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

Text from Pages 1 - 108 of the 1928 volume:

Dawn The east is aflame with crimson light, The drifting mists and shadows flee, And datvn stands poised for her flight A radiant, golden fantasy. And winging wide across the lawn Starts into flight some waking bird, And joyous carols to the morn Through all the forest now are heard. A myriad golden arrows dart Across the shadows of the world, And day yields up her golden heart With gay cloud banners all unfurled. —Louise Bush-Brown. WISE' ACRES Volume XII PUBLISHED BY THE STUDENTS OF The Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women AMBLER, PENNSYLVANIA Entered as second-class matter at the Ambler, Pa., Post Ollico 1928 Foreword “WISE-ACRES” has a two-fold purpose. In after years may a glance through these pages serve to bring back to our minds pleasant memories of happy and profitable days spent at Ambler. This book also contains various articles pertinent to the subject of Horticulture which we hope will prove satisfactory as well as informative. r yHIS book is dedicated as an expression of our gratitude to those friends whose broad vision made possible the founding of the School of Horticulture, whose steadfast support brings about the opportunities of the present, and who are untiring in their endeavors towards future expansion. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Administration and Faculty..................................... Seniors ....................................................... Activities..................................................... Humor ......................................................... Articles Why I Am Glad To Be Here..............H. Adele Walker........ Some Lesser Known Bulbs...............L. K. Herring.......... A Garden of Simple Colonial Traditions. .James Bush-Brown.... In The Meadows (Poem).................Bayard Taylor.......... Entomological Platitudes..............E. Pauline Leibert..... The Friendly Shrubs...................Helen Motvry........... The “Wizardry” of Luther Burbank......Gisela A. Grimm........ Phases of Gardening...................Susan Arrington........ Ferns For Shady Places................Rosalind Linson........ An Alphabet of Botany.................George B. Kaiser....... Souvenirs.............................Clara E. Reed.......... Visiting the Bees.....................Hinda Smith............ Among Our Cows........................• . C. Broughton....... The Father of American Botany.........Theodora Wenz.......... Beauty and Plants.....................Susan Arrington........ A Gardener’s Trip to Bermuda..........L.K. Herring........... Southern Spring (Poem)................Louise Bush-Broivn..... Gladness of Nature....................William Cullen Bryant.. My Garden.............................Elizabeth Arrington.... A Green Lawn, A Lasting Investment.. . .R. G. Test........... The Gardener’s Calendar...............GraceS. Henderson...... The Pine..............................Augusta Webster........ 9 15 25 33 40 44 47 48 49 52 54 58 62 65 67 71 74 75 78 80 84 84 85 89 90 93 —8 - U intntetratton anti jfactilri Board of Trustees President Miss Jane B. Haines..................................Germantown, Pa. Vice-Presidents Mr. Arthur SHRIGLEY................................Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Frederick Emerson Stock well..................Philadelphia, Pa. Miss Jane Righter..................................Greenwich, Conn. Secretary Miss Hilda Justice.................................Chestnut Hill, Pa. Treasurer Mr. Edward M. Cheston....................................Ambler, Pa. Miss Emma Blakiston.............................Fort Washington, Pa. Mr. John S. Bradway................................Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. James Bush-Brown....................................Ambler, Pa. Mrs. C. Reed Cary....................................Germantown, Pa. Mrs. John Gribbel.......................................Wyncote, Pa. Mrs. Caspar W. Hacker.....................................Bryn Mawr, Pa. Mrs. George L. Harrison..................................St. Davids, Pa. Mrs. Joseph Head.....................................Germantown, Pa. Mrs. Carles W. Henry...............................Chestnut Hill, Pa. Miss Frances E. McIlvaine..........................Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. John S. Newbold.................................Jenkintown, Pa. Mr. George W. Norris...............................Philadelphia, Pa. Mrs. Rcbert H. Page.......................................Paoli, Pa. Miss E. P. Stewardson..............................Chestnut Hill, Pa. Mrs. E. A. Waters......................................Woodmont, Pa. The Faculty LOUISE CARTER BUSH-BROWN Director Instructor in Farm Annuals, Farm Crops, Rural Economy Graduate of Horace Mann School, Teacher’s College; Graduate of Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women; George Peabody College. Teacher of Floriculture, Concord School for Girls; Field Secretary, School of Horticulture for Women; Instructor in Gardening, George Peabody College; Superintendent of Water Oak Plantation, Tallahassee, Fla.; State Garden and Dairy Specialist for the State of Florida under the United States Government Extension Service. L. K. HERRING Assistant Director Instructor in Floriculture, Vegetables, Entomology, Greenhouse Construction, School Garden ing Graduate of Horticultural College, Swanley, Kent, England; National Diploma in Horticulture, Royal Horticultural Society, England; B.Sc. in Horticulture, London University. Instructor in Vegetables, Horticultural College, Swanley, Kent; Head Gardner and Instructor, St. Leonard’s School, Scotland; Instructor at Lee House, Devonshire. 11 Wise-Acres -4?f JAMES BUSH-BROWN Instructor in Landscape Gardening University of Pennsylvania; Graduate of Harvard School of Landscape Architecture. Landscape Architect. GRACE S. HENDERSON Assistant instructor in Floriculture, Vegetables Graduate of Edinburgh School of Gardening; Graduate of Edinburgh and East Scotland College of Agriculture. Instructor in Gardening at Swanley Horticultural College, Kent; Instructor at Darlington Training College, England. GEORGE B. KAISER Instructor in Botany, Woody Ornamentals Graduate Franklin School; Graduate of University of Pennsylvania. Secretary, Botanical Society of Pennsylvania; Professor of Botany at Wagner Free Institute of Science; Secretary of the Philadelphia Natural History Society; Treasurer of the Delaware Valley Naturalists’ Union; Curator of Moss Herbarium of the Sullivan Moss Society. -412 School of Horticulture 4jf R. GERALD TEST Instructor in Fruit, Soils, Poultry, Pees, Entomology Trees and Shrubs, Business Methods B.Sc., Rutgers College. Instructor in Horticulture at New York Institute of Applied Agriculture, Farmington, Long Island; Bureau Plant Industry, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Potato Storage Diseases. GEORGE H. WIRT Instructor in Farm Forestry M.E., Juniata College; Bachelor of Forestry, Biltmore Forest School; University of Chicago; University of Pennsylvania. Director and Instructor, Pennsylvania