is positively unfit for winter food and which comes in such profusion, has not been gathered. The bees should have plenty of honey; if there is more than enough, remember it will be just as good, if not better for the longer keeping, and that it can be taken from them the following season. Give your hives a wind-break if possible, and a chaff or cork cushion in a small super over the hive. If the hives are single walled, either chaff division boards placed against the most exposed side of the hive, or paper coverings, are good. Bees that have no protection must eat more in order to maintain sufficient heat. If the winter is severe and they have few opportunities for flight, and are obliged to consume quantities of honey, they die in great numbers and readily succumb to disease. Whereas bees in a warm hive are not forced to gorge honey, and to exhaust themselves to keep upthe temperature: they also can stand a more prolonged cold snap and do not feel the need of a flight. Spring should find the bees in fine condition and able to rear hordes of young on whose shoulders the task of gathering the heavy honey, falls. The old bees die off in May. A few good rules to ensure success are: To see that your bees begin the winter in good condition and that they are well protected from the cold and have good supplies. Introduce new queens to replace those worn out and to bring new stock into the apiary. LETITIA E. WRIGHT. CANNING AND PRESERVING The fruit season is one that loads the housewife with a heavy burden of work. Many times she cannot do as much as she wishes and there is a great waste of material that would save many a dollar; in fact, this loss is so great that it would bankrupt any other business in a short time. With a small steam outfit fruit and vegetables can be put up commercially in haste to be done over after the rush, with as much variety of recipes as desired. There is really no secret about the art of canning. If so, it can be explained in two words—steam pressure, which is of such a high degree of heat that it kills all germs and if the cans are absolutely air tight, there will be no such thing as failure. If surplus fruit juices are put up in gallon or half-gallon jars, you will have assortment for blending some lovely things in jelly or jam of fruit that docs not ripen at-the same time and cannot be blended when in season. A combination of strawberry juice and Siberian crab apple makes a delicious jelly. Common apples in the summer are much more tasty than winter apples. If Porter, Duchess or Astra chan are stewed and canned, without much trying to boil them down to sauce, they jell so easily that the apple sauce is always thick, and as an accompaniment to pork in the winter always brings a delighted notice that fresh apple sauce would not win. There is a great advantage in being able to make your jellies in the winter when you have lots of time and on a cold day when one can really enjoy hanging over a stove. Besides, one does not need half the storage room to keep canned juice that it takes for glasses of jelly: a saving, too, in the number of glasses a family has to stock up with, for you can get along with a few, and jelly made for immediate use in the winter can be set in spare teacups and will turn out nicely on plates to be served. Another advantage, especially with grape jelly is that you never get the cream of tartar crystal flakes, as so often happens when it stands made up all winter. Some other fruits produce substances which makes hard lumps in the jelly as it ages and it becomes stiffer than when fresh. There is a most delicious combination of crab-apple juice, stewed and boiled very quietly so as to be very pale and mixed later in the year with a juice of elderberry. The flavor is indescribably delicious and the color marvelous. The list of sweets that can be made at home and that one never hears of in the shops is endless. Try this: Jim-Jam—One quart of raspberries, one quart of currants, one pound of best and largest seedless raisins; three-quarters pound sugar; two oranges; pulp, skin and fruit sliced thin. “Children cry for it.” GERTRUDE R. STOCKBRIDGE. Pullman Agricultural College, Washington. Present School Building The New School Building I School of Horticulture For Women The School is situated two miles from Ambler Station, on the Philadelphia Reading Railroad, eighteen miles north of Philadelphia. It is also nine and a half miles from the Rose Valley Station, on the Chestnut Hill and Allentown Trolley Line. Trains for Ambler Station leave the Reading Terminal, Twelfth and Market Streets, Philadelphia, about every hour. It is necessary that Students should have a High School education, or its equivalent; that they should not be less than eighteen years of age, and that they should be in good health. The demand for trained women to fill salaried positions in Horticultural work, is constantly increasing. Jessie T. Morgan, Director Ambler, Pa. ELLENWOOD FARM HATBORO, PA., R. D. Breeders of Registered Guernsey Cattle Berkshire Swine Rhode Island Red Chickens HERD BULLS Charmantes Rose King, 11746, A. R. Sire, Florham King, 8401; dam, Rose of York, 17290 A. R.; grand sire, Rutila’s Sheet Anchor, 5701 ; grand dam, Imp. Cliarmante of the Gron, 14442 ; grand sire, Imp. May Rose King, 8336 A. R. Imp. Justinee's Sequel of LaMasse, 21564; R. G. A. S. 2652, P. S. Sire, Justinee’s Sequel of the Preel, R. G. S. A., 2119. P. S.; dam, May Rose V of LaMasse. R. G. A. S. 3870, F. S. GlenwoocTs Mainstay of Ellenwood, 19910. Sire, Glen wood’s Mainstay 6067, A. R. 26; dam, Princess Coral of Paulsdale, 26321, A. R. 2419. OUR BERKSHIRES REPRESENT THE BEST BLOOD LINES IN THE COUNTRY. VISITORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME We are Two Miles from the School of Horticulture R. F. Whitmer, Propr. J. W. Warner, Supt. Wm« Sterling 8 Co. MAKE A SPECIALTY OF TAILORED DRESSES AT POPULAR PRICES. 1055-1037 CHESTNUT STREET Bell Pho?e 4239 Walnut I'hi Idtl el pflii!, Pa. Croft’s BEST g MILK ( OCOLATE NET WT. 13 s OZ. School of Horticulture for Women Ambler, Pennsylvania Regular 2- Year Course Begins September 1914 Practical and Theorectical Training in the Growing of FRUIT, VEGETABLES and FLOWERS; BEES, POULTRY. SIMPLE CARPENTRY, SCHOOL GARDENING, PRINCIPLES OF LANDSCAPE GARDENING. WRITE FOR CATALOGUE Jessie T. Morgan, Director CITY GARAGE L. D. MYERS Proprietor T. Ford and Oakland Gars Demonstrations on reediest Full Line of Accessories Gars to hire at all hours for all purposes at reasonable rates by hour or trip. Both Phones. The James G. Downward Co. ..Manufacturers of.. FERTILIZERS ----and-- Importers of Chemicals Special Mixtures Made to Order. FACTORY! COATESVILLE, PA. J. E. UNDERWOOD AIMER. PA. USE HIRE’S GOLD MILK Purest and Most Wholesome SOLD BY FIRST-CLASS GROCERS subdued with Hires 5 cents per quaff At fountains or in bottle at grocers’, fruit stands, etc. Yezzir! Thirsts of any age or either sex G.M.DECK6CO. HARDWARE MOUSE FURNISHINGS AMBLER HEATING TINSMITHING PENNA. THOMAS ATKINSON REAL ESTATE INSURANCE INVESTMENTS AMBLER. PA. COLLECTIONS BOTH PHONES THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF AMBLER, PA. Capital, Surplus, $100,000 $80,000 Accounts solicited. Accommodations granted proportionate to balances carried. Savings Accounts earn 3 per cent, interest, compounded thrice yearly. Safe Deposit Department J. Watson Craft E. H. Faust President Vice-President Wm. A. Davis, Cashier VICTOR MAYER Ladies’ and Men’s Tailcr Steam Dyeing and Scouring Altering, Cleaning and Pressing. Repairing Neatly Done Bc1142 a ' 421 Butler Avenue, Ambler, Pa. An Unfermented Champagne A NEW BEVERAGEI A NEW FLAVOR! A NEW DEL1CIOUSNESSI You surely will be interested to know of our wonderful new discovery in the way of a most delightful beverage. We have named it HIRES CHAMPAGNE GINGER ALE; an article that is peer to the finest champagne in the woild— minus the aLohol. It is like a fountain of bubbling topaz, sparkling and glistening in the sunlight, and its aroma, bouquet ar.d flavor are exquisite. When you wish to entertain friends at dinner, or have callers and want to surprise ai d charm them, we are sure you can do it by serving this delectable drink. It is composed principally of the white Niagara grape juice, giape fruit and the finest ginger. Ask for iI at your hotel, club, on the train, or at your fine grocers. ----DEAL8R in Dry Goods. Notions, Millinery, Men’s Furnishings 303-305 Butler Ave., AMB1.ER, PA. H. J. DAGER, INC. SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE. INSURANCE AND MORTGAGES FARMS A SPECIALTY AMBLER. PA. FRANK PALUMBO Ladies’ and Men's T A I LOR Both Phones Knight Bldg., AMBLER, PA. THIS BOOKLET FROM THE PRESS OF GEO. W. LUTZ 11 SOUTH MAIN ST BELL PHONE AMBLER. PA. flehlerliandy Garden Tools Sold by every large Seed, Hardware and Department Store in the United States. Work with ease, save the knees. More and better work in less time. handy gardene t Send for Catalogue describing the Mehler Handy Garden Tools. Mehler Garden Tool Co. Ambler, Pa.,U.S.A. Bedding We’ve Got White Enamel Beds Brass Beds Springs for Beds Palmleaf Mattress Cotton Mattresses Hair Mattresses Felt Mattresses Pillows, Bolsters Large assortment to select from. Our prices are lower than Philadelphia Stores A. LAPETINA 405 Butler Ave., AMBLER, PA. Win. H. Embick Sons TAILORS 1618-20-28 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia Spray your vines and trees and you are taking out the best kind of insurance against insects and parasites. Best spray mixtures can be had at Stillwagon’s Drug Store Main St., Ambler, Pa. Bartlett Tours Company 200 So. I 3th St., Philadelphia Steamship Tickets Cruises Escorted Tours Edward C. Dixon Ellis A. Schnabel President Vice-President Charles A. Tyler, Manager Joseph H. Fretz LIVERY Ambler, Pa. Horses Bought and Sold Orders taken for Heavy Teams J. Watson Craft Ambler, Pa. Manufacturer of and Dealer in “Enterprise” Brand of Scratch and Mash Feed Dairy Feed constantly in stock. Complete Lmc of Building Material LEHIGH COAL Pittsburg Electric Fence and other Fencing Materials Today in the United States there are approximately 15,000 professional florists and owners of green-honses. Over 7,000 of these florists and greenhouse owners purchase seeds, bulhs, plants, fertilizers, insectcides, implements and other garden supplies at MICHELL’S SEED HOUSE 518 MARKET ST. PHILADELPHIA, PA. Asbestos “Century’’ Shingles Last Forever. Never Require Paint. The Cheapest Slates For Permanent Rooling. Architect GOVERNMENT U. S. Naval Academy Model Cow Barns Annapolis, Md. Contractor THEO. P. TROWBRIDGE Annapolis, Md. NAVAL ACADEMY DAIRY. Annapolis. Mo.. Aug. 28th. 1912. Wallace Gale, Baltimore. Md. Gentlemen:—I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your circular on the use of Asbestos “Century” Shingles. After a year’s use of these Asbestos Shingles we are better pleased than ever. The roofs and sides look as fresh as when put on, with never a leak and everything snug and tight. Very truly yours. J. A. CONOVER. Manager. Asbestos “Century” Shingles. Fireproof, Waterproof and Everlasting. Estimates cheerfully furnished to cover any building. For particulars write Keasbey Mattison Company Ambler, Pennsylvania J. JACOB SHANNON CO. 'SIS' 1744 Market St. 1744 tod EQUIPMENT PHILADELPHIA W. C. Evans Coal, Feed, Grain, Hay, Straw, Etc., Both Telephones AMBLER, PA. DRINK WATER PUREST OF ALL WATERS PUROCK WATER CO. 1228 PARRISH ST., PH I LA. The Methods of the House of Burpee Should make a strong appeal to those who wish success with their Garden of Beauty or their Garden of Plenty. The Horticultural School for Women Has given you an insight of the proper methods to apply. Let us start you on the right road by mailing you a Copy of our Annual, and also our 35th Anniversary Supplement. Write today “lest you forget. A post card will do. W. ATLEE BURPEE CO. Burpee Bldgs., Philadelphia ELLENWOOD FARM HATBORO, PA., R. D. Breeders of Registered Guernsey Cattle Berkshire Swine Rhode Island Red Chickens HERD BULLS Char-mantes Rose King, 11746, A. R. Sire, Florham King, 8401; dam, Rose of York, 17290 A. R.; grand sire, Rutila’s Sheet Anchor, 5701 ; grand dam, Imp. Charm ante of the Gron, 14442 ; grand sire, Imp. May Rose King, 8336 A. R. Imp. Justinee's Sequel of LaMasse, 21564; R. G. A. S. 2652, P. S. Sire, Justinee’s Sequel of the Preel, R. G. S. A., 2119. P. S.; dam, May Rose V of LaMasse. R. G. A. S. 3870, F. S. Glenwood’s Mainstay of Ellenwood, 19910. Sire, Glenwood’s Mainstay 6067, A. R. 26; dam, Princess Coral of Paulsdale, 26321, A. R. 2419. OUR BERKSHIRES REPRESENT THE BEST BLOOD LINES IN THE COUNTRY. VISITORS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME We are Two Miles from the School of Horticulture R. F. Whitmer, Propr. John Harrison Supt. A Greenhouse Doubles and Triples The Joys of Horticulture NATURE, at her best, only gives those of us who live within one hundred miles of Philadelphia, but about three months of real gardening joys. For two months in the Spring, we are waiting for our gardens “to arrive.” tor a month oi two in the Fall, we are regretfully watching its departure. And then come months of barren bleakness with only the reading of horticulture books and the persuing of alluring catalogs to solace us. But if you have a greenhouse — what a different aspect the whole thing takes. Your garden becomes a perpetual one-regardless 6f time or season, rhyme or reason. Besides the flowers, fruits and vegetables, you can have as you will; there is nothing like a greenhouse to smooth out the hurry-worries of life and keep one in pleasurable harmony with things. Leastwise, that’s what our customers say. If it all seems good indeed to you, why don't you have a glass enclosed garden of your own—one of our greenhouses ? If you wish, we will take charge of the entire building of it, from the turning of the sod to the turning on of the heat in your completed garden plot. Why don’t you talk it over you and I? Or at least get a start by sending for one of our booklets, called “Glass Gardens—A Peep Into Their Delights.” Iord,$Rurnham(o. Franklin Bank Building, Philadelphia, Pa. NEW YORK. 42d Street Bldg. BOSTON, Tremont Bldg. ROCHESTER, Granite Bldg. CLEVELAND, Swetland Bldg. FACTORIES: IRVINGTON. N. Y. CHICAGO, Rookery Bldg. TORONTO, Canada, 12 Qaeen St., East DES PLAINES. ILL. Students of the School of Horticulture who attended the Convention of Vegetable Growers of America held at Horticultural Hall on Oct. 8th. Mrs. H. B. Fullerton made a very valuable substitute for several who were unable to be present. WISE-ACRES JESSIE T. MORGAN, Director of School VOL. I October, 1914. No. 3 Subscription, $1.00 a Year. Single Copies, 35 cents. Edited by the Students of the School of Horticulture for Women, at Ambler, Pa. Application has been made for the admission of this publication to the second classof mail matter at the Ambler Postotfice. PUBLISHED QUARTERLY “CASTLES IN THE AIR” In our last issue a tine new dormitory on the highest point of land on the farm was our “Castle in the Air,”—now our castle has really commenced to take material form, though in the shape of a much smaller building and in a different location. “Castles in the air” don’t take much time or money—but we found that the real thing did and as we had not a great deal of either concluded it would be better to begin in a smaller way. As the little cottage which was our only dormitory at first was quite inadequate, we were forced to build another one. It is now being erected on the opposite side of the driveway from the Administration Building (in other words the old farm house) which it will duplicate as to outward appearance. It will contain two large class rooms, nine or ten sleeping rooms and two bath rooms. The foundation is in and we have the promise that it will be finished by January 1st. To be sure we are building largely on faith—but many great enterprises have been launched with little money and much faith—and we feel sure when our friends realize our need they will come to the rescue, and help us pay for it. We have rented and filled every available room in the neighborhood and still have several students on the waiting list, and a number have already registered tor next year, so you see our need of this dormitory is really very great. Another castle that we have had in the air for some time is also taking shape in the form of two new greenhouses—one for specialization and the other for forcing vegetables under glass. One greenhouse did not begin to furnish sufficient room for the practical work of so many students, therefore these additional greenhouses were absolutely necessary. They are now in course of construction and we hope will be finished by November 1st. The School opened February 1st, 1911, and has experienced many vicissitudes, as most new schools do—particularly pioneer schools—for we are pioneers—our school being the first and only one of its kind in the United States. There was a time when our student body was composed of but one girl, now we boast the proud number of thirty; sixteen are resident students and the remainder are day students. They come from many States, from Canada and from England. We have the very best instructors we can procure and in spite of our limited equipment in the way of laboratory, library, etc., the classes are doing good work and we hope in the near future they will be sufficiently trained to fill some of the many positions that are open to women in this line of work. In the beginning the old farm house furnished sufficient class room, but we grew so fast that the old house would no longer hold us, so we had to glass in the porch and make two class rooms of it. Another castle that is still in the air is a “Jam Kitchen.” We very much need a place for canning and preserving, as we believe that to conserve the surplus is one of the best ways to help reduce the high cost of living and therefore wish the students to have a good training in the various methods of preserving fruit and vegetables and this cannot be done without adequate room and utensils, and we are hoping that this castle will also take on material form before another summer. Our aim is to make the best better, and although we do not consider luxuries at all necessary to accomplish this end, simple and adequate equipment is essential. However, “all things come to those who wait, if they hustle while they wait.” We are doing both. JESSIE T. MORGAN. SOME BENEFICIAL INSECTS One might be led to think that all insects are injurious from the numerous outcries made throughout the country over the dreadful devastations of crops and trees wrought by the army worm, the gypsy moth and the San Jose scale; but