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

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derful hold over her patients. They all love to work for her, and that form of “labor” seems to be of the greatest assistance in helping those poor people to get their balance. I thought you would like to hear this, as she belongs to your School.” (We are so delighted to hear from one not closely in touch with either our School or with the Hospital that our “Tom's” work is so well appreciated. We only wish there were room to repeat some of Tom's own interesting tales of the life and efforts at the Hospital. Her well-known enthusiasm runs true to form, and she recounts her adventures with her usual vivacity, and we learn some intensely enlightening bits about the present-day methods of the medical profession.) Our Latest Bovine Adventures These always seem to occur during some holiday period, so that some of us miss the excitement and entertainment. But this time, the end of the Thanksgiving vacation, there were more to enjoy it than when Jasmine, Wonder-Heart and Princess arrived on July 4th. On Monday morning we received word that the long-expected consignment of Ayrshires, coming all the way from Florida, had at last reached Ambler. Miss Carter hurried down to the freight yard immediately—and spent the day! At noon, Dickie drove five of us down to see what we could do to assist. We passed the two men, each with two cows, on their way up to the School. When we reached the yard, we found the cattle eagerly appreciative of such attention as buckets of water, and later an opportunity to walk a bit around the enclosure near the car. In a little while, Pet, Pinky, Trip and Bunny started back to the School, each with a cow “under her arm,” as it were. The cows seemed glad to be exercising, as the difference between Florida temperature, and the 15 deg. being blown at them by our famous northwest wind was obviously uncomfortably. They reached the barns here safely, and later still “Grandee” and the three cows intended for us, were led out by the men. That left us with five big animals and five babies in the car. We sat and cuddled our feet in the hay, trying to pretend we were not cold until after 5:00, waiting for the other consignee to come for the other animals. He came just after we had given up in despair and were prepared to leave. Miss Carter had braved the terrors of our noble “bus,” and brought it over near the car. Two babies were coming with us. It was like leading refractory goats, to get those infants down the runway, across the trolley tracks and the road, and into the bus. We were ably assisted, however, by the extreme hunger of the little heifers. If we gave them each a hand to suck, they could be inveigled along quite easily most of the 16

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vated, and often for its commercial value. Mute, but nonetheless forceful, testimony of the truth of these statements is given by many of the plantations made by commercial horticulturists (nurserymen). Despite this apparently irreconcilable difference in viewpoint, I believe that the landscape architect and the horticulturist may and should be mutually helpful. Both are interested in the production of healthy plants, in the introduction of new plants, in the further perfection of known plants and the use of all plants whether for economic or esthetic purposes. Here, it seems, are enough interests held in common by these two professions to bring and keep them in a close relationship provided their respective points of view are understood, each by the other. To this end the landscape architect should know the cultural and climatic requirements of the plants he intends to use, else his designs will fail. He should also be interested, and should assist wherever possible, in adding to the body of plant material, as it is upon this that he depends for one of the most important elements in his work. On the other hand, the horticulturist may broaden his field of usefulness and increase his esthetic appreciation of plants by devoting some time to the study of the principles of design, particularly design in plant materials, employed by the landscape architect. Ecology, a comparatively new science of rapidly growing importance, is the study of the relation of plants to their environment and to each other in their environment. As good design is dependent to a great extent on recognition of these laws, ecology is of equal importance to the horticulturist. Through this field of knowledge I think both professions will gain much that will be of benefit and perhaps bring about a better appreciation of each other’s work than has hitherto existed. Since our professional schools furnish us with a splendid fertile field in which to sow seeds of this “apple of accord,” I feel that we should grasp the opportunity and work wholeheartedly to cultivate and later to reap the crop of closer relationship and better co-operation between landscape architecture and horticulture. Markley Stevenson. A Tribute to One of Our Girls (Extract from a letter received at School this fall) “Last summer when I saw you in Ambler, I met a Miss Hall there. She is now at the Pennsylvania Hospital for Nervous Diseases. When there last week I saw her. “Everybody is delighted with her. She is doing splendidly, not only with her horticulture work, but I hear she has a won- 15

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time. But we did have to impress a couple of passers-by into service when lifting the leggy beasties into the bus. They would be limp for a while, and then suddenly all their legs would fly out in as many directions. But the deed was finally accomplished, and with Miss Carter’s excellent piloting, we reached home with no untoward events. The eleven cows, the bull and the two babies are now well-filled-out, and show no sig is of their long, hard journey, which was broken only by “time out” for the dipping of them all, even the calves, for the tick eradication, according to the latest rulings of the State of Florida. As Mr. Cleaver was still laid up and there was no one on the place with both the time and knowledge of how to make the cows most comfortable, Miss Carter told her difficulties to Martha Twining, and Martha came over immediately to help out. It has eventuated that Martha has been doing the work in her usual energetic and able fashion, and the rest of us have done the helping out to the extent of our feeble abilities. It has seemed like old times to have Martha with us again, and we are doubly glad the cows came. Hints From “ Better Plants ” This is a good time to take out 6 inches of soil around trees and fill in with equal proportions of mixed soil and manure. You do not expect even the short-lived vegetables to get along without fertilizer. How can you expect a long-lived tree to do well without some nutrition? Clean the grounds and gardens thoroughly this month. Garden pests and their offspring do not like cleanliness. Save all the furnace ashes. Apply them heavily to trees and shrubs. Sprinkle them on the lawn. They sweeten the soil. Save all leaves. Do not burn them. Use as a top-dressing, and for the compost pile. There is nothing better than rotted leaves to break up a heavy soil. Azaleas and Rhododendrons appreciate leaf mulch. For storage, keep the leaves in a pit. We believe it is a mistake to collect or rake grass when mowing the lawn. The cut grass affords nutrition. See that all plants go into winter with plenty of moisture around their roots. Newly planted trees and shrubs should be particularly well soaked down with water until the ground freezes. Most winter-killing, or failure of evergreens during the winter, is due to the ground freezing dry. This is an important pointer. Don’t forget that roses, weigelas, buddleias, magnolias, Japanese maples, flowering almonds, etc., will winter-kill severely unless mounded with earth and given a top-dressing of leaves or straw. 17