State Forest School. -«5f 13)! - Am “Wise Acres” Staff Simendinger Hottle Grimm Borst Nagy Smith Brautigam Editor Anna Barbara Nagy Easiness Manager Elsa Borst Assistant Editor Gisela A. Grimm Photographic Editor Hollis Brautigam Assistant Photographic Editor Mildred Hottle -« 14 ►- Humor Editor Hinda Smith Assistant Humor Editor Clara Simendinger emors Wise'Acres ELSA BORST “Sunny” Media, Pa. “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance” President of class of 1927 and 1928; Business Manager, “Wise-Acres” 1928; Student Council; Reading Club; Bridge Club; Dramatics. “Sunny” is just what her name implies. Pretty, peppy, and popular! So is it any wonder that she gets so many telephone calls? And with it all she is extremely capable in anything she undertakes. Furthermore, “Sunny” originated most of the many activities of our class. THEODORA E. WENZ “Teddy” Wynnewood, Pa. “Man delights me not” Class Treasurer, 1928; Student Council; Reading Club; Bridge Club; Dramatics; Committees. Teddy has a good voice and she knows it. One of her most admirable traits is her unfailing frankness and we’re sure Miss Herring admires this quality. We know why Teddy sometimes overslept last year. However, it was not for beauty’s sake for she has an ample share of that. SUSAN ARRINGTON “Sue” Bryn Athyn, Pa. “Modesty is the maiden's virtue” Reading Club; Bridge Club; Dramatics; various committees. The old saying “Good things come in little packages” surely holds true in this case. One must admit that last year we didn’t know Sue well enough to appreciate her outstanding characteristics. During her senior year we began to realize how innately jolly and lovable Sue really is. - ♦;{ 16 - School of Horticulture •♦♦a IIOLLIS BRAUTIGAM “Pat” Chestnut Hill, Pa. “Actions speak louder than words” Photographic Editor, “Wise-Acres”, 1928; Reading Club; Dramatics; Tennis Tournament. We know why Pat goes home every chance she gets, not only on week-ends. One can’t help feeling that a “lost hat” at the time of the first Senior Dance has quite a lot to do with the case. Other than that Pat often surprises you with her unique sense of humor. EDITH H. DORNBIRER “Ducky” Columbus, Ohio “True Blue, a good sport through and through” Editor, “Wise-Acres” 1927; President, Student Body, 1927; Dramatics. Words fail us. One could not in this limited space enumerate her many outstanding characteristics by which she gained an endless number of friends. With no exception everyone of us valued Ducky's wonderful companionship because of her ever hearty welcome to her room (which was always crowded), her sound judgment, and last but not least, her inimitable wit and humor. DOROTHY DOUGLAS “Dougy” Barrington, 111. “Much fun she finds from day to day” Various committees. We are sure the cottage has missed Dougy terribly since she graduated in March—to say nothing about the rest of us. How could we help missing such a jolly, good-natured, all-round good sport? Dougy and her Beetle were always very accommodating and often helped us out when we needed anything from Ambler. «sf 17 U- W ise Acres .♦4:1 . 1 —--------------- . - HINDA SMITH “Smitty” Philadelphia, Pa. “Hard she labored, long, and well Beading Club; Dramatics; various committees. No matter what activity was in progress we could always rely on Smitty’s willing cooperation. Since the spring vacation Smitty has had many opportunities to show her knowledge in hitching up Jack. “Pardon me, but’' died a natural death last year, but Smitty is a good sport withal. DRAYTON TAYLOR “Deawy” Binghamton, N. Y. “Happy go lucky, kind, and true” Drayton seems to like frequent changes in scenery. When she first came to school she gave us to understand that life was not worth while unless one lived in Bermuda. During her stay at school Drayton tried every habitation within the near neighborhood—Pen nock’s, the Dormitory, the Cottage, and finally Shoemaker’s. ANNA BARBARA NAGY “Annie” Olney, Philadelphia “A full, rich nature, free to trust” Editor “Wise-Acres” 1928; Reading Club; Bridge Club; Dramatics; various committees. One of Anna’s outstanding characteristics is her ability to take the part of the comedian. It just comes naturally to her. Other than this, Anna gives her loyal support and efforts to whatever she may undertake. Although she does not graduate this year, the class of ’28 will always consider her one of its members. -«5| 18 (■ •- School of Horticulture Class History Most of the students who form our class of 1928 arrived at school on Monday evening, September 13, 1926. The school bus met those arriving by train. Tuesday the rest of the class arrived, and in the afternoon we met in Mrs. Bush-Brown’s office and chose our subjects. The following day we began to get acquainted with classes and Seniors. After supper most of us walked over to “Ye Happy Owl” on Limekiln Pike, where we sang accompanied by a ukelele, and had various cooling refreshments. After that, classes began in earnest. Soon, as an outside diversion, came the Allentown Fair, to which we all went. At the Fair, the faculty told us interesting facts about the fruit, poultry and flowers we saw. In between times we tried to take in everything else—the never-to-be-forgotten Sylvia and Chester (Sylvia on one side and Chester on the other) and other things. The following evening the Seniors gave us a “Crazy Party.” And it surely was! Now we know why the girls collected advertisements at the Fair so assiduously. Marie Rumpp was dressed in little else but these ads! The same week the Girl Scouts of Ambler gave a Corn and Dog Roast in our corn field, inviting us, which we duly enjoyed. The weather still being warm in October, we had a picnic supper, one lovely evening, in the field. On the fifth of October an auction was given by the Seniors—very exciting and quite beneficial to all concerned. After that a big Junior meeting was held and we elected “Sunny” Borst as our President. One day Mr. Test took the Junior Poultry class to a Chicken Show at the Sesqui-Centennial. The same day, the rest of us toiled getting ready for the Hallowe’en Party which we gave that night for the Seniors and Faculty. The costumes were quite unique, likewise the games. About the middle of November Mrs. Bush-Brown gave us a tea in her office. We had a very chummy time. More classes and more work! Pretty soon our tests began, to our horror. And along about this time, one day “Peg” Simon took some moving pictures of us at work and play. December 15th we had a remarkable Christmas Banquet in the sun parlor, with presents, speeches, and singing. In the evening some of us went down to the Ambler High School to see “Anne What’s Her Name.” Soon after coming back from our Christmas vacation, about January 17th, we had an interesting Fashion Show. During the same month our Floriculture class went to Mattison’s (Ambler) to observe the flowers in their greenhouses. Mrs. Wright and the Misses Wright came over one evening to show 19 }§► - W ise Acres us lantern slides of rock gardens. Then there was a boom for “Wise Acres,” and we sold subscriptions like mad. On February 8th at supper time the Harr’s (one of our neighbors) barn caught fire and we all