however troublesome these and other pests are at the present time, they would become a much more serious problem were it not for other insects which prey upon them or parasitize them and hence are considered beneficial. An insect to be called beneficial may perform other functions than reducing the number of injurious insects, it may accomplish cross pollenation and it may yield some product of economic value to man. Some insects combine these functions and so confer several benefits. Of the class of insects which produce commodities valuable to man, the silk worm, the cocoon of which yields all the silk of commerce, and the honey bee are notable examples. The bees of all kinds are also simply indispensable to fruit growers as pollenizers. Other insects that pollenate the flowers are the butterflies. Indeed it is said that some variet es of flowers depend entirely upon the butterflies for their continued existence The bee flies, so called from their close resemblance to the real bees, and he flower flies carry pollen from one plant to another on their hairy bodies. Some gardeners assert that were it not for the “drone” or wasp fly the chrysanthemum would not be pollenated. Among the predaceous insects are the aquatic bugs, as the “water striders” and “water boatmen,” which feed on noxious aquatic life. The larvae of the dragon flies are enemies of the mosquito, feeding upon the mosquito eggs, larvae, pupae and adults. Small flies and gnats are also their prey. The chinch bug, which is such an injurious insect in grain-growing sections, is attacked by the soldier bug and various ground beetles. Beetles in general are the most beneficial insects, as many of the species are predaceous and scavengers. The “carrion” and “burying” beetles are such. “They derive their name from their habit of excavating beneath small dead animals and gradually sinking them below the surface level. Then the females lay their eggs in, and the larvae live upon the buried and decaying creatures. As scavengers they aid in reducing organic matter into condition for assimilation for plant life.” The “lady-bird” beetles merit much attention. They are all persistent enemies of the scale insects and in both the adult and larval stages feed also upon plant aphides. The plant lice are likewise subject to the attacks of the so-called “ap his-lim,” which is the larva of the lace-winged fly—a beautiful lacy winged flv with greenish body and delicate iridescent wings. Still another insect that feeds upon aphides is the bee fly, already mentioned. The female lays the eggs among an aphid colony and the larvae And food ready as soon as hatched. Several broods of these predaceous flies occur in the course of a season and they are among the most important checks that nature has provided against plant lice increase. For the destruction of a large number of wood boring beetles we are indebted to the beneficial fly families. As for instance the midas flies, and of grasshoppers by the bee and wasp flies. The study of parasitic insects is most interesting and more and more are the benefits derived from this great group being appreciated. The tachina flies, Howard, the Government entomologist, considers the most beneficial of all fly families and the benefit conferred by them enormous. “The tachina flies make short work of a brood of army worms by laying their eggs in the juicy bodies and the hatching larvae do the rest.” They also attack cut worms, grass hoppers, bugs and sawflies, both in the adult and larval stages by the same parasitic means. Any big bodied dark colored fly with bristling stiff hairs sparsely scattered over the surface of the body is fairly sure to be a tachina fly and should be carefully let alone. The order Hvmenoptera “furnishes the most interesting examples of parasitism in the animal kingdom.” Insects belonging to this group parasitize many of the injurious caterpillars. It is no uncommon sight to see a caterpillar’s body thickly set with tiny white silken cocoons. “These cocoons mark the pupa stage in the life of some parasitic hymenoptera, usually one of the ichneumen flies, which laid her eggs on the body of this caterpillar, and the greedy larvae hatching from the eggs bore through the skin of the pest and make many a meal off the protesting caterpillar, which finds it difficult to eat enough for itself and for its uninvited guests also. The caterpillar may still be crawling about feebly trying to find a juicy leaf and perhaps wondering why it feels so queer inside. But more likely it is just dying, though some do manage to pupate in the face of such enormous odds.” Another of the ichneumen flies is a large yellow or black fly, a thalessa, which by means of its long ovipositor bores into trees infected by borers, particularly the “pigeon tremex,” and having found the burrows of the wood-feeding larvae lays its eggs there, and the larvae parasites when hatched, crawl along the burrow until they come into contact with their host and feed upon it. Very minute parasites are the chalsidid flies. They are exceedingly numerous and are parasitic on a great variety of other insects. Species infecting the common cabbage butterfly serve as an example of this family. “Though these insects are minute, being scarcely one-eighth of an inch in length, yet they are giants compared with others which live in scales and even in the eggs of other insects. These minute flies are found everywhere and undoubtedly do much to prevent the increase of injurious species.” When you learn to know a beneficial insect be sure that neither you nor any one else harms it, for you will thus be able to avail yourself of the good done by it and all of its descendants. RUTH LA GANKE. BEES A large class, including both seniors and juniors, took up the study of bees this fall. Considering the size of the company that each Tuesday morning invades the peaceful colony, prying into all their affairs, the bees have shown themselves of very amiable disposition, only a few stings being the result of six or seven visits. One of the girls was very much swelled up over her sting for several days, but no others had more than 'very temporary discomfort. The past summer has been rather a hard one for bees, as it was so extremely dry that many flower crops either failed or were very poor, and honey was correspondingly scarce, so there will be little or no honey to extract this fall. The bees need about all the supply now in the hives for winter use for themselves. Three hives were so weak as to need extra feeding of sugar and water syrup, but a few weeks of such attention helped them so much that they are now in good condition for winter. A very few statistics concerning bees gathered from a report of the Bureau of Crop Estimates of the United States Department of Agriculture might be interesting. The yield per colony of bees in Pennsylvania was 35 pounds in 1914. In 1913 it was 45 pounds, the decrease said to be due to the shortage of wild flowers this season. The latest census figures of bee and honev industry in this State were taken in 1910. That year there were 22,290 farms in Pennsylvania that kept bees and a total of 124,8 15 colonies. C. M. B. JAPANESE BASKETS FOUND USEFUL IN MANY WAYS Never before have the Japanese offered us such a variety of baskets as they have this year, and each one is really a thing of beauty. The Japs show their keen appreciation of nature in their basketry, as well as in everything else they make. The sepia browns and the dull moss greens which they use exclusively in staining their baskets are truly forest tones. They are soft and restful and complete a perfect harmony with any color scheme. These baskets perhaps lack the fineness of detail that one finds in the Indian baskets, but they are no less artistic. Each one has a distinct individuality. Sometimes we find this in the particular weave the maker has used, at other times in the outline and again the stain will vary a trifle. Now there is a reason for all this which should make each basket more interesting and more valuable to us. The baskets are all made by hand in the homes and not in the factories as we make our baskets. All over the country districts of Japan, dotted here and there among the rice fields, are the little homes of the laborers. Sometimes these houses arc in groups, sometimes quite far apart. During certain seasons of the year these laborers are employed in cultivating and harvesting rice, the raising of which is one of the largest industries of this little island. While the rice is growing there is no demand for labor, and it is during this period that they turn their attention to basketry. At first they made them for their own use and filled them with cherry blossoms to decorate their homes. The baskets, however, were so charming that they soon attracted the attention of tourists, who purchased them gladly. Once known, the demand increased until basket making is n nv a considerable industry. All the baskets, nevertheless, are still made in the houses and without the aid of machinery. Each native gathers and prepares his or her own bamboo from which they fashion the baskets. The bamboo trees grow about the edges of the rice fields and certain varieties can be found in the swamps. The natives also prepare their own stain, so that when we purchase a basket we receive it just as it comes from some Japanese home. t The lines of these baskets are unusually good. They are useful in many ways. The closely woven varieties make excellent sewing baskets; those with a looser weave are very attractive when filled with fruit or flowers. One variety offered is especially useful as a covering for fern dishes, window boxes or hanging baskets. Then the scrap baskets are beautiful. Some of the small baskets with simple, graceful lines are extremely artistic. One basket fits firmly about an ordinary drinking glass, and, when filled with flowers, makes an attractive centrepiece for a dinner table. Almost all the baskets have handles, a feature which adds to their usefulness, and as they are well designed they add to the charm of the basket. Labor being cheap in Japan, we are able to purchase these lovely specimens of Japanese art for a very moderate sum. JANE LESLIE kift. THE OUTLOOK IN THE FIELD OF HORTICULTURE The eyes of our people are turned towards the country. It is true that our cities continue to grow; but, more and more, those employed there are making their homes in the suburban and rural districts. Here, after the wear of a day behind desk or counter, they may seek that refreshment which only contact with nature and the soil can give. And how many clerks and stenographers, who have not that opportunity, are saving from their scanty earnings, year after year, looking forward longingly to a time when they may buy a bit of land and spend their remaining days amid rural surroundings. Horticulture and agriculture are now live topics. Where our newspapers and periodicals gave lines to these subjects a few years ago they are devoting columns today. Our people now appreciate the dignity and importance of these noble callings as never before. The recent development in vegetable gardening has been remarkable. Where these crops were moved by wagon loads a generation ago they are being moved by train loads today. Great trucking regions have sprung up along our Atlantic seaboard, near our large cities and in other favored localities, and they still continue to expand. The growing of vegetables under glass has already reached large proportions in some sections and is still increasing. More and more, our people are bordering their lawns with trees and shrubbery, and the nursery business is called upon to supply increasing demands. And who has not heard of the grapes of Chautauqua, the peaches of Georgia, the oranges of Florida, the prunes and raisins of the Pacific coast, and the apples of Oregon and Washington? But the fact that horticulture is arousing great interest does not prove that it would be a profitable field to enter. If the growth of any line of industry be abnormal, a period of depression is almost sure to follow. Let us take a hasty survey of the field of horticulture, to determine the present status and the prospects for the immediate future. Horticulture is a broad field. It includes floriculture, vegetable gardening and the growing of fruits, nuts and nursery stock. In some branches there has been development and in others decline, as a comparison between the figures of the census of 1900 and those of 1910 will show. In this decade our florists increased their business over 96 per cent., but during the same period prices declined about 10 per cent. But with this gradual falling ot prices, the people of the middle class, who, a few years ago, considered cut flowers and potted plants luxuries for the wealthy, now regard them as aesthetic necessities. It seems probable that for many years there will be a quiet, steady expansion of floriculture. There may be a further gradual decline in prices, but they are not likely to fall generally below a good margin of profit for many years. During the same period, the acreage devoted to nursery stock increased a third, while the value of nursery products more than doubled. The best locations for nurseries have already been appropriated, and the supply of nursery stock in proportion to the demand seems to have increased during recent years. There are still excellent opportunities for skilled specialists; but this field is not promising for the average beginner in horticulture. During the last fiscal decade, though the acreage devoted to vegetables increased remarkably, the average price increased about one-fourth. The market is becoming more and more discriminating, and careless methods in growing and marketing vegetables are becoming more and more unprofitable. But the increasing cost of meat is creating a greater demand for vegetables, and it is probable that this branch of horticulture will continue to expand, with a steady improvement in prices received by the intelligent producer. But the increasing tendency to reduce the number of middlemen will probably keep the prices the consumer must pay from increasing seriously in the near future. During the closing year of the last century and the opening decade of the present one the San Jose scale swept over our country and in many cases practically wiped out the orchards and fruit plantations that were not properly pruned and sprayed. So serious were the results that the production of our orchard fruits, exclusive of nuts and citrus fruits, increased only 1.1% during the last fiscal decade and the apple crop fell off heavily. The largest apple crop since 1896 lacks millions of bushels of reaching that high water mark. But between 1899 and 1909 the average price of orchard fruits advanced about 68%. It will be years before we will have as many apple trees in bearing as we had in 1896; but since then our population and our foreign markets have increased enormously. During the past few years many thousands of acres of fruit have been set out in different parts of our country. Perhaps apple trees have nowhere been planted more extensively than in the Atlantic States from the Carolinas northward. Many orchards are now being planted speculatively by persons who do not understand fruit growing. In many cases the varieties selected are not adapted to the soil or climatic conditions where the attempts are being made to grow them, and frequently are unsuited to the needs of the market. Quite as often the site and soil are not fit for orchard purposes. Such orchards as these are not likely to yield anything except disappointment. Many of the orchards more wisely planted will suffer from a lack of the best care, and only a small per cent, of the young orchards set out during recent years in the Hast are likely to be productive. But in this section there are millions of acres admirably adapted to fruit growing and well suited to apples of superior quality that are in demand in our own and foreign markets. In Washington and Oregon rough land suited to apple growing is likely to sell for from $250.00 per acre up. To this price should be added the cost of clearing and often of irrigation and the freight across a continent. But in our own State, land as well suited to apple growing, which does not require irrigation, with good roads, good schools and churches, and the best markets of the world within easy reach, can be had for a mere fraction of what must be paid for orchard land on the Pacific Slope. And Pennsylvania can produce apples superior in quality to those of the Western coast The Lewis Brothers on land near Wilkes-Barre that a generation ago was not considered worth over $10.00 per acre are now producing large crops of apples equally choice to the eye and appetite. They pack the best grade of them in bushel boxes and sell them at $2.00 per box, no matter what may be the size of the order or the abundance of the crop. On each box is marked the number of apples it contains and the purchaser knows that those in the bottom are in every way equal to those of the top layer. Most of the year, in our large Eastern cities, we can see displays of the finest Oregon and Washington apples, labeled as such; and the newspapers and periodicals are all the time telling of their merits. But where do you see exhibits of Pennsylvania apples, labeled as such, even in our own cities; and where do you see the merits of Pennsylvania fruits advertised? As soon as the fruit growers of our own state give their orchards the same watchful care that those of the Pacific Slope receive, grade their fruit as uniform-ily, pack it as attractively, and acquaint the public as well with its merits, the apples of the Keystone State will bring as good prices and will be in as great demand as those of the West. The home consumption of apples is growing rapidly, foreign markets are being built up, cold storage has extended the season through the entire year, markets are being developed for various apple products, and it is not likely that over production of good grades of superior varieties of apples will occur soon. Enormous numbers of peach trees have been planted in this section during the last few years. While probably no more judgment has been exercised in setting out many of these orchards than has been used in the planting of apple orchards, they come into bearing more quickly and the fruit is more perishable. For these reasons, it is quite possible that there may be a temporary over supply of peaches; but this may largely be averted by proper methods. By careful wrapping, packing and refrigeration, the best grade of peaches may profitably be exported on the return of normal conditions in Europe and enormous domestic and export markets for canned and evaporated peaches may be built up. Nut growing is only in its infancy. During the last fiscal decade, our Persian (English)' walnut crop more than doubled and our pecan crop increased three fold; but it will be many years before our home supply will meet our needs. Some promising strains of Persian walnuts have proved hardy as far north as Buffalo, N. Y., and the pecan has been found wild as far north as Davenport, Iowa. WJiere site, soil, and elevation are favorable, northern varieties of pecans, propagated upon northern stocks may safely be planted as far north as New York State; but southern varieties or those propagated on southern stocks are not hardy in the north. (This rule does not apply to our common hardy fruits). The high price of meat is bound to give an impetus to the consumption of nuts, and nut growing, in those sections which are well adapted, will probably prove highly profitable for a generation. During the last fiscal decade the acreage devoted to small fruits fell off 12 per cent, and the yield 7 per cent.; but during the same period the price advanced 30 per cent, and there does not seem to be any early prospect of a decline. It is possible that there may be a slight increase in the number of insect enemies and diseases; but care and patience can win. No shiftless or changeable person should undertake the growing of small fruits; but it is an inviting field to the careful, skillful horticulturist, and will probably be increasingly profitable. The grape growing industry declined in the East, during the decade ending 1909; but it increased so rapidly in California that the crop of the country almost doubled during that time. Science has shown us how we can conquer the enemies that have been threatening the vineyards, and the increasing consumption of unfermented grape juice will probably open the way for further profitable development of the industry. The production of citrus fruits increased more than three fold during the last fiscal decade and prices declined slightly. But the consumption of these fruits has increased enormously and oranges are more common on the laborer’s table today than apples were twenty years ago. The great possibilities in the manufacture of citrus products and the development of an export trade seem to forecast a gradual, substantial development of the industry on a profitable basis. j. l. DOAN. THE LARKINS' CLUB (This Club was organized by a group of women in the mountains of North Carolina to co-operate in the buying of Larkins’ products, the chief object being to procure the premiums which are offered. This is a verbatim report of one who was an invited guest.) Sunset Cove, North Carolina. The Larkins’ Club of ten and two visitors, with six juveniles, had their first meeting at Mrs. Collet’s. Miz’ Sallie Joe and Miz’ Allen took their knitting. Miz’ Allen consulted the home folks about the propriety of wearing a white apron with ruffles, or a plain gingham one. She concluded to go without any and found that three of the club wore gingham aprons, but as four had on home knit crochet collars, she decided that next time she, too, would wear a lace collar. We had a serious time deciding what goods should be ordered and what premiums selected. Miz’ Johnson ’lowed she wanted a rug to cover a crack in the floor before Elmiry came home from school, ’cause she would have a power of company. Miz’ Meek wanted dishes with gold edges. The business part of the meeting was frequently interrupted by news items, such as “Did you all hear how Miz’Jones got burned? She’s mighty poo’ly. Doctor put a Epidemic needle into her several times; she’s past goin’.” “Miz’ Mary John, are you goin’ to take floor paint for your premium?” “Let me see what you all are knittin’, Miz’ Allen. Think 1 could knit one like that? I seed a pattern like it at Mossy Creek.” “Miz’Collet, you think this soap as good as lye soap?” “Here, Miz’ Meek, put that ther baby on ther bed.” “Well, we all had better decide about these goods. I declare, you never know what children will ue at. Thar, now! they’ve dressed a hen in clothes for a baby. What about it!” “Yes, Miz’ Allen, 1 wanted her to go to school. She’s lamin’ dressmakin’. 1 say that she can get in better s'ciety. I alus want her to keep in good s’ciety.” “Now see that boy climbing the swigum tree.” “Well, come out,” says Miz’ Allen, and we filed out to partake of the Larkins’ refreshment made of Larkins’ chocolate pudding and coffee, and excellent cake (no doubt made with Larkins’ baking powder). After this we decided to take starch, matches, bluing, hair restorer, corn plasters, etc. We put our names and addresses down on the Larkins’ paper. Miz’ Kimson thought that maybe she could write her name, “hain’t tried for several years.” And then came the Question where and when we could meet next. The eighth would come on a Friday and some of the members thought that an unlucky day; so it was put to vote, and Wednesday, four weeks from that day, was decided upon. Babies were capped and cloaked and we all said good-bye. “Now come to see me,” Miz’ Kimson says; “I’ll bring the ol’ nag over for you, Miz’ Allen.” “I must be goin’ back down,” says a member from the West.” “Be sure to come Wednesday.” Six go east up the big road, two west, and two over the pine ridge; and the first meeting of the Larkins’ Club is over. E. C. GLOSSER. THE GARDEN SPOT OF ITALY (Continued from June Number) Darkness fell suddenly. The garden became a haunt of mystery laden with sweet fragrance. After long silence the night and the stillness seemed more than the Italian girl could bear. “Signoima, the lights from Maiori and Majori will soon be shining.” “Dear child, what lights? ” “Have you not heard, how it is that the dear Christ walks through their streets every Thursday evening and that he may not walk in darkness the fisher folk place candles before their doors?” Even as she spoke the bells began to tone the first hour of the night, and suddenly from far beneath them lights twinkled up out of the darkness like myriads of stars. Then a thread of silver trembled along the eastern rim of the sea. The thread widened into radiance and the radiance into gentle moonlight that fell across the waters. “Ah, the pathway for His blessed feet, Madonna!” “Ula, Ula, you are His comforter are you not? The faith that yet lingers on these heights must still the pain of every aching heart.” There was a rustle in the garden. Footsteps came seeking. “My daughter!” The voice sounded a little weary. “Here father, on the terrace!” Out from the shadows into the moonlight stepped a man beyond middle years, of distinguished bearing. He took his child’s hands into his own and fell to anxiously studying her face. “Well, daughter, how have you found this garden?” “A place of dreams.” “And fair ones?” he questioned. “After this night they will be fairer,” she answered. “Why after tonight? ” She turned, and after finding that Ula had withdrawn to a distance, she drew her father to the seat beside her. “It is the garden, but more the faith of these simple people that has made life suddenly seem different, and dear,” she drew him closer, I felt that our loved one was here tonight and I thought,” she hesitated, “1 thought 1 heard her whisper that she would love and guard us always, and suddenly 1 knew that our grief means pain for her!” He stooped and kissed her just where the star flower touched her brow. “And you? ” she asked, “tell me about your day? ” “Have you wondered what makes the flowers grow so luxuriantly on these hills?” he questioned. “Why, half their height is of tufa. How such an amount of lava came here is beyond imagining, and what wouldn’t we give in our home land for such soil.” “But the history of the place is the enigma. There is a great work waiting here for someone. I cannot think why some scholar has not solved a part of the mysteries long ago. What peoples have sailed on that fabled sea from the time that Aeneas, Phoenician, Greek, Saracen and Norman have all come to this coast and been at one time and another its masters.” She detected the note of growing enthusiasm in his voice, and her heart was glad. “Do you know that ruins of old places and sacred things are buried under these orange groves. Wlhy Greeks have wrought here or else they have brought columns and pillars from Paestum. Have you noticed the cathedral doors? There are none finer in Italy except Ghiberti’s in Florence. Saracens and Moores have dwelt here. The delicacy of the arches and tracery in the court of this Rufolo palace make me think of the Alhambra!” “My scholar,” she whispered, “and will you be happy?” “You are better,” he answered, “1 can feel the vitality in your hands. Yes, yes! content must come, for 1 have you and my work—” “Father, quote to me again those lines from the book about Parsifal, and then we will go in.” “Many an age will go before what is noblest in the heart of man will cease to be uplifted by this great fable. And it is to Ravello that our thoughts must turn whenever Parsifal exalts them. It was on this mountain top that the great temptation was trodden under foot.” LINDA HIRES. THE HERBARY Lavender and Sweet Marjoram march away, Sothernwood and Angelica don't stay, Plantain, the thistle, which they blessed call, And useful wormwood, in their order fall. Of Plants, Book 1, Cowley. The great mystery of propagation and the instinctive effort put forth to guard extermination of its species is shown by a Sweet Basil plant, the only one which grew in my garden this summer. This busy worker flourished in spite of the drought and not only gave abundant nectar to the bees from its flowers, but to show its gratitude for protection against many enemies, produced thousands of seeds for planting next year. Recently an interested English friend sent us many seeds of rare herbs, some of which cannot be procured in this country. For the benefit of those who love herbs we give a short sketch of the historic home of this young woman where she raises these unusual plants. “The site of the house was that of a Benedictine Abbey built before the Norman Conquest. After the Reformation, enough of the building was saved to form a residence for the new owners. This also was destroyed by fire and a new house built on another part of the ground. This was in 1580, a date still visible on an ancient sundial on the lawn. There are two secret rooms and a long shaft which probably served to connect the two. In the garden stands an ancient stone archway; from the quality of the stones it would be inferred by most persons that it could only be about 150 years old, but an expert, (no less a person than the Master of Pembroke), pronounced it a part of the Abbey. There is a long walk, with box edgings knee high, always known as the Abbots’Walk. Only a few months ago a most interesting discovery was made. A portion was about to be trenched, when the spade rang against stone. A round pond (probably a “stew”) was found, with an edge of solid masonry two feet high, the bottom cemented. The pond was dry, but water was found and now the receptacle is filled with water, and two smaller ponds are being constructed at different levels, the whole plot in process of transformation into a sunken Japanese garden. The present owner is a keen gardener and has collected every kind of fruit tree that can be grown in the English climate. The daughter of this house has on her own account an herb plot in which she is growing every kind of medicinal or culinary herb which used to lind a place in old English gardens,” Among them are: Rampion, Cardoon, Bugloss, Woodruff, Red Tipped Clary, Angelica, Basil Bush, Burnet, Chamomile, Hyssop, Goatsrue, Sweet Cicily, Self-heal, Horehound, Lad's Love, Ale Cost, Swine’s Crest (this will not keep pigs out of the garden), Good King Henry, or Fat Hen, Borage, Bergamot, Old Man, Garden Patience and Goat’s Beard, or John-go-to-bed-at-noon.” While one would not relish an entire dinner of herbs, a good dinner is hardly complete without them. Aside from their medicinal qualities, herbs are very useful as a flavoring for jellies, salads, cakes, pickles, eic.; in fact, an herb garden is a very satisfactory adjunct to the culinary department. In an article published in The American Agriculturist, some delightful recipes are given. An omelette with minced thyme, tarragon and chives folded in; or eggs stuffed with fine herbs and served in cream sauce, garnished with shredded parsley. Sandwiches made with lettuce or nasturtium, dressed with mayonnaise, to which have been added minced herbs. A cream cheese with finely cut herbs worked in with a silver knife, or toasted crackers with cheese and sage or thyme grated over them. 1 have noticed that the mention of herbs usually brings forth quotations from the Bible or Shakespeare, as visitors to my little herb garden can testify; if you don’t believe it, come and try it. C. G. P. TO A BELATED STAR GRASS Shy little grass so starry eyed How comes it I find thee here today? When all the rest have long since died And their seed is scattered and blown away, Blown over the meadows far and wide: How comes it I find thee here today? Dear little grass midst autumnal flowers Did thy mother forget thee, thy mother spring And leave thee to bloom when the golden rod towers. You wee little bit of a yellow thing To unfold thy star in September hours A winsome, forsaken slip of the spring. L. C. Beginning of the school year. Everybody hard at work—new sensation! If you don’t succeed at first Clare—Tryon, Try on. Any information wanted? Yes? Here, Ruth, you’re wanted. Strange, no matter how clear it seems, we always nave “Clouds” around. Question—Who do Seniors do? Florida is a most attractive place—it is calling one of us—but, really, is it to raise pecans? It was claimed in a lecture that brides carry flowers that resemble their taste and work most: Question—Would we carry lima beans or beets? CRICKETS Little Miss C.—“Is that crickets chirping?” Wise One—“No, the crickets don’t chirp any more.” Little Miss C.—“Why not?” Wise One—“Miss Morgan had William oil them so they wouldn’t disturb the class.” Somebody has said, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” We can go one better: “An onion a day keeps everybody away.” Mr. S.—This is an ash tree. You can identify it by means of these seed pods. Miss D.— (Seeing remains of bonfire beneath the tree) Of course, just look at the ashes beneath it. A new possession, variety unknown; a be- gonia with tiny plants growing on its leaves, “very seldom.” Exasperated—The hundred and twentieth inquirer—“What is the matter, constable?” P. C.—“Motorbus ran over a cat, mum.” Hundred ar.d twentieth—“Oh, dear me! was the cat in the street, constable?” I C.—“No, mum, the motorbus chased it up the lamp-post.” Drawing the Long Bow—Hokus: I once saw an Egyptian smoking an Egyptian cigarette. Pokus: I’m a better liar than you are. I once saw a Turk taking a Turkish bath. At Przcmysl a Russian officer was found dead with a long sword sticking out of lus mouth. In publishing this fact the printer made a typographical error and the item read: “A Russian officer was found dead with a long word sticking out of his mouth.” VISITORS. Anna K. Gates, Reading, Pa. Alice Fletcher, Concord, N. H. Carolyn Nolde, Reading, Pa. Mrs. Oscar W. Wood, Gwynedd, Pa. Juniata Da Costa, Humphrey, Washington. E. F. Mundy, Ambler, Pa. Mrs. Charles C. Harding, Chicago, 111. Miss Ethel Durnall, Burd School, Philadelphia, Pa. Helen Coleman, Scranton, Pa. Mrs. George M. Coleman, Scranton, Pa. Edith Coleman, Scranton, Pa. Mrs. A. M. Sowers, Phoenixville, Pa. Mary M. Stuart. Norfolk, Va. Helen C. Hovender, Plymouth Meeting, Pa. Sarah Browne Robinson, Ash Brook, N. J. Elizabeth H. Cope, Germantown, Pa. Mrs. E. V. McCaulIy, Germantown, Pa. Mrs. F. W. English, Germantown, Pa. Mrs. Whitmore W. Coxe, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Lewis S. Sowers, Philadelphia. Elmira H. Caully, Philadelphia. Miss Sadie E. Scott, 163 Lexington Ave., New York, N. Y. E. Kathryn Fell, 433 West School Lane, Germantown. Miss Tacy C. Hough, Ambler, Pa. Mrs. J. Blodgett Bretton, Warrentown, Va. Miss M. T. Burt, 1203 Walnut St., Philadelphia, Pa. Miss Mary H. Cresson, The Pennsburg, Germantown. Miss Jean Farley Hallowell, 66 Manheim St., Germantown. Miss Jennie Ritner Beale, 5019 Walton Ave.. Philadelphia. Miss E. M. Rodgers, Laurel, Maryland. SCHOOL NOTES On September 30th, we all attended the Annual Meeting of the Montgomery County Horticultural Society. There was a very interesting program. We exhibited selected specimens of fruit, vegetables and some preserves and jellies. To our surprise and great satisfaction we were awarded eleven prizes. On October 8th, Miss Morgan and the students attended the convention of the Market Growers’ Association of America, held in Horticultural Hall. Before they could get inside the building they were held up by photographers; the result will be found on another page. Dean Watts, President of the Association and Dean of State Agricultural College addressed the class and spoke in very complimentary terms of the school. Some of the women in attendance who have accomplished great things in horticultural lines are: Mrs. E. M. Osborne, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, although she did not have the benefit of training, was forced into the work. With perseverance and hard work she built up a fine business and has made a wonderful reputation for herself. She is the only woman who has been admitted to membership thus far, but we hope the day is not far distant when there will be many others considered worthy of membership in this very up-to-date organization. Miss Hogue, of Leesburg, Va., is another woman who has worked out her problem alone. She owns a large orchard which she brought to perfection. At the beginning of her business she sent her product to Philadelphia to a man who was wide awake to the needs of the producer. Fortunate, indeed, was it for her that such was the case, for he saw that her packages were not up-to-date and being at the head of a large commission house, he sent to her orchard a man who thoroughly understood the art of packing fruit in an attractive manner. She was wise enough not only to follow his suggestions, but to improve upon them, and the consequence is that she can always get a sale for her fruit at a high figure. In the afternoon of the same day a visit was made to the Reading Terminal Market, a description of which will be found on another page. Miss Morgan visited the Experiment Farms of the Agricultural College of Minnesota this summer, where they are trying out many interesting experiments in developing hardy strains of various varieties of fruit, crossing the native stock with superior foreign varieties. Prof. Edward R. Lake, of the United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., and also an owner of large fruit orchards in Oregon, visited the school October 1st, and in his walk from the station, discovered some Persian walnut trees on the farm of one of our neighbors, which furnished an interesting subject for a talk on his arrival. Mr. Lake was sent by the United States Government to Europe to look up the matter of nut culture and therefore was able to give us much valuable information at first hand c n this subject. Dr. J. Leslie Kift is giving a course n Cut Flower Arrangement at the school. The first lecture was a brief history of the origin and development of floral decoration. At the close of the lecture she asked each student to have an arrangement of flowers for her to criticise the following day of the next lecture. This they did with much interest, and this private exhibit showed rare taste and individuality in the arrangement of out-door flow'ers and autumn leaves. A square white and gold vase of medium height had in it six white dahlias, their yellow centres matching the touch of gold in the vase. No green w'as used ex- cep! the dahlia leaves, and one drooping, trailing spray of maiden hair fern. Its effect was dainty and most artistic. A low Japanese basket in sepia brown with pastel green bowl contained about two dozen single dahlias of a rich yellowish red, the setting of green being their own leaves. It was very effective. A tall brown Japanese basket had a few fine double pink dahlias, just enough to make a striking effect. A tapering thin stemmed, tall vase had two sprays of Alice blue delphinium, the stems showing through the glass. The student who arranged this vase was rewarded by the exclamations of delight when it was presented. A bunch of Japanese barberry with an abundance of red berries was arranged in a green pottery vase. An arrangement of the maple leaved arrow wood with its attractive bunches of tlue black berries was displayed in a wide mouthed glass vase. A flaming bunch of oak leaves was also very effective, and a reed basket filled with marigolds; snap dragons; white cosmos, gladioli and a number of other flowers made a very creditable disolav The seven Japanese Rules for Flower Arrangement arc: 1— Always avoid all angles. 