rushed over. It was very thrilling as it lasted quite a while. When we returned to school, we immediately practiced our fire escape (a rope affair) and escaped with but few disasters. Next came mid-year exams; a bad blizzard, so bad that the wires broke down and we had no electric lights or water. And at last came spring vacation. After we returned, we tried to organize a base ball team, with little success, however. To break the monotony of the regular routine we went to a lecture on insects in Philadelphia. Later came the Philadelphia Flower Show, to which we went—and it conquered! Some reporters came out and took moving and still pictures of us, which came back to haunt us in magazines and papers for over a year. April Fool’s Day we Juniors gave a Treasure Hunt, unheard of before about this neighborhood, had refreshments, then gave a one act play called “How a Woman Keeps a Secret.” On April 12th Sue gave Betty a Birthday Party, and Betty then announced her engagement to Austin Arrington. This was quite a surprise to most of us. May—Visit to Eliza’s garden, with tea at her home and then a picnic supper on the Wissahickon near Valley Green. At the beginning of June Teddy gave us a farewell dinner at “Ye JIappy Owl,” after which we played progressive bridge. The Seniors played havoc with our rooms and we watered them most profusely in their beds. Not flower beds! We Juniors, lacking excitement, got up a Hay Ride—held on June 19th. Chaperons, refreshments, singing, and everything went with it, making it a huge success. July brought hot weather and final exams, also commencement, when our beloved Seniors left us forever (on the 22nd.) Senior Year. Several of us came back early to welcome the new Juniors—and such a number of them, over twenty. This year we were given special projects in connection with our Floriculture, such as taking entire charge of the Woodland Garden, Rock Garden, Iris Garden, Delphinium, Lupins and so on. Some of us had the job of grooming Maid Marion and training her for the Devon Show. Then we went to the Trenton Fair. Such a scramble. Every one will remember the cattle show, if nothing else. We started a Tennis Tournament, but cold weather stopped it until spring. Early in October we went to the Jersey Cattle Show at Devon. Maid Marion was a credit to the .school. Later Mr. Test took the fruit - 4 20 School of Horticulture - ■ — ■ — 8f ♦ • class to an orchard where we learned all about sorting and packing apples. We also took a trip to the Woodward and Henry estates for Floriculture. Then, Oh! thrills! The Juniors gave us a marvelous Hallowe’en Party. In the middle of November Mr. Test took the fruit class to Dock Street and Delaware Avenue, where we observed fruit storage, auction, etc. Later he took us to Baugh’s Fertilizer Plant, a trip promised us last year in connection with our Soils class. We went to a lecture on gardens at the Penn Athletic Club. We gave Miss Barber a Bridge Party, before her trip abroad, with quite a smait skit afterwards of Miss Barber on board ship. The faculty gave us an unsurpassed entertainment on “Christopher Robin.” Around December 12th we had a Christmas Banquet, when our high Seniors were very dark all of a sudden. Before leaving for our Christmas vacation, we spent one evening caroling about the neighbor hood. Upon our return we learned to our sorrow that Betty Lansing would not return to school. One day the Floriculture class drove over to Mrs. Dixon’s to see the orchid houses. On the 27th of January we went to DuPont’s at Wilmington, and spent most of the day in their beautiful and exceedingly interesting greenhouses. On February 3rd Mrs. Bush-Brown gave us a lecture on the work of some of our note-worthy graduates. The following evening our class gave a Program Dance—the first dance since we came to school. However, it was a great success. February 10th we took a trip to Florax, the rose greenhouses at North Wales, and later on we went to Horticultural Hall in Fairmount Park. The Landscape class submitted plans for a garden to the New York Botanical Gardens and Eleanor Robbins got honorable mention. After Mid-year exams and spring vacation, we w.ent to the New York and also to the Philadelphia Flower Shows. In March we had two Birthday Parties—one for “Sunny” and another one for “Jack” and “Rosebud.” On the 13th of April most of our class went to New York to Betty Lansing’s wedding. The first Reading Club meeting was held shortly afterwards, during which some very interesting stories and poems were read and discussed. We had an auction on May 8th for the benefit of our Senior Final Dance to be given on June 2nd, after “Wise Acres” goes to press. At that time we are going to hire an orchestra. It seems to me we have accomplished a great deal. We have seen many places, heard much that was both interesting and instructive. And Oh! Yes! I almost forgot to mention that we’ve worked quite hard. Somehow, we are rather proud of our class, for, with no thought of being boastful, but only truthful, we do believe we have done more in the way of social activities than any other class we have known during our two years at this school. Hollis Brautigam, Historian 4 21 ►- Wise Acres •♦4S Class Will As there are so many Juniors and so few Seniors, we have decided that each Senior has at least three good points; and as we would not like to appear selfish one can’t help thinking that if we give one-third to each Junior the world in general will be better. “Sunny” Borst wishes to will Rosalind her social ability and hopes she may enjoy her class meetings as “Sunny” did during her two years. “Pat” Brautigam leaves her “It” to Lucille Porter. “Ducky” Dornbirer bequeaths her reserved nature to “Robin.” “Dougy” gives Mike Bryant her courage so she will not be frightened by De Wolfe. Anna Nagy leaves to Clara Reed her ability to reduce. “Smitty” gives her taste in color to Miss Meyers. Drayton Taylor wills to Adele Walker her love for the school. “Teddy” Wenz leaves Mary McBride her far away look. “Sunny” wills the living room to Virginia Wilson so that she will not be forced to entertain her friends with the cows. “Smitty” bequeaths her success as a bicyclist to “Jerry.” Sue leaves her laundry and radiators to Gisela. “Pat” gives her enthusiasm for church to Joan Hogg. “Sunny” wills her sunny disposition to “Penny.” “Ducky” bequeaths all things profane to “Polly.” Sue gives her surplus relatives to Jack Hornor in case of necessity. “Teddy” wills her English sense of humor to “Rosebud.” “Pat” leave her excess baggage to Betty Ridgway. Sue, our council and guide, leaves all the gray matter she can spare, that she may find peace and rest in the future. The entire class solemnly bequeathes all the little Juniors to the wise and benevolent Faculty to educate and dispose of later on as they see fit, and also to atone for their (the Faculty’s) great sorrow in having to bid us “Farewell.” - 8( 22 )§►— School of Horticulture • ( Class Song Oh! we’re the class of ’28, But we’re not so sedate. Although we’re learning how to farm, We don’t dance in the barn. We’re leaving here this very year To learn to earn our way. And we hope some day to make good