2— Use much foliage and few flowers. 3— Only on rare occasions use more than one variety of flowers in any single arrangement. 4— Use only the foliage belonging to the variety of blossoms your are arranging, if possible. 5— Never crowd a composition. 6— Study the arrangement from four sides. 7— Every branch should be placed as nearly as possible in the same posi- tion as we find it on the growing plant. Following the criticism and the discussion of these various arrangements, Dr. Kift gave a very interesting talk on wedding decorations, both church and home. Miss Morgan and Mrs. Peeler had a very interesting visit to the Experiment Station of the Long Island Railroad, as guests of Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Fullerton, where they were most delightfully entertained and gained much valuable information while they were there: Hampers were being packed with choice fruit and vegetables to be exhibited at several State fairs. The complete little diary which has been carefully thought out as to economy of space and up-to-date methods was most interesting. An irrigation system which they had installed themselves at a very low figure was also another evidence of the brains back of every activity at Prosperity Farm. On October 27th, Mr. Maurice Fuld, of New York City, gave a lecture at the school on “Dahlias.” A TRIP TO READING TERMINAL MARKET It was afternoon of an October day, in the City of Brotherly Love. William Penn with benign attitude, had watched the preoccupied business man partake of a hasty lunch; he had seen the romping school boy return unwillingly to the class room. But after these familiar daily incidents had passed, Father Penn saw a procession advancing up Twelfth Street, v hich, in form, recalled to his mind those olden days when the young ladies from the Moravian Seminary had visited his town under the guidance of their instructors. Could these too be visitors from the spirit world? No, these were not spirits, these were the real thing, they were students of the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture at Ambler on their way to Reading Terminal Market. To our right as we entered the market, a stand of luscious fruit and succulent vegetables delighted our eyes. Like bees in a swarm, we clustered around the stand, asking the price of this vegetable, the name of that fruit. The potatoes and com were all eyes and ears, the market man was dazed. “Its a Sunday School class—no it ain’t, its a cooking class—well any way, wait on ’em,” he said to his assistant. From stall to stall the swarm moved on leaving curiosity and amazement in its trail. However, Mr. McKay, “the power behind the throne,” soon appeared and brought order out of chaos. Under his guidance we passed through the market, noting refrigerator and sanitary stands and a huge electric fan above a meat stall, which meant “positively no trespassing” for flies. Mr. McKay told us that the market contained six hundred and eighty stalls. Mr. McKay then took us to the basement of the market and showed us the cold storage plant. This was an intensely interesting sight. Four hundred and fifty thousand cubic feet of air space are cooled here, the space being divided into some sixty compartments, which rent for six months at twenty cents a cubic foot. Rooms were cooled to varying degress of temperature, one could not say “this room is warmer than the other,” but rather “this room is less cold than the other.” We stepped from Indian Summer into mid-winter, where fern-like ice crystals hung from the ceiling and covered the walls, converting it into a veritable ice palace. In these sixty sections almost every edible substance was stored—from pudding meat to choicest porter house steak—from leeks to avocados. In one compartment was space for thosuands of baskets of peaches. One room was used for storing milk and cream, another for butter. We saw box upon box of chocolate in one room, and bag upon bag of selected flower and vegetable seed in another. The entire plant is cooled by pipes placed near the ceiling, through which brine flows. This brine is cooled to the desired temperature by ammonia. We next visited the ice plant where the ammonia used in cooling the brine is further used in manufacturing huge cakes of ice. And last we looked into the heart of the cold storage plant—the room in which the massive electric dynamos press the evaporated ammonia into liquid form and again send it pulsing through the pipes. We all felt most educated when we left the market. We are grateful to Mr. McKay for his patient kindness. a. V. G. A NEW KIND OF EGG PLANT A little fellow, perched high and perilously upon an ingeniously tilted arrangement of chair and table, regarded himself attentively in the odd little antique mirror. There was a strange silence for some few seconds, as the eager little face beamed benignly upon the twin brother there in the hidden mysteries of mirror land; and with a sigh of all glorious satisfaction he tumbled down from his table top over the chair, landing with a gentle thud upon the floor. “Five, five,” he murmured, picking himself up, five-—really—truely Freckles all his own and such beauties too. Now he’d have something to show when he went back again. Breakfast was over and joyful with his late discoveries, he ran out into the sunlight; for he could not stay indoors on such a morning, when the birds and breezes, the hedge rows and far away hills were calling—calling to all to come out into the dancing sun-bright world, the world of Mother Nature, deep in whose heart there throbbed exultant ecstacies of love that rose crowned June. The cool night winds had bathed with dew the sunburnt air of yesterday, and out into it all he ran, on over the gay fields of tufted clover bloom and rolling green of the meadow land, mad with the strange great childhood joy of it all. He stumbled and his face was buried in the deep, soft tickling blades and he lay still, very still, for he was happy. But in a moment he was up and ran on again, racing and chasing away with the frolicsome breezes toward the barns, for there was much to see and do this day. There was the visit to the pigs and poultry, the latter proving of particular interest today, as the little white hen had appeared, the fond and anxious moiher of ten wee chicks, and the little fellow, new to country things, surveyed them with wondering admiration. I guess maybe 1 might like to grow some chickens like that s'ome day; all so kind of scratchy and peepsy like,” he mused; “I guess maybe I’ll do it sometime bye and bye, too.” But when even the wee chickens grew wearisome he wandered down to the garden where Cyrus was busy with the bean vines and the weeding. ‘‘Cyrus, it must be a very, very, very big world; a very big world indeed, 1 should think.” He paused for a moment. “Cyrus, when I’m in the city 1 just see city for miles and miles and miles, and when Pm in the country 1 just see country for miles and miles and for everywhere. It must be awfully very big to hold it all, you see. IPs funny, isn't it?” And he laughed with the very childish wonderment of it all, as he watched the cattle, lazy eyed, feeding in their pasture green by the cool little brook in the meadow, and the hills lying away in the distance against the sky, and far beyond the clouds were stretched in strange fantastic figures along the horizon, and a long, white ribbon of road wound away through the green. And it was big, gloriously big. But as he looked down to where Cyrus was weeding, his thoughts came back again to the earth, and he questioned with the ever ready whys and wherefores of the mysteries of planting and growing and the ripening, and Cyrus with patient amusement told him of them; how the tiny seed was planted and with the rain and sunshine grew and blossomed, and the little lad with eager interest listened. “Have you ever raised chickens, Cyrus? ” he asked at length. Cyrus nodded his assent. “And does it take long for them to grow? Must you give them plenty of water? ” “Yes, chickens be mighty profitable raising if you take care with ’em,” and the man resumed his weeding. “1 guess Pd like to raise ’em maybe,” Kenneth murmured and he wandered away. He found the kind Big Lady, as he always spoke of her, busy in the kitchen, and he watched the deft fingers moulding into rightful form the shapeless dough, and waited until the first pan issued from the oven all golden brown; and, filling all available pockets, he proceeded to enjoy them on the way to the chicken yards. They were of the same nationality as those with which poor Miss Hepzibah had so tickled the palate of little Ned Higgins, and they were indeed temptingly good. He clambered up on the sagging gate and watched with a vague curiosity the feathered fowl as they scratched their way below. He eyed the new chicks contemplatively for a few seconds, deep in meditation and with resolute determination he descended. Kenneth Dobbs, Jr., should have a garden; a garden all of his own and little wee chickens should be his crop. Thus stating his determination, being a methodical young person, he began his preparations; the sooner he begun the better. Surveying the surrounding lands after some serious deliberations he chose a little plot of ground in the rear of the chicken house, well out of sight and sound, and fetching a spade, which proved far too heavy for little hands, he tossed a bit of the lighter soil away. Then on his knees with the aid of a bit of stick he scooped out the earth with his hands, making the hollows round and smooth. But it was hot work and need was found several times for a certain small handkerchief, and the sun beat down upon the little bare head—“seven, eight, nine, ten,” there was a nice crooked little line and Kenneth, straightening, regarded his diggings with beaming satisfaction. “I guess maybe I’d better plant these first before 1 do all the rest,” he mused softly, “and so 1 guess I’d better get the seeds now.” Opening the door a wee bit he slid quietly into the chicken house and tiptoed along to the boxes where they kept the seeds. He must be very quiet, for it was all to be a great surprise and no one must hear him there. He gathered the nice shiny white seed from the first box, but in the next a hen was sitting right on top of them, and when he tried to pull her oft' she only ruffled her feathers and scolded him, pecking at him in a most rude and unfriendly way, so deeming it wisest to let well enough alone, he passed on. Some of the seeds were nice and warm, and hugging his precious armful close he squeezed again through the door; but, alas! with a little thud and sputter a seed lay there upon the ground in a most disconsolate and helpless attitude. Hastily depositing the other near the garden, the little fellow anxiously returned to the one astray and bent over it tenderly. But, alas, alas! a sorry day for “Not all the king’s horses nor all the king’s men, could put Humpty Dumpty’together again.” But, indeed, when a little dirt had been spread upon the fatal spot one would never have guessed that poor Humpty Dumpty lay buried there. And Kenneth returned to the others, placing them one by one in the little holes and smoothing the earth down very nice and firm. He patted the last one tenderly. “I wonder how soon they'll come up,” he murmured, “and, oh, what color do you suppose the blossoms will be? I’d better water them right now quick so they’ll hurry and come up,” and he was off for the watering can. But shortly the conch shell sounded for dinner, and he slipped away from his little plot with a last lingering pat on the damp little mounds. Oh, the glory of a garden, all one’s own! The afternoon seemed very long. He picked some daisies in the fields and made a little wreath for the garden plot and placed a spray upon each mound, that the chickens might see it all pretty when they came up and know that somebody loved them. He wandered down to the duck pond and, lying deep in the cool grass, he watched the waving, hesitating reflection of the tall grasses in the water, and bending nearer he caught his own reflection, which smiled back at him; and with an eagerness that nearly caused a watery death, he sought to count the precious freckes once again—“one, two, five, six there were—there was one more! A garden and six freckles—could life hold more for anyone? It was late that evening, long after sunset, and little boys with a garden and six freckles had gone to bed, (hat the Tall Uncle came into the kitchen where the Kind Big Lady sat and Kenneth in the midst of an earnest entreaty that the Kind Father of all things should help the little chickens to come up very soon, and that the blossoms might be blue. “Miriam, did you gather the eggs tonight?” the Tall Uncle asked. “Several of the nest eggs seem to be missing and there are fewer than usual.” Kenneth did not wait to hear the answer, and in a moment a little white robed figure appeared in the doorway. “O! oh!” he cried, “I’ve planted them, I’ve planted them, and when they come up you’ll have lots and lots more chickens.” The little lad was held high in the arms of the Tall Uncle, and the eager little face looked down into the older care-worn one. It was later that night that a sleepy, weary little boy was tucked away into bed again, and it was a drowsy little voice that murmured, “I guess I’d better plant just beans next time—but, anyway—I got another freckle and such a jolly big one, too! And a weary little lad passed into the Land of Dreams where Gardens and Freckles abound. LOUISE CARTER. AND NOW GOATS (NOT VOTES) FOR WOMEN “Good morning, Mary, you’re quite a stranger; where have you been keep? ing yourself? ” “Why, I’ve been having a vacation and vou could never guess where I spent it.” “No, of course not, where? You look so fresh and strong that 1 am wondering where you were.” “On a goat farm, and I have become very much interested in goats.” “A goat farm!. Why I never heard of such a thing. Please tell me all about it from the very beginning. It sounds so novel and old-fashioned, that I should think every woman would be interested.” “Well, then, if you wish, I will start at the very beginning. 1 suppose you realize that this is one of the oldest occupations known to the world. Goat herding is mentioned in the Old as well as the New Testament. It is also spoken of in the Koran. Stories, histories and novels of olden times invariably dwelt on this interesting and profitable business. Among the Swiss and the Italians it still remains high in favor. There are also a few families in America who recognize its worth. It was from one of these that 1 learned the true value of goats. This family has the largest herd of goats east of California and has learned from personal experience the “ins and outs” of the business.” “Well, what do they do with the goats and the milk? ” “They sell both. To begin with, goat’s milk is much richer than cow’s milk. The greatest difference between the two is, that the butter globules are so line and so well mixed with the milk that they do not separate and come to the top to form cream, while the cow’s milk has coarse globules and forms a cream. That is one reason why babies who cannot take cow’s milk, can digest goat’s milk. The milk sells for fifteen cents a quart, when called for, but more if delivered. Most of the milk is made up into cheese right on the farm. Where 1 was staying, they produced four or live varieties of cheeses. These were always made and packed by the women. The original label, with its attractive design and lettering was drawn hv the man of the house. Although the label was applied in different colors, the color of the label signified the kind of cheese within the package. The name of the family-ended in a single s, and as there were several well known families of the same name, but ending in double s, this farm employed the unique phrase ‘Single S’ for its cheeses.” “Oh, how very interesting! Has the label then always so much to do with it?” “Yes, indeed! The more attractive and original the label and package, the more the demand for the article. In the making of cheeses, fresh goat’s milk is always used. It is thickened by the use of a junket tablet. This takes forty-eight hours from the time the cheese is started to the finished product.” “Do they find a ready market for these products?” “Yes, the cheeses are coming into great demand and the milk is often used for invalids and delicate babies; besides, the kids always bring good prices.” “Do they cost so much more than ordinary goats?” “Oh, yes, a good doe sells from Si00 up, the bucks for a little less money. On this farm they have two thoroughbred varieties of Swiss goats, the Tagenberg and the Sanne. They never cross the two varieties, but each has been crossed with other goats until a good thoroughbred strain of each has been obtained here in America, for no goats have been imported since 1906 on account of hoof disease abroad, importations being forbidden, but now they have the thoroughbred Swiss strains right here. “What are the goats fed? ” “The feed is practically the same as that of cows. A clayey soil is considered best for them. 1 think I have now told you about all 1 know, but if you wish to learn more about them, 1 would be delighted to take you out with me some day to the farm.” DOROTHY HELWEG. Wm. Sterling S Co. MAKE A SPECIALTY OF TAILORED DRESSES AT POPULAR PRICKS. 1035-1037 CHESTNUT STREET Bell Phone 4239 Walnut Philadelphia, Pa. Croft’s BEST MILK Chocolate NET WT. 13 8 oz. Nursery Stock APPLE, PEAR, CHERRY AND PLUM TREES DECIDUOUS SHADE AND ORNAMENTAL TREES FLOWERING SHRUBS Special Collections for $2.00, $3.00 and $5.00 A complete list of varieties and prices, furnished on request. School of Horticulture For Women, Ambler, Pa. CITY GARAGE L. D. MYERS Proprietor Agent for the Ford Gars TAXI SERVICE Demonstrations on request Full Line of Accessories USE HIRE'S GOLD MILK Purest and Most Wholesome Cars to hire at all hours for all purposes at reasonable rates by hour or trip. Both Phones. The James G. Downward Co. ..Manufacturers of.. FERTILIZERS ----and-- Importers of Chemicals Special Mixtures Made to Order. FACTORY: COATFSYILLF, PA. ■T- 1 'S J. E. UNDERWOOD AMBLER, PA. SOLD BY FIRST-CLASS GROCERS At fountain or in bottles at grocers’, fruit stands, etc. Yezzir! Thirsts of any age or either sex subdued with Hires 5 cents per quaff G.M.DECK 6CO. HARDWARE MOUSE FURNISHINGS AMBLER HEATING TINSMITHING PENNA. THOMAS ATKINSON REAL ESTATE INSURANCE AND INVESTMENTS AMBLER, PA. COLLECTIONS BOTH PHONES THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF AMBLER, PA, Capital, Surplus, $100,000 $80,000 Accounts solicited. Accommodations granted proportionate to balances carried. Savings Accounts earn 3 per cent, interest, compounded thrice yearly. Safe Deposit Department J. Watson Craft E. H. Faust President Vice-President Wm. A. Davis, Cashier VICTOR MAYER Ladies’ and Men’s Tailor Steam Dyeing arid Scouring Altering, Cleaning and Pressing. Repairing Neatly Done BeU42Anc 421 Butler Avenue, Ambler, Pa. An Unfermented Champagne A NEW BEVERAGEJ A NEW FLAVOR1 A NEW DELICIOUSNESSI You surely will be interested to know of out-wonderful new discovery in the way of a most delightful beverage. We have named it HIRES CHAMPAGNE GINGER ALE; an article that is peer to the finest champagne in the world-minus the alcohol. It is like a fountain of bubbling topaz, sparkling and glistening in the sunlight, and its aroma, bouquet and flavor are exquisite. When you wish to entertain friends at dinner, or have callers and want to surprise and charm them, we are sure you can do it by serving this delectable drink. It is composed principaliy of the white Niagara grape juice, grape fruit and the finest ginger. Ask for it at your hotel, club, on the train, or at vour fine grocers. DEALER IN Dry Goods, Nolions, Millinery, Men's Furnishings 303-305 Butler Ave., AMBLER, PA. H. J. DAGER, INC. SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE. INSURANCE AND MORTGAGES FARMS A SPECIALTY AMBLER, PA. FRANK PALUMBO Ladies’ and Men’s TAILOR Bwh Phones KniKht Bldg., AMBI.KR. PA. riehlerhandy Garden Tools Sold by every large Seed, hardware and Department Store in the United States. Work with ease, save the knees. More and better work in less time. Send for Catalogue describing the Mehler Handy Garden Tools. Mehler Garden Tool 0. HANDY GARDENER Ambler, Pa., U.S. A. THIS BOOKLET FROM THE PRESS OK GEO. W. LUTZ It SOUTH MAIN ST. BELL PHONE AMBLER. PA. While Enamel Beds Brass Beds Springs fer Beds Palmleaf Mattress Cotton Mattresses Hair Mattresses Felt Mattresses Pillows, Bolsters Large assortment to select from. Our prices are lower than Philadelphia Stores A. LAPETINA 405 Butler Ave., AMBLER, PA. Bedding We’ve Got It.— Wm. H. Embick Sons TAILORS 1618-20-28 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia Spray your vines and trees and you are taking out the best kind of insurance against insects and parasites. Best spray mixtures can be had at Still wagon’s Drug Store Main St., Ambler, Pa. Joseph H. Fretz LIVERY Ambler, Pa. Horses Bought and Sold Orders taken for Heavy Teams Bartlett Tours Company 200 So. 1 3th St., Philadelphia Steamship Tickets Cruises Escorted Tours Edward C. Dixon Ellis A. Schnabel President Vice-President Charles A. Tyler, Manager J. Watson Craft Ambler, Pa. Manufacturer of and Dealer in “Enterprise” Brand of Scratch and Mash Feed Dairy Feed constantly in stock. Complete Ljne °( Building Material LEHIGH COAL Pittsburg Electric Fence and other Fencing Materials The House of “Michell” (ESTABLISHED A QUARTER OF A CENTURY) Is the most completely equipped establishment of its kind in the United Slates. Call and inspect our various departments, or write for our large descriptive catalog. HENRY F. MICHELL, CO., 518 Market St., Philadelphia Plant Establishment, Nursery and Trial Grounds, Andalusia, Pa. nPFITP’Q SEEDS, PLANTS, BULBS O ARE THOROUGHLY RELIABLE. Successfully used by leading Gardeners during the past seventy-seven years and dependable in every way for best results. DREER’S GARDEN BOOK FOR 1915 describes and offers the best Novelties and Standard Varieties of Roses, Hardy Perennials, Decorative Plants, Bedding Plants, Garden and Greenhouse Plants, Water Lillies, Flower Seeds and Bulbs, Garden and Farm Seeds and everything needed for Garden, Greenhouse, or Farm including Garden Implements, Fertilizers, Insecticides, Lawn Mowers, Lawn Rollers, Etc. also gives valuable cultural notes, especially written by experts. This Garden Book is the most complete catalogue published and is handsomely illustrated with hundreds of photo engravings, four colored plates and four duotone plates. Every one interested in the garden or farm should have a copy which is free at our stores, or will be mailed upon receipt of application. SOW DREER’S LAWN GRASS SEEDS FCR SUREST AND MOST PERMANENT RESULTS UCWDV A nPUCP 714-716 Chestnut Street ntlml A. UiyLEiK PHILADELPHIA, PA. HATBORO BAKING CO. Whatever else you may select in your daily order of food supplies remember the two strong points about our products: THE SANITARY METHODS employed in making the goods and the STANDING INVITATION to the public to visit the plant at any time. BREAD ROLLS—CAKES BAKERIES: HATBORO and AMBLER, PA. The Greenhouse — Its Pleasures Anti Possible Profits TO you, an enthusiast of horticulture, the greenhouse can mean but the one thing—a delightful all-year-round garden under glass. It’s a charming palliative for the few short months of outdoor gardening. It’s an outwitting of nature—a turning of the seasons topsy turvey. To have Sweet Peas at Christmas, and strawberries for Washington’s Birthday, from your greenhouse, is as easy as it is to have June peas and roses from your outdoor garden. To its pleasures—should you so incline- there is the opportunity the greenhouse offers for making some money just for the fun of it. There is a little lady over in South- boro, Mass., who started selling plants to her neighbors and she now owns two large greenhouses and grows carnations for the Bostonians. From a hobby she has developed a splendid business, yielding a nice snug sum every year. In fact, to tell it to you, as one of her neighbors told it to me—“she is comfortably well off, and all because of her liking for flowers.” Why don’t you write us about our glass gardens, asking any and all the questions you want? We will answer them fully and frankly. Our greenhouse booklet, you are welcome to. We have been building greenhouses for over half a century. lord, fVur nham (o. Franklin Bank Building, Philadelphia, Pa. NEW YORK, 42d Street Bldg. BOSTON, Treraont Bldg. CHICAGO, Rookery Bldg. ROCHESTER, Granite Bldg. CLEVELAND. Shetland Bldg. TORONTO, Canada. 12 Queen St., East FACTORIES: IRVINGTON. N. Y. DES PLAINES. ILL. WISE-ACRES Entered at the Ambler Post OflVce a second-daw matter PUBLISHED QUARTERLY One Dollar a Year Single Copy Thirty-five Cent Edited by the Student of the School of Horticulture for Women, Ainbler, Pa. ■ 'ii ■. � ■— - -■'--e . ■ i. STAFF Editor-in-Chief Ruth La Ganke Associate Editor, Ida L. Mills Art Editor, Frances Shinn Advertising Editor, Eleanor Lawrence Business Manager, Clara M. Bell Secretary, Adeline Greathead Table of Contents Pare The Country Gentlewoman................................ 3 December in the Country................................. 4 The Little Shop's Day................................... 4 A Recipe................................................ 5 The Outlook in the Field of Horticulture................ 3 Protect the Birds....................................... 8 Winter Apples...........................................10 Co-operation .......................................... II The Log.................................................II Turning Waste Into Wealth...............................13 School Notes............................................13 Exchange ...............................................15 A Prayer of Brotherhood.................................15 Smiles.................................................. 16 Visitors.................................................16 December.................................................16 Jimmy.................................................. 17 A Plea for the Vegetable Garden..... ...................19 WITH HEARTY GREETINGS AND EVERY GOOD WISH FOR A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR— row the Junior Class. 4 WISE-ACRES 4 JESSIE T. MORGAN, Director of School Vol. i December, 1914. No. 4 The Country Gentlewoman “WHAT perfect Winesaps,— more western apples, 1 suppose!” t8l “No'm, they ain’t from the west, they’re from Vir-tf ginia.” “Indeed! I didn't sup- J) pose such fine specimens (could be grown here in the east.” Oh, yes’m, and they come from a lady's farm, too, and believe me, all she sends are A 1.” Is that really so. I’ve always imagined it was mere paper talk about women running orchards.” This conversation was heard at a fruit counter a short time ago and it clearly shows that women are not impractical dabblers at horticulture, but are, in most cases, highly successful, a fact unknown to not only one, but probably to a great majority of the people. There is a widespread conviction that a woman can be useful on a farm only as the wife of a farmer, but the story of this successful woman in Virginia and of many more horticulturists throughout the country proves it to be unjustifiable. Women have repeatedly proved themselves as capable of managing orchards and vegetable gardens or running greenhouses as their experienced brothers. Hence, in the future, the Country Gentlewoman is to be reckoned with as well as the Country Gentleman. Seeing the success of these women in the field of horticulture naturally leads us to inquire what the requisites of this suc- cess are, and upon summarizing they seem to be, as has been said, in the case of agriculture,knowledge,capital and fondness for the pursuit. True gardening and orcharding include chemistry and business methods, as well as hard physical toil, hence a successful horticulturist must have a knowledge of science and she must be a keen business woman. For what profiteth it her financially if she gain the first prize for her winesaps and lose her market. She must not only be a good saleswoman, knowing when and where to sell her product, but a good bookkeeper as well, for everybody knows that the most characteristic thing about money is the ease witn which it slips away, and while there is no remedy against it, keeping strict and careful accounting stays the progress more than anything else. The question of capital is a most important one. It is unquestionably best to start in on an enterprise in a small way and gradually as the business grows and thrives invest more money in it. But no matter how simple the beginning, an amount of capital should be on hand to comfortably tide over unfavorable seasons and to allow for the purchase of implements which change dull drudgery into joyful work, or which, in common parlance, take the irk out of work. If to knowledge and capital be added enthusiasm, success is almost won. Misfortune will fall now and then to the lot of even the best of horticulturists, but with undaunted courage and her great delight in working hand in hand with mother nature, the Country Gentlewoman will surely succeed. 3 December in the Country Autumn with its busy days of harvesting is over, and gone is the richly colored foliage of the fall, for even the last few maples, gloriously robed in gold long-after the other trees were bare, have answered the call of the wind and flung their splendor to the ground. December with its quiet atmosphere is here—the time when the year draws to its close and the reckoning of the last twelve months must be made and the plans for the new year’s work begun. The fields lie bare and brown, except where here and there a patch of winter wheat shows green with rich promise of next year’s harvest; and the trees stand stark as though dead, but the warmly wrapped buds assure renewed life in the coming spring. The birds have flown except a few who courageously stay with us and brave the rigors of winter. The twittering of the sparrows about the house and the “caw, caw” of the crows across the fields are notes of winter’s rustic music. A robin may still be seen on bright, pleasant days, but he had best hie himself to the sunny South, where his kinsmen are basking in the warmth, ere the cold wind blows and winter is in earnest. The wind whistles and blows through the evergreens and “at night seems a Presence in the country.” The air is sharp and clear and the sting of Jack Frost sends one into the house aglow with the cold. The day is ushered in with a crimson sun and is closed with the fading away of the sunset glow, which burns ruddy pictures beyond the haze-hung hills and in the night the sky is a-quiver with the stars. Over all there is a pervading peace and quietude which attunes the heart to the Christmas spirit “of Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men.” The Little Shop’s Day It is a -very modest, unassuming little building, nestled in among its many comrades, and through the week, as the days slip by, it stands demure and peaceful in i's soft drab coloring as the busy life of wo-1. a:'d learning moves on about it. The great sun nods his glad good morning to it with a flash of brilliance on the window panes and the day wears on in lonely solitude, save for the occasional one who passes in or out and at evening the room is golden with sunshine that marks the end of still another day. “Ah me! Ah me!” sighs the little shop at eventime, “but then my day will come. Oh! it will come,” and it turns to the dim starlit watches of the night. And then, of an afternoon, the little shop has “its day” when the little room is gay with the jollity of youth and the rap-tap-tap of amateur hammers and the buzz of flashing saws, and the merriment overflows into the sunshine. It’s flats and flats that they are all so busy about. But what if it is just flats and flats by the tens and dozens, surely flats are useful things and there is even a bit to learn in the making of one, that the square may be true and the work exact. But later there will be better, bigger things with which to adorn the benches, and awkward fingers will become more deft and skilled as the little shop’s days go by. And over it all presides in quiet dignity the man who knows, the man who has pursued for many years with patient earnestness the art of carpentry; helping here and teaching there. He is master in the little shop, and there is a glory about his art. Then, as the sun sinks lower in the west across the fields of golden corn, workers scatter homeward and the sounds of merriment grow fainter and farther away; and sighing softly in its happiness, the little shop is enfolded in the arms of dusk and its day is done. 4 L. C. A Recipe Take a bushel or two of red holly, With some mistletoe white in between; Then a tree, decked out with gay candles, And a pudding, the best ever seen. Add a houseful of rollicking children, Brimming over with pranks and with glee; Stir this well, and serve it on Christmas, The result? Just try it, you’ll see! The Outlook in the Field of Horticulture The Opportunities It Offers to Women (Concluded) The held of horticulture is � ich in po. ' sibilities. But to what extent may women succeed in it? Are they physically adapted to such work as plowing, spraying and handling heavy boxes and barrels of fruit? As a rule they are not, but they can learn how such things should be done and can direct the efforts of laborers at the rougher, heavier work, while they can do the lighter parts that require more skijl and care themselves; and in some of these they can succeed better than men. They have by nature an instinctive love for living things that gives them a keener enjoyment in work of that kind than the average man attains. As a sex, they give more painstaking attention to detail, and in dealing with young, tender plants this frequently makes the difference between success and failure. How often the busy housewife finds the time to grow a few plants in the south window and by constant coaxing succeeds with them under decidedly unfavorable conditions. (When a woman can devote her entire time to the growing of plants under greenhouse conditions, it is perfectly natural that she should succeed. But the growing of flowers is only part of the work of the all round florist. Whose eye is so keen in detecting shades of color and whose judgment is so good in arranging harmonious combinations of flowers and foliage for floral designs, as is a woman’s? The call for skill of the floral designer is no longer restricted to weddings and funerals, but at banquets, receptions and social entertainments the beautiful decorations of cut flowers and potted plants are as much needed to feed the eye as are the choice viands to satisfy the appetite. The average florist is no