pay, So you can hear us say: We have some girls out here, Who love to work and play all year. We sure have lots of fun, And we’re sorry when it’s done. More girls should learn this trade, And then they’ll not be in the shade. For it’s the “rep” that we get, ’Cause we’ve got lots of pep, This class of ’28. —“Sunny” and Han sell Borst. -4 23 U nder graduates Top Row: Eliza A. Woolston, E. Pauline Leibert, Elizabeth Pollock. Middle Row: Penelope Roberts, Clara E. Reed, Elizabeth P. Ridgway, Virginia Wilson, Clara J. Simendinger, Gisela A. Grimm, Mary V. McBryde. Bottom Row: Lucille Porter, Joan Jessie Hogg, Ruth Hornor, Rosalind Van-Keurcn Linson, Martha Walter Bryant, Marjorie Robertson, Mildred Hottle. Undergraduates not in picture: H. Adele Walker, Helen Hebbard, Claire I. Meyers, Mrs. George Robbins, Mrs. Lcwellyn Price, Louise Strawbridge, Mrs. W. E. Toner, Mrs. Cecil Vaughan. OFFICERS Rosalind Linson, President Martha Walter Bryant, Secretary-Treasurer £Ut faiths -4 25 Student Council Borst Wen z Hornor Seniors Theodore Wenz, Chairman Elsa Borst Juniors Ruth Hornor H. Adele Walker This council consists of two Seniors and two Juniors chosen by their respective classes. The purpose of the council is to confer with the faculty and staff on matters which are of interest to both. 26 The Tennis Tournament TWO ADROIT PARTICIPANTS This was started in the fall of 1927, aided and abetted by Mr. Test. Hollis Brautigam, Edith Dornbirer, Gisela Grimm, Joan Hogg, Ruth Hornor, Mildred Hottle, Clara Simendinger and Virginia Wilson took part in the Tournament. Owing to the weather it was not possible to complete the Tournament. until May 31st. On this day Virginia Wilson and Joan Hogg played off the Finals. Virginia Wilson was victorious, and will therefore have her name engraved on the Cup. The Reading Club Reading from left to right: Clara E. Reed, Mary McBryde, Joan Hogg, Gisela Grimm, Elizabeth Ridgway, Hollis Brautigam, Anna Nagy, Rosalind Linson, Hinda Smith, Susan Arrington, Pauline Leibert, Penelope Roberts, Elsa Borst, Clara Simendinger, Adele Walker, Lucille Porter, Mildred Hottle, Ruth Hornor, Theodora Wenz. Susan Arrington, the chairman, organized the Reading Club about the beginning of April. This idea proved exceedingly popular, as, with very few exceptions, every girl joined the club. The Club meets every Friday evening from seven until nine P. M. Two girls (different ones each week) act as hostesses and also choose the reading material. —«s{ 28 )§►— The Bridge Club Reading from left to right: Mary McBryde, Pauline Leibert, Rosalind Linson, Susan Arrington, Clara E. Reed, Theodoia Wenz, Joan Hogg, Clara Simendinger, Penelope Roberts, Elsa Horst, Ruth Hornor, Mildred Mottle, Anna Nagy. The girls at the Cottage and also those at the Dormitory had been playing bridge all winter, but, somehow, it wasn’t until the middle of April that this club was organized by Theodora Wenz, its chairman. We play on Monday evenings, meeting at the Dormitory one week and at the Cottage the following week. The hostess is changed each week, and, due to the fact that there are thirteen in this club, she does not play unless some one is absent. “The American Girl” This operetta in two acts was given on May 12th for the entertainment of the Alumnae. The Cast Eva May Hope, The American Girl..............................Elsa Borst Miss Carew, The Principal..................................Ruth Hornor Miss Miffins, Gymnastic Instructor...................E. Pauline Leibert Vera Burdett, Pupil........................................Joan Hogg Myra Burdett, Pupil..................................Penelope Roberts Bridgett O’Halloran, Eva’s maid............................Anna Nagy Lady Melton, Eva’s aunt..................................Theodora Wenz Violet Newman........................................Clara Simendinger Edna Harris................................................Clara Reed Dora Beale................................................Gisela Grimm Other girls, Martha Bryant and Rosalind Linson The scene of the operetta is laid in England at a school. A typical American girl comes to this school by mistake and the subsequent incidents are highly amusing. The cast wishes to thank Miss Marjorie Robertson, Miss Henderson, and Miss Adele Walker for their splendid cooperation. - 5l 30 }2� — School of Horticulture September October December November December January February March April May School Calendar 1927-1928 19th, 1927—We arrived at school. 20th—Juniors entertained by Seniors. We were introduced to each other by means of limericks and conundrums. 28th—We went practically enmasse to the Trenton Fair. 6th—Devon Annual Show of the Eastern Pennsylvania Jersey Cattle Club. In the afternoon we visited gardens at Devon and Bryn Mawr with Mr. Bush-Brown. 28th—We visited Dr. Woodward’s Estate. 30th—A Hallowe’en Party given by the Juniors to the Faculty, Staff, and Seniors. 1st—A card party given by the Seniors to the school. 23rd—Thanksgiving holiday. 1st—A card party given by the Seniors to Juniors and Faculty. 6th—“Christopher Robin” given by the Faculty. 14th—Carol singing following a real old-fashioned Christmas dinner. We were served by strange darkies that somehow seemed familiar. 16th—Home for the holidays—one whole month!! 19th 1928—Back again all ready for work? 4th—The Seniors gave the rest of the school a dance. It was lots of fun. 3rd—Home for Spring holidays—Three Cheers! 13th—Back again. Oh, well! it might be worse. 20th—Opening day of New York Flower Show. All Seniors and some Juniors attended. 22nd—Philadelphia Flower Show, which everyone attended. 30th—The Cottage gave a card party for “Jack” and “Rosebud.” First prize won by “Jerry” was a Calla Lily. The booby prize was a lemon won by Sue. 6th—Good Friday and a long week-end for us all. 27th—First meeting of the Reading Club. Sue was the hostess. We read, darned our socks and ate cookies with our coffee. It was lovely. 30th—First meeting of the Bridge Club. Aren’t we getting energetic ? 8th—The World’s Greatest Auction! The Seniors made enough money to hire an orchestra for their dance to be held June 2nd. 12th—The Operetta “The American Girl” given for the entertainment of the Alumnae. MARJORIE ROBERTSON. -4 31 £•- Wise'Acres •♦4SC 3Jf - The School Song Tune: America, the Beautiful. Oh! beautiful for meadows wide, For fields of golden corn, For verdant woodland privacies, And crimson skies at dawn. Oh! Alma Mater! Ambler dear! Our hymn to Thee we raise. In every place God give His grace To beautify thy ways. Oh! glorious for autumn days, When rich the harvest yields, For beauties of thy western skies, For winds that sweep thy fields. Oh! Alma Mater! Ambler dear! God shed His light o’er thee, And give increase without surcease And nobler let thee be. Oh! dearly loved for April days, For hours of toil and ease, For beauties of thy garden ways, And music of thy bees. Oh! Alma Mater! Ambler dear! We pledge our hearts to thee, And trust God’s hand will let thee stand Firm through the changing years. Victorious for future days, When over all the earth Thy daughters bear thy lessons far, And nobly prove thy worth. Oh! Alma Mater! Ambler dear! God bless thee ever more, Thy name we sing, oh! let it ring, From East to Western Shore. —32 )§►— junior Wise Acres Lest We Forget Every thing that’s written here Is only done in fun. We hope that you will take it so, And not blame any one. Susan Arrington “Sue” In the greenhouse every hour on the hour. Jeanette Beckman “Slim” “Just got a letter from Doug. He says—” etc., etc. Elsa Borst “Sunny” “Garden of my flower pot, Yeah gush puddle.” Hollis Brautigam “Pat” Who other than Pat would pay $10.50 for a hat? Martha Walter Bryant “Mike” Our coy little milk maid, if you can picture one with riding breeches and a red bandana. Edith Dornbirer “Ducky” Ducky sure knows her onions. Dorothy Douglas “Dougy” You can always depend on her for a smile and some deviltry. Gisela Grimm “Gc” ‘Think of a white horse”— remedy for hiccoughs. Helen Hebbard “Helen” She went South this winter but said she preferred being with us. Elizabeth Lansing “Betty” Whereas, Betty preferred getting married to being with us. Joan Hogg “Pigles” New Zealand certainly did send us a wonderful boss. Ruth Hornor “Jack” When the blue letters come “Jack” sure does sing. Mildred Hottle “Jerry” She forgets tools because her father is a plumber. Pauline Leibert “Polly” We are still waiting for an explanation of her three-day absence. Rosalind Linson “Rosalind” She is just “As you like it.” Claire Meyers “Miss Meyers” She insists on holding her dignity. — §{ 34 )• - School of Horticulture -til Mary McBryde “Mack” A shy (?) little Southern maiden. Anna Nagy “Annie” “I’ve lost nine pounds since Christmas.” We doubt it. Julia Otis ‘ Bubsie” Another of Chicago’s tame little girls, what? Elizabeth Pollock “Pollock” She’s especially interested in chickens, cows, horses, and dramatics. Lucille Porter “Bubbles” When in doubt ask Lucille. Clara E. Reed “Clara” Famous for her great collection of seed catalogues. Penelope Roberts ‘ Penny” Cur “lady gardener.” Elizabeth Ridgway “Betty” Her memory is wonderful especially for roads that she traveled when a youngster. Ask Polly. Marjorie Robertson “Robin” Isn’t love grand? Mrs. George Robbins “Eleanor” Is a great success in futuristic designs. Marie Rumpp “Marie” Likes variegated foliage. Drayton Taylor “Deawy” Is very fond of carnations. Maybe she’ll have a carnation house some day. Clara Simendinger “Rosebud” Doesn’t like to be called “Rosebush,” likes bird seed, and is the school jester. Louise Strawbridge “Louise” The bees are attracted to her because she is so sweet. Hinda Smith “Smitty” Likes to hitch up Jack. Adele Walker ‘Grandma” Botany and punning arc her favorite sports. Theodora Wenz “Teddy” The dreamer. She likes deep thought. Virginia Wilson “Ginny” Cne of the Saw Dust Twins. “1 mean, I actually do.” Eliza Woolston “Lila” - 4 35 (• Is a good friend of Clarence Roothau s. Wise-Acres Jerry: “Mr. Test, this tree is dead, but should I prune it anyway ?” Mike thinks she is an artist be- cause she draws water for the cows. A departed member of the Junior class said that her idea of Hades would be to write a letter using French curves. While in fruit class, someone mentioned the fact that she only had prunes and coffee that morning for breakfast. “Well, that isn’t much to prune on,” said—I don’t know who. It must have been Adele. Mr. Kaiser has convinced us that we are sitting on sunbeams. A slight error: Ducky used Un-gent ine to remove a spot from her dress and Energene for chapped hands. The members of the Junior class are beginning to wonder whether Mr. Test’s middle name is “Weekly”. After Flo (the cow) killed the Ayrshire calf, we decided to send her to the reformatory for women. Slim was telling us about Mr. Kaiser’s class in Botany. “Mercy! such names! He made me feel as if 1 was shipwrecked on a toothpick.” It was on a cold, damp day, and the Juniors were assembled in classroom. Mr. Test said: “If it’s too cold, I’ll shut this door.” “That’s a hot idea,” agreed Polly. Ducky in entomology class said: “Some one might draw this Walking Stick for a little exercise.” SUNNY ON THE TELEPHONE Very sweetly, “And you’ll write tonight, won’t you, Jimmy?” Pause. More sugar and also feigned consternation, “Why, Jimmie, you know I always answer your letters immediately.” “And you’ll give me a subscription for Wise-Acres, won’t you, Jimmie?” “But, Jimmie, (who has a broken foot) 1 can’t come down to see you every night.” With sweetness and as a coquettish afterthought, “You send your little friend with the Nash for me and have him bring me back, too, and then 1 could get down to see you.” Etc., etc., etc., for an hour or more. School of Horticulture Parody of Our School Song Oh! how we love to hear that bell Peal out at six forty-five. It’s dark and cold, but we are bold, And into our duds we dive. And on to breakfast we all go, Although we’re half asleep. It doesn’t make one bit of difference, For you should see us eat. Oh, how we love those rainy days, When we all wade about. There’s puddle here and puddle there, But still we must go out. So to the greenhouse we all go, Where the pots are stacked on high. We wash the pots and wash some more Until we think we’ll die. Oh! how we love our Bot’ny class, With all its funny charts. We never knew that flowers had So many different parts. We hike all over the countryside To learn the little weeds, From Vulgar Prunes to Mushrooms, And the umbel carrot seeds. Oh! how we love our Floriculture, On Thursday and Friday afternoon. It’s in this class we learn to know Anchusa myosotidiflora These words seem very hard we know, But we learn them just the same. They’re not as bad as double digging, For it makes you sore and lame. Oh! how we love entomology class, When we blow up woolly bears, We dig in mud for certain grubs, Then count the little hairs. We chase about like lunatics To catch a butterfly, And then we have to look to see If it has a simple or a compound eye. Jeanette Beckman and Mildred Hottle. - 4 37 ►- Wise Acres 4Ji The Sunset Hour A purple mist upon the hills, A golden light the forest fills, A flame of crimson in the west, A migrant bird that sinks to rest; A rustle of wind across the corn, And deepening dusk upon the lawn; A peewee from a live oak tree Calling his mate so plaintively. Sweet odors wafted from the fields Where rich the autumn harvest yields; A- mocking bird in rapture free Pours forth her heart in melody. A mist of white where the fennell blooms; Flickering shadows, furtive glooms Along the road by the forest’s edge; A whirr of wings above the sedge. All this,—and much I do not tell, You know it all and love it well, This hour of the setting sun When dusk and day merge into one. Louise Bush-Brown. Wise Acres -♦48: Why I Am Glad to Be Here H. Adele Walker “Glad to be here” falls so woefully short of expressing the happiness which fills me since I came to Ambler in September! But perhaps it is just as well to use that phrase. For such happiness is of a depth and has elements which defy analysis. Gladness is the surface element which may be searched out by “why’s”. It is the way perhaps in which happiness responds to an outside stimulus. You may understand better if I tell you that for years I have been immured in an office, with a break