t qualified to meet this need, and would welcome the entrance of well trained, skilled women into this new field. Vegetable gardening offers earlier returns than most branches of horticulture. Those engaged in it must be prompt, alert, persevering and painstaking and able to direct wisely the efforts of others; and more than in the past, they must grade their product carefully and put it on the market in an attractive form. But if they will meet these requirements and give proper attention to the market end of the business, they will be able to earn a comfortable living from a few acres of land, and a few months each year they can call their time their own. While the prices of vegetables are usually good early in their season, they often fall unprofitably low later. That is because vegetable gardening has been too exclusively a masculine vocation. A home canning outfit can be purchased very reasonably, the price ranging from ten’to fifty dollars. If when beans, peas, beets, sweet corn and similar vegetables cease to bring good market prices, the grower would can the surplus and keep the market from being glutted, prices would not fall so low and a good profitable retail trade for vegetable products could be built up. Who could do so well in this promising field as could a woman? And how much better it would be for her to be so engaged, receiving compensation commensurate with her skill, than to be a prisoner behind a counter for several hours each day, receiving but little more than her living expenses amount to, with only a short vacation and with but little hope of advancement, no matter how competent she may be. 5 There is no reason why women should not succeed as fruit growers. Every year large quantities of good fruit are lost because it becomes too ripe to market, when it might be saved by combining a woman's skill with the up-to-date appliances and conveniences of domestic science. A high grade of bottled sweet cider, apple butter, peach butter, jam, jelly, and canned cherries, berries, preserves, etc., could be produced from what now goes to waste or is sold too cheaply in times of glut ; and by a little judicious advertising it could be sold to regular customers who appreciate superior quality at a higher figure than the regular retail prices of products of the same kind from the cannery. The name or trade mark of the producer on high grade horticultural products, whether fresh or canned, would add substantially to their selling price. Sometimes women are located too far from good markets to ship fruits and market vegetables profitably in the fresh condition. Yet, often by canning and preserving them, she might be able to dispose of them safely and profitably. Two or three acres of the right kind of land, or even a smaller area managed to the best advantage, with culinary skill added to the skill of the fruit grower and gardener in a considerable part of the products, would more than provide a comfortable living and would permit a freedom that the school teacher, clerk and stenographer do not enjoy. But the rapidly improving parcel post and the strong desire on the part of the underpaid producer and the overcharged consumer to get rid of the middleman, offer the horticulturist a wonderful opportunity. Fresh fruit and vegetables can be shipped in hampers directly to city customers, arriving the day they are gathered, at prices that are less than the retail figure that the consumer has been paying, but substantially greater than the producer has been receiving. This system has been tried with notable success by Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Fullerton, of Long Island Experi- ment Station, Medford, L. 1., and is described in detai by Mis. Fullerton’s interesting book ‘The Lure of the Land.” In such a business careful grading, conscientious packing, and a neat, attractive package are of vital importance; and in these points woman excels. It is not difficult by a careful selection of annua’sand perennials to have an abundant succession of flowers of all shades of color and a great range of forms and foliage values from April to October or even November. A hamper trade in cut flowers could be developed, or the same hamper could contain flowers, fruits and vegetables. There is probably no field in horticulture more promising than that which the parcel post has opened. While, theoretically, women are free to enter all occupations to which they are adapted, in most cases, circumstances confine them to a few poorly paid callings. A girl may become a clerk, a domestic, a telephone operator, or a factory worker; or she may take in washing or keep boarders. If competent, she may become a stenographer or school teacher, usually being paid less than a man would accept for the same position, and with relatively little opportunity to advance. But the attractive basket of flowers, fruits or vegetables raised and packed by a woman will bring as good a price as if a man had grown and prepared them for market. And nature knows no sex discriminations. The sunshine and showers, the soil and the seasons work as willingly with woman as with man; and when she does her part as well the crops she harvests will be as large as his. And, besides, the larger opportunity that the woman horticulturist has, she gains the healthgiving contact with nature. But have women attained notable sue cess as horticulturists? Miss F. E. Mcll-vane, of Downingtown, Pa., has done exceptionally well in the growing of primroses. Miss Helen Holmes, of Kingston, Mass., is a successful florist and gardener. 6 Miss G. V. Wakelin is building up a promising business in floriculture in South Jersey. Mrs. Emma D. Embree, of West Chester, Pa., has attained notable success as a peony grower. Mr. and Mrs. Tracy, of Wexham, Mass., embarked in gladiolus culture a few years ago on a thin New England farm. Mr. Tracy’s health had failed, the bills for necessary living expenses had piled up alarmingly, and this seemed to be the only chance for them. Their balance now runs six figures on the credit side of the ledger, and Mrs. Tracy has done as much towards achieving success as her husband. Miss T. K. Palmie, of Point Pleasant, N. J., started into floriculture with so small an amount of capital that a number of men. experienced in the business, whom she had consulted, had told her that she could not succeed. But she did make good with a tiny green house and a plot of ground outside and her business grew and prospered until it was necessary to add other green houses. Death cut her promising career short, but not until she had shown that a woman can succeed in floriculture in spite of obstacles. Miss Dorrance, near Wilkes-Barre, Pa., is a very succesful rose specialist and in the height of the season she ships 20,000 roses daily, mostly to New York city. Miss Cunningham, of Newtown, Pa., grows tomatoes under glass, marketing the ripe fruit from January to July. Mrs. Vollmer, of Long Island, is a successful market gardener, sending her produce to New York. She also has an orange orchard in Florida, to which she attends during the winter. Mr. and Mrs. Fullerton, of Medford, Long Island, have already been mentioned. The success that they have attained has been a revelation of the horticultural possibilities of what had been considered worthless Long Island soil; and they have also done invaluable pioneer work’at the market end of the business. Mr. Fullerton says that their success is entirely due to Mrs. Fullerton, and while that statement will be discounted by all who know the characteristic gallantry of the man, there is, nevertheles, a large measure of honest confession in it. Mrs. Osborne, of Ann Arbor, Mich., besides directing the affairs of her home, is managing two farms and is one of the leading vegetable gardeners of the State. Her exhibit at the 1914 meeting of the American Vegetable Growers' Association did not suffer by comparison with any of the others. In orcharding, Miss Rachel Hoge, of Loudon county, Va., has been notably successful. In the autumn of 1911 she sold $7000 worth of apples from an orchard of about twelve acres, twenty years old. Because of her exceptional fitness, she was chosen manager of a local orchard company that has over a hundred acres planted in apple and peach trees. In nursery work women are also showing what they can do. Miss Maffett, of Wilkes-Barre, Pa., has a forest nursery. Miss Mary M. Haines, of Cheltenham, Pa., is successfully managing the Robert B. Haines nursery, established by her father. She is a grower of ornamentals and specializes in evergreens. Miss Lear, of West Chester, in twenty-four years of faithful, efficient service rose from a subordinate position with the Morris Nursery Company to a membership in the firm, and her untimely death was a serious loss to the firm. In school gardening the women lead. Miss Miller has charge of this work in Philadelphia and Miss Laura E. Woodward is not only director of School Gardening in Trenton, N. J., but also trains teachers for it. In the kindred field of Landscape Gardening we find such women as Miss Elizabeth Leighton Lee and Miss E. B. Clark, of Philadelphia, Mrs. Max Farrand, Miss Marv Jay and Miss Goffree, of New York, and Miss Elizabeth Leonard, of Cambridge, Mass. Many other women might be added to those mentioned. And those who have succeeded in the different branches of horticulture are but the vanguard of the great army 01 women that the future will see engaged in this broad field, so rich in opportunity. J. L. DOAN. Protect the Birds Among the many customs and traditions that have come to us from the past for the celebration of Christmas, perhaps the most common is the giving of gifts. But would we not symbolize more fully the spirit of the greatest student of Nature the world has ever known, if we would eliminate some of the useless and promiscuous giving and devote more time and thought to our helpless little feathered friends—the birds—who work so unceasingly and untiringly for our pleasure and profit. Nelije Blanchan, in one of her interesting talks on birds, says: “The bird’s point of view differs scarcely at all from our own in the essentials of life. Protection from enemies, the preservation of the family, a sheltered home, congeiril environment, abundant food and pure water—these natural rights, the birds, like men, are ever seeking.” Many birds died of starvation in this country last winter. In spite of all we can do many more will die this winter; but united well directed efforts for their proper feeding and housing will not only save many lives, but encourage them to remain with us throughout the year. Those who are interested in nature will observe that in no two months of the year is the bird population the same. A few of the birds stay with us all the year round; the most conspicuous of which is the English sparrow. The chicadee, the nuthatch, the cardinal and occasionally a robin may be seen during the winter in this section of the country and as far north as the New England States. By far the great majority, however, simply pass through here on their spring and fall migrations. The birds may be classified under live distinct groups, as permanent residents, winter residents, summer residents, migrants and visitors. But, however they may differ as to habits there are two principal motives which impel their going and coming—the finding of adequate food and getting back to familiar haunts to take possession of the old nests or to build new ones for rearing their young. Almost any morning in spring we may find birds in our garden and orchard, that the day before were a hundred miles away. The humming bird, the smallest representative of the bird family, travels from Yucatan to New England and back again in one season. As we watch their tiny bodies floating through space, we feel what Bryant so well expresses “There is a Power whose care, Teaches thy way along the pathless coast, The desert and the illimitable air, Lone wandering, but not lost.” “Birds, according to their size,” says the Rev. Russell H. Conwell, “are the greatest benefactors of the human race and should be protected by the ones benefited. There is no other instance in animal life where the combination of the useful and the beautiful is so clearly set forth as in bird life.” There is no form of recreation that will afford more real pleasure than time spent with the birds. Study the peculiar languages in each little note of praise; observe the care and almost human instinct with which they build their nests and rear their young and you will never again be entirely indifferent to their needs. The benefit of these little “unpaid day laborers” to the human family can hardly be estimated. W'e should feel it a duty as well as a pleasure to protect them from needless suffering. “The Liberty Bell Bird Club of the Farm Journal, Philadelphia, has the government report for its statement that the Ameri- 8 can sparrow saved the farmer in 1910, §89,260,000 by consuming weed seeds.” Other birds that live almost entirely upon weed seeds are the bob-white, cardinal and grouse. Were it not for the insectivorous birds, insects would increase to such an extent that vegetable life would be exterminated. Of the forty-live or fifty species of birds found in this section of the country, at least thirty belong to this class. Most common among them are the robin, the chicadee, the brown thrasher, the nuthatch, the woodpecker, the bluebird, the vereos and the wren ; all of which should be protected and encouraged by proper feeding and housing and we can feel assured that “no class of tenants can be relied upon for more full and complete rental.” In order to care for the birds most effectively it is necessary to make a careful study of their habits. This should be done by observation when possible, but the various bird and nature clubs give abundant information on the subject. Ernest Seton Thompson, Neltje Blanchan, Ernest Howard Baynes, Gene Stratton Porter are all authorities on the subject of birds. While in many States birds are protected by law from ruthlessslaughter, individuals can do much where the law does not reach. For instance, the quail, which in some States may not be destroyed by the hunter’s gun, is likely to perish in an unusually cold winter. We not only want to keep the bird from starving, now that winter is with us, but encourage those that remain here only part of the season to make it their permanent home. During the long period of extreme cold last winter, a seedsman in a Southern Pennsylvania town distributed seeds among the rural mail carriers. These were scattered over the snow covered fields and country roads for the cardinal and quail, in the hope that it might save a few of them from starving when weed seeds were not available. Suet and other fat for the insectivorous bird was placed in conspicuous places on the branches and trunks of trees. School feeding should play an important part in the care of birds. Children should be taught to share their daily lunch, and given portions of grain each day to ue used for the winter feeding. Plenty of fresh water, located in a suitable place where the birds may drink and bathe must not be neglected. The German custom of planting branches for the Christmas tree seems to be a more rational one than our modern Christmas tree, but if we must sacrifice thousands of cedars each year, they need not be thrown away when they have served their purpose in the home. They can be put up in a sheltered place out-of-doors and be used as a Christmas tree for the birds by placing baskets of food on their branches. If it is done in the right spirit and the child’s interest in birds thoroughly aroused he will take almost as much delight in the Christmas tree for the birds, as he did when the tree was laden with toys for his pleasure alone. “Christmas must ever remain the day of the child, but instead of making it selfish by a surfeit of costly toys, how much better to train it to look upon this holiday as the special season to give succor and protection to the helpless.” Birds have an almost irresistible desire to get back to the old home to build their nests and rear their young. Therefore it will not be a difficult matter to attract them to our homes if suitable houses are put up in sheltered places. “Birds, like human beings, can adapt themselves to circumstances,” but usually the more simple the house, the better it suits their taste. There is nothing that the bluebirds, martins, wrens, woodpeckers and nuthatches like better to nest in than a hollow tree or a partially decayed branch. But, as a rule, these natural shelters around the home and grounds are cut down and substitutes must be provided. A very good substitute is a y short log sawed in two and hollowed out in the centre, and nailed together again with an entrance provided to the cavity, which can be adapted to the woodpecker, as well as the wren. Dried gourds, hollowed out, with a place for an entrance; also old tin cans make desirable and simple homes for the wren. Trees about the house always attract the birds and suitable boxes placed on the branches will help to encourage nesting. We are all of us nature lovers at heart. Then let each one try at this season, and at all times of the year, to help feed, protect and care for the birds that do so much to create joy and harmony “In the kingdom of Him whose omniscence notes the sparrows fall.” A. L. M. Winter Apples There are two thousand or more named varieties of apples of which about five hundred are known and propagated in North America. Commercially less than one hundred varieties are known. “Each of these varieties has its own peculiar flavor and characteristics—soft or hard, brittle or tough, sweet or sour, tart or insipid—early or late, each apple possesses some good point, most have several good points. Not every variety is a good cooking apple, nor does every apple suit all palates.” The following list of apples gives varieties in season during the winter months: The Baldwin—When well grown under favorable conditions, it is a large, bright red apple round in shape, with smooth, ough skin, with depressed grayish spots. The flesh is yellowish, firm, rather tender, juicy and sub-acid, somewhat aromatic. It is in season from November to March, and is used both as a dessert and culinary apple. Ben Davis—A leading commercial apple, but of poor quality, large, handsomely colored. It is mildly sub-acid and is at its best from January to June. Grimes’ Golden—A beautiful, rich gold- en variety, large and roundish, oblong in shape. The flesh is yellow, firm, tender, moderately juicy, sub-acid and aromatic. It is an ideal dessert apple in the months of November, December and January. Rhode Island Greening—A medium to large apple, with a tough smooth waxy, green or yellowish skin, sometimes with a brownish red blush. The flesh is yellowish, firm, tender, juicy, slightly sub-acid. This variety is very good in quality and may be used in cooking or as a dessert apple from October to March. Hubbardston—A large attractive red apple, mingled wih more or less yellow in color. It has tender, juicy, mildly subacid flesh; in season from December to April. Good for dessert, but not a favorite for cooking. Jonathan—A handsome bright red apple of medium size. It is a white meatea apple, spicy, sub-acid and juicy. May be used both as a dessert and cooking apple. Season—November to January or later. York Imperial—When properly developed the fruit is large, finely colored and of good quality. The skin is tough, green or yellow blushed, indistinctly striped with carmine. At first it is sub-acid, but becomes mildly sub-acid or nearly sweet. Season—December to February. Yellow Bellflower—An attractive yellow variety of high quality. In season from December to April and may be used for culinary or dessert purposes, but it is at its best for dessert use after January when its acidity becomes somewhat subdued. Northern Spy—A large red striped yellow skinned apple. The flesh is yellowish, tender, very juicy and of excellent flavor It is one of the best dessert apples and ex cellent for baking. Used December to April. Rome Beauty—A medium to large handsomely colored apple. Flesh is juicy agreeable, mildly sub-acid. Commonly good, but not high in quality. Season— November to April. Used for general purposes. io Spitzenburg—A medium sized red apple, excellent for dessert or general culinary use; one of the high class winter apples. For use from November on. Winesap—Medium size, light to dark red apple, splendid keeper, possesses all good qualities for dessert or culinary use. Best from January to June. Tompkin’s County King—Of excellent quality for either dessert or culinary uses. It is a large red apple, brittle, juicy. Season—October to January. White Winter Pearmain—Medium size, pear shaped, yellow apple, sometimes pink cheek. A good dessert apple, but not bad for culinary use. From December to March. Tolman’s Sweet—Medium size, yellowish apple; excellent for pickling, boiling in boiled dumplings and baking. Used November to January. Newtown Pippin—Green or yellow skinned, excellent for dessert or culinary use. A good keeper. In use December to June. R. La G. Co-operation Every one will agree that where there is a group of people there is need of cooperation. This is true of any occupation, especially horticulture. Prof. Paul Work, of Cornell University, in speaking on this subject says that co-operation is a very long word with a very simple meaning, that of “working together.” Although the meaning is simple, that of working it out is not at all so. The first difficulty deals with the promoter of the organization—if he be narrow minded and selfish, he is worse than useless. On the other hand there are high minded idealists who cannot properly manage the business part. This shortcoming has caused the downfall of some associations. The second consideration is the size of the community in which the organization is started. Failure is likely to follow if the community is too large, mistrust arises in a short time, perhaps funds get low and the enterprise is broken up. To guard against this it is best to start out with a small group who are substantially interested, and when the plan is well started enlist others; thus every one becomes vitally interested and there is very much less cause for disagreement. Having selected a man as head of the organization, place full confidence in him. How will he be able to overcome difficulties if he does not have the confidence of all around him? His work is cut out for him at the very beginning on account of the many attempts to wreck the organization. Buyers and dealers are a great source of trouble, for they are not at all interested in the development of co-operation. Above all things co-operation must be established on a firm legal basis. ALICE FLETCHER. The Log November 10th. Our first “Paper White --------------- Narcissi” were brought into the greenhouse after their five weeks of storage in the cellar. November 11th. A most interesting, as ---------------- well as exciting, afternoon was spent by the Juniors under the supervision of Professor Doan, in dynamiting some ten or fifteen dead apple trees on an adjacent farm. There were several fantastic and picturesque explosions as the gnarled old trees were lifted high in the air with showers of earth. The girls took an active part in the operations, though some were performed with bated breath, trembling fingers and ready feet. November 12th. Young nursery stock which was to be shipped away was placed in a box and fumigated by hydrocyanic acid gas. Thus endeth the 'San Jose scale and wooly aphis! November 13. It was a very jolly group --------------- that gathered about the flickering firelight up in the herb garden 11 of an evening, and such a toasting of marshmallows, and such a singing of songs, old and new, as rang through the evening air. And later, it was with a hearty cheer for Mrs. Peeler and her party that the participants scattered homeward. November 14th. At the Annual Fair of the ========= Agricultural School of the Pennsylvania State College, a hamper of fruit and vegetables sent from “our School” received first prize. We believe that hampers sent from the farm direct to the housewife are one of the coming ways of reducing the high cost of living. November 17th. A splendid practical ===::=== talk by Mr. Fuld, of New York, on “The Care of the Garden in the Fall,” was much appreciated by many visitors and the students of the school. Although the time was limited, a great amount of valuable information was obtained. Among those present were Mrs. John Gribbell, of Wyncote, with a number of friends, including Miss Passmore, of Minneapolis; Mrs. Charles Day, Miss Howell, Miss Hilda Justice, Mrs. Clarence Clark, Miss Marianna Steel, Miss Hubbard. November 18th. Although quite a cold 1 and wintry day, the Juniors armed with spades started with great enthusiasm to make a solar hot bed. In it are to be placed for winter keeping all the hardwood cuttings each student has made this fall. November 19th. Spicy cedar branches. deftly shaped into Christmas wreaths under the skill and direction of Dr. Kift, made us think of holidays only a month away. This was our first attempt at Christmas decorations. Pasteboard boxes, covered with cretonne by skilful fingers were deftly converted into flower boxes. November 20th. A chilly looking class of Juniors probed borers with great vigor from a number of plum trees. The best trees were then graded and tied up ready for sale. In the evening there was a jolly birthday celebration in honor of Adeline Greathead. November 21st. One of the neighbors. Miss Elizabeth Shoemaker, was the hostess at a most delightful party. All kinds of good oM-fashion-ed games were played, and the house, from the cheery kitchen, where taffy pulling was in progress, to the parlor, where Professor Doan was struggling with a problem (ask him what “It” was), rang with merriment. November 23rd. The Board of Directors -------------- gave a tea at “VVyck” the beautiful and historic home of Miss Jane Haines, president of the Board, to the Subscribers and Friends of the School, to meet Miss Jessie T. Morgan, the Resident Director. All the students were invited. We were very much pleased to accept the invitation and enjoyed meeting so many interested friends. The Venetian blinds were lowered and the many candles which furnished the illumination were in keeping with the Colonial atmosphere. November 24th. It was with great ef- “------------- fort that our minds were kept on lessons, for the vacation spirit was in the air. However, in the morning, an immense number of privet cuttings were made, which will be used in the future by Miss Lee in her Landscape Gardening Class at the School. November 25th. Noon—great hurrying —------------- and scurrying to make trains for home or happy visits with friends. November 26th. Thanksgiving—“Thou -------------- Crownest the Year with Thy Goodness.” 12 Turning Waste Into Wealth (In spite of many customers, there was surplus fruit and vegetables that would have gone to waste had it not been for the preserving department, hence the following, which is now on hand and for sale:) Apple Butter, quarts, about................ 60 Apple, canned, quarts ..................... 40 Apple Mint Jelly, glasses .................. 6 Apple Jelly, glasses ....................... 8 Anise Jelly, glasses ....................... 4 Apple Relish, quart ........................ 1 Apples, evaporated, pounds ................ 10 Asparagus, canned, quarts .................. 2 Beans, string, canned, quarts............... 2 Beets, quarts .............................. 8 Catsup, pints .............•............... 27 Catsup, quarts ............................ 18 Cherries, quarts .......................... 33 Cider, quarts ............................. 11 Current Jelly, glasses .................... 24 Current Juice, quarts...................... 12 Cider Jelly, glasses ....................... 6 Corn Dried, pounds, about ................. 11 Elderberry Wine, quarts .................... 4 Elderberry Juice, quarts ................... 6 Gooseberries, canned, quarts .............. 14 Gooseberries, Jelly, glasses ............... 4 Gooseberries,Jam, glasses .................. 9 Gooseberries, Jam, quarts ................. 28 Grape Conserve, pints ..................... 27 Grape Sauce, quarts ....................... 18 Grape Marmalade, quarts .................... 4 Grape Jelly, glasses .....................119 Grape Jelly, midgets ..................... 28 Grape Juice, pints ......................132 Grape Juice, quarts ..................... 13 Honey Jars ................................ 22 Mint Chutney, glasses....................... 5 Mulberry, canned, quart .................... 1 Peaches, canned, quarts ................... 39 Peach Jelly, glasses........................ 5 Peach Marmalade, quarts ................... 13 Pears, canned, quarts ..................... 50 Pears, candied, pounds, about............... 9 Pears, evaporated, pounds, about........... 25 Pears, preserves in glasses ............... 7 Pears, preserves in quarts ............... 1 Pears, pickle, quarts...................... 49 Pears, chips, quarts ....................... 3 Pears, chips, pint ......................... 1 Pears, chips, glass ........................ 1 Pears, ginger, quarts ...................... 5 Pears, spiced, quarts ...................... 4 Pears, marmalade, quarts .................. 38 Pears, marmalade, pints .................... 1 Pears, marmalade, in honey jars............ 7 Pears, marmalade, qts..................... 4 Pears, marmalade, in jelly glasses........ 9 Pepper Hash, quarts ...................... 2 Pepper Hash, pints ....................... 1 Pickle, Apple, quarts .................... 3 Pickle, Baltimore, quarts ................ 7 Pickle, Chow Chow, quarts ................ 8 Pickle, Chow Chow, pints................. 5% Pickle, Cabbage, Relish, quarts........... 2 Pickle, Tomato Mustard, quart............. 1 Pickle, Cucumber, sour, quarts........... 12 Pickle, Cucumber, Sweet, quarts........... 4 Pickle, Dill, 2 5 gallon crocks and 1 Barrel Pineapple, quarts ....................... 14 Raspberry Jam, quart ..................... 1 Rhubarb, quarts .......................... 2 Strawberry, canned, quarts .............. 26 Strawberry, jelly, glasses .............. 63 Strawberry, preserves, quarts ........... 17 Strawberry, preserves, glasses .......... 19 Strawberry, syrup, quarts ............... 33 Tomato, canned, quarts .................. 64 Tomato, canned, half gallons............. 30 Tomato, canned and Okra, quarts........... 2 Tomato, sweet pickle, quarts ............ 51 Tomato, sweet pickle, pints ..............84 Tomato, marmalade in honey jars.......... 18 Vinegar (sour), strawberry, quarts........ 6 Caroline G. Peeler. School Notes We are glad to announce that Miss Susan D. Livers, of Boston, commenced December first, as instructor in Poultry Raising and Vegetable Gardening. Miss Livers graduated from Massachusetts State Agricultural College, at Amherst, in the class of 1907. We hope Miss Livers will find our poultry and vegetables as responsive to “Cultural Influences” in their humble way as all things in Boston have the reputation of being. Through the generosity of Mrs. Robert B. Haines, mother of the President of our Board, we are enjoying the luxury of electric lights in the administration building. Many thanks, Mrs. Haines. You will always have a warm place in our hearts. On Saturday, October the 31st, our Hallowe’en party was held in the barn. Corn shocks, ears of corn, pumpkins, squash and autumn leaves gave touches of brilliant coloring. Chinese lanterns, 3 Jack-o-Lanterns and barn lanterns provided subdued illumination. The lights and shadows of a rousing bonfire made a picturesque setting for the weird assembly. The invitations were printed on pumpkin colored cardboard, a black witch riding her broom in one corner. The verse read: “On Hallowe’en when dogs do growl. And cats meow and Banshees howl, You're asked to join a masquerade, To join the goblins’ gay parade, The place, our house; the hour is eight, So mount your broom and don’t be late.” One of the acceptances from a poetically inclined neighbor was as follows: “In the dark and spooky night-time, When those animals do growl, We will hie us forth with pleasure, We will gladly brave each howl To join your masquerading, (Does a Banshee use a trowel?) And from a former student, now gardening in New Hampshire, we receive these characteristic lines: Oh, that an aeroplane were mine, I’d join you ere the clock struck nine, But on my broom, so far to ride— Alas, I cannot! woe betide! Among the costumes were representatives of a straw stack, clown, gypsy, brigand, etc. One very effective costume was entirely composed of the comic supplement of a Sunday newspaper. A very interesting group was a wounded soldier, a physician and a Red Cross nurse, who were inseparable. After dancing ihe Virginia Reel and more modern dances, a spelling bee was conducted by Professor Doan. The prize for best spelling, a basket filled with vegetables appropriately decorated with yellow, was carried off by Mrs. Frank MilesDay. Apple bobbing aiso afforded much exercise and amusement, af- ter which cider, doughnuts, popcorn ana apples were enjoyed. A number of visitors from Ambler and Philadelphia were present. A hornet's nest which was built in one of the orchard trees was discovered after the leaves had fallen. It was fourteen inches long and ten inches wide and hung from a notched stick. An apple formed part of the bulwark of the structure, its rosy cheek making a beautiful color scheme against the gray paper-like material which covered 'the comb. It now hangs on one of the windows in the office and attracts much attention. Miss Morgan and a few of the students visited the Annual Exhibition of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society at Horticultural Hall in Philadelphia on the evening of November 5th, 1914. This society held its first exhibition November 3rd, 1828, and has continued to hold exhibitions annually in various places. This year’s exhibit is said to be the best that has ever been given. The collection of orchids was exceptionally interesting. There were many varieties, some very grotesque, some with almost human faces and all of them beautifully colored. The chrysanthemum exhibit was open to private gardeners and amateur growers only. There were all kinds of chrysanthemums, from tiny ones, only the size of a small button, to some which measured ten or more inches across. Although the chrysanthemum was the predominating flower, there were many beautiful roses and carnations, also a splendid collection of ferns, palms, crotons and ornamental foliage plants. Two miniature gardens were shown. These were on tables about four by six feet, and were planted with living trees, shrubs and grass. There was also an exhibition of all kinds of bulbs, and this proved to be as interesting as the blooming flowers. 14 To the students and those interested in the school, the completion of the two new greenhouses built by Lord Burnham Co., was hailed with great delight. Each house is. twenty-one feet wide and sixty-seven feet long, and is equipped with the most modern improvements. One of the houses is used for forcing and growing vegetables, each student having her individual plot. The other greenhouse has numerous ornamental and foliage plants, also Christmas and Easter stock. This house, however, will be used entirely for growing roses next year. Attached to these houses is a large, convenient service room where potting, transplanting and other work may be comfortably done. These adequate provisions for the work of the classes in floriculture and vegetable courses are very gratifying. Exchanges We gratefully acknowledge the following exchanges: The Irwinian—Miss Irwin’s School, Philadelphia, Pa. Splinters—Rogers Hall School, Lowell, Mass. The Countryside Magazine—New York. The Garnet and White—West Chester High School, West Chester, Pa. Miscellany — T h u r s t on Preparatory School, Pittsburgh, Pa. Laselle Leaves—Laselle Seminary, Au-burndale, Mass. Maryland Collegian—Lutherville, Md The Reminder—Sea Pines School, Mass. Dwightonia—Dwight School, Englewood, N. J. The Cricket—The Seiler School, Harrisburg, Pa. The Gleaner—National Farm School, Bucks Co., Pa. The Chronicle—Putnam Hall, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. The Tatler—Miss Madeira’s School, Washington, D. C. The Outrider—Chester, Pa. The Mosaic—The Lady Jane Gray School, Binghamton, N. Y. The Horticultural College Maga2ine— Swanley, Kent, England. News About the Guild—Being the magazine published by the graduates of Stud-ley Horticultural College, Studley, England. We extend our sincere sympathy lo the students and friends in England, in this dark time of war and strife. We wish to thank you for your interest in our school, and good wishes for our prosperity. A PRAYER OF BROTHERHOOD I do not ask, O God, to be a saint In stainless robes to stand apart from men; I pray that if my fellow sinner faint, My hand may help him to arise again. I pray not that my lips may frame a creed About his name, in terms grave and profound; I only pray that when his side shall bleed, This hand of mine may help to close the wound. I pray thee God, O set me not apart. Make me but greatly human, not divine; If there be brotherhood ’twixt heart and heart, Let me but clasp my brother’s hand in mine. Amen. —Edwin Lindley Doan. x5 Out at the School of Horticulture we are so rushed for time that we fall into winter, and spring into summer. A—“Why do you call that new rose of yours the Snob? ’’ B—“Because it is a climber. —Ex. You can always tell a Senior, but you cannot tell her much in safety. Senior—What’s your favorite flower? Junior—Gold Medal.