of several months in a sanatorium, at which time my hitherto unrecognized longing for life-in-the-country became clear and strong. Several more years of more or less satisfactory office life followed, until I could stand it no longer, and cast my hat over the windmill in this new venture. I am writing on a cold winter’s day, but the sun is brilliant, and I can glance out of the window now and then at what might be considered by a city-dweller a bleak landscape. But can it be bleak—these yellow and tawny fields stretching away level and spacious, broken by upstanding oaks, by elms and beeches and numerous other forest trees, by an occasional evergreen; and, just outside my window by a great horse-chestnut whose glistening buds tip branches upcurved like fingers to clutch and hold the golden sunlight? And for this I am glad. True, when I was a city-dweller, I could drive into the country and get much the same view, but it was so very seldom. And it is these snatched glances through the day, any day, which makes for a gladness that permeates one’s whole being. .1 am glad for the companionships, for the give and take of the daily life of people doing the same things together. That, too, can be gotten elsewhere. But can it have the same quality that it has here, where the freedom and space and the sweetness of growing things enter into and become a part of the human relationships? There are so many things to be glad for! Why try to catalog? Why try to describe the glorious coloring of the flowers which greeted us late in September? To tell of the odors of the apple-laden trees, the hum of bees, the myriad yellow butterflies flitting about (who cares if in their larval stage they are pests) ? How can one convey the joy of a fear- School of Horticulture of-cows overcome; the thrill when a baby calf trots forward and begs to be petted, like a huge puppy? As for the courses—it is hard for me to speak of them comparatively. 1 know nothing of other schools which partake of the nature of this one. At one time, when I was considering coming here, it was suggested to me that I go to a university offering an agricultural course. But I did not want that. Ambler had a pull for me even then before I had ever seen it. I did not want to be a fragment of a heterogeneous gathering; I wanted to be an individual in a homogeneous group. And I felt that here in the small school where horticulture and the allied courses were the whole interest, and not one course in a number of unrelated subjects, I would find that homogeneity. I knew that it was “the only school of its kind in America”, but exactly in what way it was unique I did not know, except, of course, that it is a horticultural school for women. From chance remarks gleaned since I have been here, however, I gather that it tends more to actual practical work than the usual agricultural, or even landscape school, though it by no means is sketchy in its theoretical work. In fact, there seems to me a great wisdom in the way the study and the practical work here are balanced. It was for out-of-door work I came and I get it. Hoeing and digging (yea, even “double-digging”!), and weeding, and pruning—they are good. What if at times backs ache and muscles are tired? On such aches and such tiredness they grow strong, always provided the fatigue is not carried to the strain-point. And here that is guarded against. And you may believe me, aching backs and tired muscles are as nothing to frayed nerves and sluggish blood— know! To those of my readers who do not know Ambler, and who may be wondering what all these generalizations may mean, I will be a bit more specific about what we do. First, there is Botany, new to me but perhaps not to you. That is the course in which we hear the most “scarifyiiv ” words ever turned loose on an unsuspecting public. But—we learn them, and we know them, and their wherefores and whyfores. And we study plants from their lowly beginnings to their lofty ends—their anatomy, their physiology, and other such things that I thought once only humans had. And all this is taught by a man of whom Mabie could have been thinking when he said, “No man can put his skill to the highest use and give his knowledge the final touch of individuality until both are so entirely incorporated in his personality that they have become part of himself”. Certainly Mr. Kaiser’s knowledge of botany is an integral part of his being. We study also Soils, the origin of various kinds and their agricultural -h 41 £ Wise'Acres ♦48 importance. We study how to test soils, how to supply deficiencies in chemical content and physical properties. The things that go into and come out of soils we study in the humble cabbage and its fellows (I wonder if it is so humble since one of Edna Ferber’s people declared it was beautiful!) ; as well as in the petted and pampered darlings of the greenhouse, and their somewhat less pampered sisters of the outside annual and perennial gardens; and in trees and shrubs. Farm Animals come in for their share of attention—how to buy, how to care for, how to house, how to feed. And Poultry, too—how to choose for breeding, the best for egg-laying, or for meat, how to build their houses, how to be a mother to the incubator chick. There is the course in orchard fruits and small fruits—where to plant, when to plant, and when not to. How to wield the pruning knife, and why and where—and we do it! And we gather the fruit, and nobody has to tell us when or why to eat it. (Glad—well, rather!) Bugs and beetles, bees and butterflies—these are studied. The first for the damage they do, but bees make honey and help to pollenate fruits and flowers and so we learn of them. And butterflies—well, once in their lives they were anything but beautiful in behavior, and so we learn of that phase of their existence, and thus necessarily touch on their beauty time. It is not all Paradise. Oh, no—the place has its failings and its annoyances, and makes its mistakes. But, at risk of seeming a veritable Pollyanna, I will yet say “I am glad even for those”. The annoyances after all are ephemeral and somewhat serve to point the joys. And as for the failings and the mistakes, I am particularly glad for those. Glad because they say to me that this is no completed thing to which I have come—static and inflexible—but a growing, developing thing, which even I may help to make nearer the ideal of its founders. It is well that I am writing this in the winter, for I know that my first spring here, and all that it holds—the feel between my fingers of earth stirring with life, the sharing in the adventure of newly growing things which push slender green blades through the soil, in the bewildered joy of the baby calf (then no longer a baby) in the freedom of the pasture, in feeling and seeing and smelling the indescribable admixture of quickenings and blossomings and fragrances—1 know all this will leave me with that happiness which defies not only analysis but coherent expression, and then this one spot of our “Wise Acres” for which I am responsible would have remained bleak and barren. -h 42 Wise Acres Some Lesser Known Bulbs L. K. Herring We naturally associate bulbous plants with