—Ex. “No one ever thought of charging that florist with dishonest business methods. “Certainly not, why accuse him thus-ly?” “Well, the best he ever offers is watered stock. —Ex. Definitions are difficult and often tedious, but when a child attacks one the result is sometimes illuminating and delightful. Here is a recent attempt on the spinal cord. “A wavy line; my head sits on one end and I sit on the other. —Ex. Visitors Mrs. Laura W. Anderson, Providence, Rhode Island. Miss Phoebe Shoemaker, Ambler, Pa. Mrs. John H. Mitchell, Gwynedd Valley, Pa. Mrs. Herman Just, Gwynedd Valley, Pa. Mrs. John Allen Blair, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Nixon, Philadelphia, Pa. Mr. Henry Howson, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Henry Howson, Philadelphia, Pa. Miss Beatrice Howson, Philadelphia, Pa. Miss Margaret Howson, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Pirn, Penllyn, Pa. Mr. and Mrs. Foulke, Ambler, Pa. Mrs. John Gribbell, Wyncote, Pa., and seven friends. Miss Elizabeth Lee, Philadelphia. Miss Anna Howell, Philadelphia, Pa. Miss Marianna Steele, Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Frank Miles Day, Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania. Mrs. Charles Day, Germantown, Pa. Miss Hilda Justice, Germantown, Pa. Mrs. Harry C. Hart, Ambler, Pa. Miss Mary Hart, Ambler, Pa. Mrs. Clarence Clark, Philadelphia, Pa. Miss Mary Freeland, Elkins Park, Pa. Miss Mildred Patton, Philadelphia, Pa. Miss Hubbard, Germantown, Pa. Miss Passmore, Minneapolis, Minn. December Like a whirl of powdery stars, The snow came flurrying past; As if to tell the world December’d come at last. The trees like crystal shone, The ground was crisp and white; A thousand diamonds gleamed, And shed a radiant light. The people’s shining eyes Danced with the whirling snow, So near were happy holidays That all was joy below. 16 Jimmy It was a bright sunny day and rather warm for the end of October, one of those beautiful Indian Summer days, so plentiful in October and November. The man in charge of the gardens at the public square stopped a few minutes to survey the work he had done—“One thousand bulbs in already and still I’m not half finished. Well, if all goes well this square will be a little garden spot next summer for the poor little ragamuffins, who probably have no pleasure and never see flowers but what grow in this square ” So the man mused until a sudden shout aroused him from his dreaming. He turned in time to see a bunch of street urchins close in on a dirty little fellow, who looked frightened to death. Honest to goodness fellas, 1 didn’t take a thing,” he wailed. Aw come on, ya can’t tell us—” They got no further with their molesting, for the bulb man interfered. When they saw him, they fled in all directions leaving the accused one behind. What’s the matter?” They said I took something, and 1 didn’t.”' Never mind, little fellow, just you come over here and watch me work. What’s your name, anyhow? ” Jimmy.” Jimmy what?” Jimmy Dunlap.” For a while Jimmy watched his man” deftly plant bulbs, but not for long did silence reign because Jimmy’s curiosity got the better of him. Say, mister, whatcha planting onions for?” They’re not onions, sonny, they’re flower bulbs. Next spring beautiful flowers called hyacinths will grow from them.” Aw g’wan, you can’t fool me, they’re onions.” Now, I’ll tell you what! You see that tool house there? Well, run over anu get a (lower pot and I’ll show you something.” Jimmy jumped to his feet in a jiffy, ran to the tool house and back with the flower pot. Now then, you watch me closely so that you will be able to do it. I’ll put this piece of broken tile in the bottom and then I’ll fill this up with soil and a little sprinkle of sand over the top. Now for the bulb. So—it is finished. Does anything grow where you live?” No, not even a little blade of green.” Well, you take this home, and every day when you wash your face, give the little bulb a drink. You must never forget to wash your face, because flowers don’t like little boys with dirty faces, and yon must be good or the flower may not come up at all.” Will it really grow and be green? ” “Yes, and about Christmas it will have a flower on it.” The boy started home with his treasure in his arms and a new wonder in his eyes. Every day he tended the bulb carefully and as he watched over it, he unconsciously developed habits of cleanliness. He started by always having a dean face and hands for fear the flower wouldn’t grow at all. When finally the little green popped through and gradually grew into a green spike, his joy could hardly be restrained. So the days flew by and the lad’s bright happy face became a joy to the alley. His mother always met him with a smile, for now he carried her washes to and from the houses without grumbling. She was happy in his happiness and told him stories of the time when she did not live in an alley, but where there was a beautiful garden; of how she had married against her father’s wishes, and he had disinherited her; later, of his, Jimmy’s father’s, poor health and how she went to work to earn bread and butter for Jimmy and his sick father; finally of her husband’s death, after which, when doctor’s and funeral expenses were paid, 7 there was nothing left at all of theii small savings. Then it was, that they had come to the alley tenement, where she made a bare living for herself and boy. But that was live years ago and Jimmy was almost four when they came. Mrs. Dunlap looked at the clock and sent Jimmy scurrying to bed. The next morning he left for school bright and early with the thought that it was “only three days before Christmas when the flower was coming out.” Even now it seemed ready to burst forth. Tomorrow it would surely be in full bloom. And so thinking these things he whistled his way along the street to school. He reached the corner and it seemed that suddenly his heart stopped beating, for crossing the street was an elderly lady, while from the opposite direction a machine came racing along. Something must be done, and done quickly to avoid a fatal accident. Jimmy dropped his books and became a little spot flying across the street. The few people about, stopped awe-struck by the daring of the little lad. They held their breath waiting for the outcome. But would he reach her? He grabbed for her skirt and caught it, pulling backward with all his might, but it was too late! The runaway auto sent the little woman crashing to the ground, but the force of the blow had been greatly lessened by his childish efforts. When they lifted her up she was unconscious and they immediately rushed her to a hospital. A big policeman came riding up to Jimmy and asked him his name and address, then sent him on his way to school. Somehow or other Jimmy couldn’t keep his mind on his lessons that day, no matter how hard he tried. His thoughts would wander off to the scene of the morning. When he returned after school his mother was waiting for him at the door. “Jimmy boy, do hurry, a man has been here asking for you and he told me all that happened this morning. I’m so proud of you! He told me that when the lady came to, she asked who it was that tried to save her, and it was she who sent for you to come to the hospital as she wants to see you. The doctors say she will get well, but it will be several weeks.” “Let’s go lirst thing in the morning and —mother, you know, I'm sure my bulb will be in full bloom by tomorrow, and— would she like my flower to help her get well?” “Oh, Jimmy, that will be lovely, 1 know she’ll like it. 1 was looking at the flewer today and it's almost all in bloom and by tomorrow it will be perfect. It is a hyacinth. I remember that we had them at home when 1 was a little girl, as my mother was so fond of them.” “You’ll go with me, won’t you?” “If you want me to, I will. ” Next morning they went to the hospital, Jimmy carrying his beloved plant. It was all he could do to bring himself to part with it, but it was going to help the lady get well. When they arrived at the hospital Jimmy was ushered up to see the little old lady. When she saw him coming with the treasure, her face lit up with a smile and she held but her hands in welcome to him. He walked to the bed and handed the flower to her. “W ho sent this pretty plant to me?” she asked. “It’s from my mother and me,” answered the boy proudly. “Where is your mother?” “Downstairs.” “Why didn’t she come up with you?” “Because she did not know that you wanted her.” “Well, will you go and bring your mother to me and tell her I wish to see her and thank her.” The boy obeyed and brought his mother back to the injured lady. Mrs. Dunlap walked quietly to the bed, but not so quietly that the woman did not hear her and turning quickly they were brought face to face. Each woman viewed the other with an exclamation. 18 -My mother!” “My daughter!” And so the unlooked for and unexpected had happened. When the first ecstacies of the meeting were over, Jimmy’s grandmother told her side of the story. After her daughter’s marriage the girl’s father had repented and wished to become reconciled, but not a trace could be found of the newly married couple. “Never mind, it’s all going to come right now, even if you must stay here for a tew weeks.” “Yes, my dear daughter, this will be the happiest Christmas for your father and me in many years, and we have the added joy of having such a splendid little grandson.” “I’m so glad we found you,” piped Jimmy. And so Jimmy and his mother went to live in grandfather’s big house in the suburbs, where there were all kind of flowers and greens, but Jimmy always had a tender spot in his heart for bulbs, especially hyacinths, for it was his beautiful hyacinth bulb that had made so many things possible. DOROTHY HELWEG. A Plea for the Vegetable Garden Why do not more women take an active interest in vegetable gardening? Surely it is within the limits of the home keeping sphere, and just as surely is it a part of the conomy of that home and the well being of the family. Not long ago it was my privilege to hear a number of young women express their preferences along the lines of horticultural work, and out of ten were there two who ‘•poke of vegetable gardening as an attractive or desirable occupation? No. One or two to be sure mentioned it in general with other lines, but the rest spoke as one ”'oman in praise of floriculture. “I just ’ v flowers,” said one; “1 want to have tt’ things in my garden,” another, and “Oh, floriculture for me, of course. All this within plain hearing of the patient old vegetable garden that had given its best to provide fresh and tempting food for their enjoyment. Cannot the corn hear the slight thus put upon it and has the lowiv onion not heart to be grieved by such neglect? Far be it from me to decry the love of flowers and the careful cultivation of them. T hey fill a large place in this world where souls must be Ted as well as bodies, and no human being lives who is untouched by their influence. Each has its charm from the delicacy of the earliest snowdrop to the enduring beauty of the Allamanda Hendersonii. But let us not forget that, without the kindly offices of the vegetable garden and its next of kin, the fields of corn and wheat, our eyes would soon close forever upon all the beauties of nature. Who that has once tried a hand at vegetable gardening can resist the fascination, and who, that has never tried can realize its potent influence. Even the veriest amateur whose one row of string beans failed to sprout, receives incentive to fresh endeavors from the sight of the spring seed catalogue and to the one who has met with success even in the mildest form, the bare autumn fields suggest infinite possibilities; while the piping of an early robin and the springtime odor of moist earth, create a frenzy of enthusiasm. There is always a looking forward in vegetable gardening. “Next year” you say, “my tomatoes will be as large as pumpkins;” “and next year my eggplants will cut in slices of such size that a dinner plate will not contain one,” and “next year my peas and lima beans will hang in rich clusters as they do in the pages in Michell’s Catalogue.” Sometimes along during March, there will come a day—a blue sky,sunny day—-when instead of the lusty March breezes, you will meet as you round a corner, the south wind blowing in little playful puffs. With such a day does Mother Nature beguile her trusting childien, luring them to thoughts of summer; the careful 19 housewife to pack away the heavy bed-quilts, and the garden enthusiast to send in a panic of haste for a seed catalogue. Having sent for yours, you cast about for some employment to pass the time until it comes. Oh, yes! The leaves and rubbish must be raked up and burned before the garden can be planted, and so tomorrow morning while the birds are busy looking over building materials, and the hens are busy scratching in the yard, you saunter forth and soon, rake in hand, are busy scratching with the best. By afternoon the ground is nearly cleared and the bonfire ready to touch off. The lire feels good too, for the sun has tucked himself away behind a cloud; the wind has shifted—in short—your fingers and toes are very cold, and as soon as the fire has burned out, you make tracks—muddy ones—for the house, and there while you are toasting your toes at the hearth lire, the catalogue arrives—colored plates, mammoth vegetables, pink order slip and all. The task of selecting seeds for even a modest garden may so engross one’s attention that he will not notice the whistling of the wind and next morning he may wake and find to his pained astonishment that the ground is white with snow. But a late March snow will soon be gone and April will be here, May—May and warm sunshine—the pleasant odors of moist upturned earth, and planting time. Of course, your garden has been spaded, or, if more pretentious, it has been ploughed and treated to a session with the Meeker smoothing harrow, not to mention our old friend the disker run on the bias. So the days go, days when the seeds must be set in painstaking rows, days of careful care of the sturdy little green plants, days of battle with the evil purslane and insistent chickweed, days of drought, of endless pushing of the cultivator and of aching muscles, and days of hot, breathless weather, when you hail with joy the approaching thunderstorm, from which you have hitherto fled, as from the wrath to come. Perhaps you have found, on one occasion, that a vagrant bunny has kindly pruned your young beans, or that the cutworm has developed a violent appetite for corn syrup. All these things are forgotten later, for the first mouthful of green peas picked by your own hands from dew-wet vines is like a draught of Lethe’s waters. And of what are you thinking as you gently pinch the plump lima bean pod or tentatively heft the pumpkin, fattening for Thanksgiving—of the way your muscles ached? or the high price of fertilizer? or how hard you worked to keep the breath of life in those tomato plants? Not at all. You are planning to have the garden so carefully laid out next spring that there will be a little extra space for experimenting with new things. The Tree Tomato—say—or the new Odorless Onion. Finally, four things there be which you will hav'e gained, besides experience and the gleanings of harvest time—four things for which some humans search the world over and vainly, because they are not really looking for them after all—strong muscles, rosy cheeks, bright eyes and sturdy nerves . MABEL BARKER. 20 G.M.D ECK fxCO. HOUSE T| FURNISHINGS AMBLER HARDWARE AND HEATING TINSMITHING PENNA. VICTOR MAYER Ladies’ and Men’s Tailor Steam Dyeing and Scouring Altering, Cleaning and Pressing. Repairing Neatly Done M4fr 421 Butler Avenue, Ambler, Pa. H. R. NIBLOCK Restaurant and Oyster House Oysters in all Styles Meals at all Hours WE MAL’FACTURB ICE CREAM 417 Butler Avenue AMBLER, PA. Both Phone. POULTRY HOUSES I L I PUSH Rull Time is money; be progressive, save by using MEHLER SCRAPER. Does the work better in lA the time, and soon pays for itself. Scrapes on the Push or Pull. Sold by your Poultry Supply Man. Agents Wanted. Send for Descriptive Circular or 75c for Sample. MEHLER GARDEN TOOL CO, Ambler, Pa, U. S. A. THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK OF AMBLER, PA. J. Watson Craft E. H. Faust President Vice-President Wm. A. Davis, Cashier LORGNONS Unexcelled Selection of Patterns, in all the Precious Metals, Jeweled and Plain MAKERS OF PERFECT FITTING EYE GLASSES AND SPECTACLES BONSCHUR 8c HOLMES 1333 CHESTNUT ST.. PHILADELPHIA. PA. Illoitratcd Gift llooklct mailed on application Nursery Stock APPLE, PEAR, CHERRY AND PLUM TREES DECIDUOUS SHADE AND ORNAMENTAL TREES FLOWERING SHRUBS Special Collections for $2.00, $3.00 and $5.00 A complete list of varieties and prices, furnished on request. School of Horticulture For Women, Ambler, Pa H. J. DAGER, Inc. SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE, INSURANCE AND MORTGAGES FARMS A SPECIALTY AMBLER, PA. J. Watson Craft Ambler, Pa. Manufacturer of and Dealer in “Enterprise” Brand of Scratch and Mash Feed Dairy Feed constantly in stock. Complete Line of Building Material LEHIGH COAL Pittsburg Electric Fence and other Fencing Materials CREO MAKES HENS WEIGH LAY PAY Kills lice and mites. Cures diseases of poultry. Cleanses, disiufects. Easy to use. 35c per pint bottle. STILLWAGON, THE DRUGGIST GOOD THINGS TO EAT Canned Fruits, Preserves, Fruit Syrups, Marmalades, Grape Juice. Catsup and Tomato Pickle, Evaporated Apples and Pears. MADE IN AMERICA MADE DY WOMEN FOR SALE DY WOMEN AT THE School of Horticulture For Women W. N. HEISS ---DEALER IN- Dry Goods, Notions, Millinery, Men’s Furnishings 303-305 Butler Ave., AMBLER, PA. THIS BOOKLET FROM THE PRESS OF GEO. W. LUTZ 11 SOUTH MAIN ST. BELL PHONB AMBLER, PA. The House of “Michell” (ESTABLISHED A QUARTER OF A CENTURY) Is the most completely equipped establishment of its kind in the United States. Call and inspect our various departments, or write for our large descriptive catalog. HENRY F. MICHELL, CO., 518 Market St., Philadelphia Plant Establishment, Nursery and Trial Grounds, Andalusia, Pa.