the spring, as then we get the glory of the Narcissus, Crocus, Snowdrops, Scilla, and Tulips. These all flourish in American gardens with little care beyond protection in the winter in exposed places. There are, however, many bulbs that have not been much used as yet in this country. They are well worth trying on account of their beauty and also because they flower later in the year. The small flowered Gladiolus of the Nanus and Colvillei groups are probably quite well known to readers as cut flowers in florists' shops, but few have seen them growing in gardens. They are hardy in well drained soils in England and flower much earlier than the large flowered groups. I do not see why they should not do in sheltered gardens in warm soils here. They are so charming with their narrow leaves and slender stems bearing small open flowers. The Bride is pure white; Blushing Bride, flesh with a pink blotch on the lower petals; and Peach Blossom, pink with deeper pink blotches. Mr. Forman McLean has advocated their use in a very interesting and instructive article in the Garden and Home Builder for October, 1925. Unlike the late flowering Gladiolus they rest in late summer and should be taken up after flowering when the leaves have turned yellow and shabby. Store in sand or earth until late October or November and then plant out-of-doors in well prepared soil. If they are planted out too early the foliage may grow before the winter. This, of course, would be rather undesirable as there would not be much foliage left by the time spring came. It is imperative that the soil be well drained and that the bulbs should be embedded in sand. They should be planted about six inches deep and protected heavily with brushwood and leaves during the winter. The plants should flower in June. I have tried them in this garden, planting in autumn, but the soil is not well drained and the garden is extremely exposed. They did not survive the winter so I am trying spring planting this year—in April. However, I would still advocate their trial as an autumn planted bulb in more favorable situations. As potted plants they are extremely attractive for greenhouse decoration in April and May. Plant five corms in a four-inch pot in good soil one-half inch deep in September or October. The pots should be kept in the dark for a few weeks in order to induce root formation. Then grow them steadily in a cool house until they flower. The corms can be used a second year if they are watered after the flowers are over and allowed to ripen naturally. -hS{ 44 fc- School of Horticulture tff- Montbretia, another bulb, when growing well makes lovely clumps of yellow and orange in the borders in August. The leaves are slender like those of the small Gladiolus, the flowers being somewhat similar in shape but borne on branched spikes. The corms should be planted in spring four to six inches apart and four inches deep. Take them up in the autumn after the foliage has died down and store them in a shed. It would be well worth while experimenting with autumn planting in sheltered places, being sure to cover them with a good layer of brushwood and leaves for protection. One clump that I planted in the autumn lived through even in this garden, though the others rotted. In England they do not completely rest after flowering, but throw up many leaf spikes increasing so rapidly that they need constant division. I think it would be wiser here to allow Montbretia to rest completely by taking them up after the foliage is dead and keeping them stored until late October or November. The type Montbretia crocosmaeflora is yellow and orange; California is yellow; Fire King is deep reddish orange; and Rayon d’Or is yellow and red. The bulbous Iris are a beautiful race, better known here as florists’ flowers in March and April than in the garden in June. The Spanish and Dutch forms are well worth trying, the latter being an improved type flowering a little earlier. The leaves are gray green, slender, and somewhat tubular. The flowers are borne singly on stems about 15 inches tall and can be obtained in white, yellow, blue, and bronze. Again we need good drainage, light soil, and warm conditions. Plant in November and protect thoroughly. In cold districts it would be better to plant in spring. Cajanus is a good yellow; King of the Blues, a deep blue; and Reconnaissance, a bronze Spanish Iris. Galtonia or Iiyacinthus candicans is useful in a summer border, flowering in July. Its spikes of pure white pendant blossoms like glorified snowdrops are most attractive. The leaves are long and strap shaped, not held erect but bending loosely to the ground. They must be planted in the spring six inches deep and one foot apart. Unfortunately they need annual renewal. All the bulbs mentioned above need good, light, well drained soil. Prepare the ground by double digging, but do not add manure unless it is well rotten and placed well below the bulbs. It is advisable to put sand below and above the bulbs when planting to keep them as dry as possible over the winter. A mulch of manure could be given in early summer while the plants are still growing to keep them moist and also to provide food for the future bulbs. It is not wise, however, to place manure over them in winter, but instead a very good protection of brush and leaves should be given. - 4 45 ►- School of Horticulture •♦+n ■ - ... A Garden of Simple Colonial Tradition J A M ES BUSH-BROW N In the district about Philadelphia there are numerous old stone farm houses dating from the early eighteenth century which are distinctive of this region. These houses are charactedized by small windows, beautiful stone work and large chimneys. The moldings of the cornices are severely plain and the doorways lack the delicate refinement of those in Germantown and Philadelphia. But there is a dignity, a sturdiness and a charm of antiquity about these old Pennsylvania farm houses which makes up for what they may lack in intrinsic beauty. Four miles from the School is a farm house such as this. It has remained untouched for the past one hundred and fifty years. The trees which shelter it are older and the house and barns are of solid stone masonry. Some ten years ago this farm was purchased by a man with good taste and with the urge for garden making. Here he has developed little by little a garden which, though not a copy of a colonial garden or an imitation of one, is, nevertheless, in perfect harmony with the rural simplicity of its setting. I venture to say that its design was evolved in much the same manner as the design of many of the authentic colonial gardens which still remain. The garden makers of colonial America were not professional designers but were farmers and farmers' wives. The new owner of this farm recognized the pictorial quality of the spring house and converted the liability of a water worn gully beside it into the asset of a sunken garden. The rampant spring torrent was diverted by means of a broad turf gutter at the edge of the fields and was lead through the garden over a stone paved channel, down past the spring house and into a pond at the edge of the pasture. A venerable apple tree, clumps of arbor vitae, a hedge of spirea, as well as the surrounding stone retaining wall and the spring house give this tiny garden complete enclosure. A path leads down from the door of the house marking the main axis which terminates in an arched rose trellis and gate. Near the house stand huge masses of box which were planted in 1757. There is no balanced arrangement but very likely these same box bushes, with others now dead, formed a pattern of hedges with walks between in the early days of the garden. This is a garden of seclusion and repose, just what a garden should be. There is no studied formality about it, nothing regular, but as a work of art in composition of mass and line, as a clever piece of ingenuity in fitting the design to the conditions of site and topography it is most satisfying. It is a garden in extremely good taste, an expression of the qualities of simplicity and modesty so characteristic of the settlers. -4 47 ft- Wise-Acres � ■ In the Meadows I lie in the summer meadows, In the meadows all alone, With the infinite sky above me, And the sun on his mid-day throne. To smell of the flowering grasses Is sweeter than any rose; And a million happy insects Sing in the warm repose. The mother-lark that is brooding Feels the sun on her wings, And the deeps of the noonday glitter With swarms of fairy things. From the billowy green beneath me, To the fathomless blue above, The creatures of God are happy, In the waimth of their summer-love. The infinite bliss of Nature I feel in every vein; The light and the life of summer Blossom in heart and brain. Bayard Taylcr. 48 School of Horticulture ■ ... Entomological Platitudes E. Pauline Leibert It is with a great feeling of assurance that the college graduate employs a typewriter to demonstrate the erudition acquired at an institution of female education. The major course of the writer was Biology, so she is, therefore, prone to ponder upon the intimate and intricate relations between Biology and Entomology. The honorable editor thought that simply due to the fact that the writer had the experience of attending college, which, of course, she appreciates most highly, she should be proficient in the art of entertaining you with Entomological rambles. The writer, therefore, prays for your charity. Many, indeed, are the relationships of Biology and Entomology. The last two syllables of both words have a familiar sound. In true collegiate fashion, the A.B. hastens to consult Mr. Webster. Ology No. 1 is interpreted as “the science of life or living organisms.” Ology No. 2 means “that part of Zoology that treats of insects.” Another truly scientific similarity is that insects are living. At least, they are when they annoy or help us. Oh! Yes! they do both these things. Perhaps you have not discovered that those creatures who have the absurd ability to gaze calmly over their shoulders, turning their heads completely around, who are three to four inches long, who have long, transparent wings, equally long legs, who, in sort, are known as Praying Mantids are beneficial to man but harmful to their fellow insects, cruelly devouring them whenever they can. Zoologically speaking there are two great Orders in the classification of all living matter. Order Vertebrata is the first, wherein we find that intriguing specimen, homo sapiens, dogs, and cats. It is rather bad for one’s pride to discover the fact that we, too, are classed with dogs and cats, yet there is a legitimate reason. The three examples have well developed spinal columns and endoskeletons, and thereon hangs the tale. The second Order is Invertebrata, wherein we find the insects, worms, and even lobsters, due to the lack of a vertebral column and the presence of a well developed exoskeleton. -■«sf 49 )§► - Wise-Acres ■ With this proof of erudition the ravings turn Entomology wards, rather than Zoologic or classic. There are bugs and bugs and the unsuspecting A.B. finds the study most interesting as well as fearful and wonderful. She could write a sermon on the marvels of bugdom. These creatures are able to boast of such intricate characteristics that there must have been a Mayflower or, as the British say, a William the Conqueror (1060, of course, you remember) or perhaps a Saxon King back in the dark ages of bugdom. These creatures vary so tremendously that the best thing to do is not to enter upon all the peculiarities of the individual classifications. Most budding horticulturalists attempt to grow roses so a short dissertation on the subject of rose pests may be in order. A very persistent pest is the Rose Aphis, sometimes known as the rose lice. They are desperately tiresome beasts. A sticky substances closes the pores of the leaves and besides suffiocating the plant furnishes a good habitat for fungus growths. The remedy or control of these pests is spraying with soapy water, Nicotine or Black Leaf 40. The Rose Slug is bothersome. It is the larvel stage of the saw fly. This worm eats away the epidermis on the under or upper side of the leaves leaving a transparent membrane. Use a nicotine spray to shrivel the caterpillars and arsenate of lead to kill the adult flies. A third nuisance to roses is the Rose Chafer. This is a beetle which attacks the flower, eating away the petals. As the eggs of these beetles are laid in rough grass or ground, keep the garden clean. The adult beetles may be hand picked and placed in kerosene. So much has been written about the Japanese beetle that a mere mention of its existence and extreme destruction is sufficient. No satisfactory cure has apparently been found, hence the quarantine which compels us to destroy the fruit or flowers we carry with us when motoring around the country. There is a Narcissus Fly which caused the embargo on the imported Narcissi, since it preferred to eat the good American onion rather than remain with the host that brought it into the country. The eggs of this fly are laid at the neck of the bulb. When the larvae hatch they crawl down and eat out the heart of the bulb. We seemed not to be annoyed with this fly until the brute attacked our onions. Strange that Americans should so like onions. What housekeeper has not known the joy of swatting house flies? These pests lay their eggs in refuse. We know from lectures, from the moving pictures, and from a million sources that flies carry huge numbers of bacteria on their feet. The check is to keep all food and waste covered so that there will be no food available for the poor fly and it will starve. The fruit pests are numerous—witness the scales. Scales are the 50 School of Horticulture •♦♦a coverings which very minute creatures secrete to protect themselves against their natural enemies—birds and preying insects. The female scale is wingless and lives almost entirely under her scale. The male has wings. Eggs are laid and the young develop just as other larger insects do. Oyster shell scale, so called because it resembles an oyster, may be found very probably upon your lilacs. Look for it. It may attack fruit trees as well as ornamental shrubs. San Jose scale will attack herbaceous plants and the smooth fruits like apples and pears. Terrapin scale, so called because the shells of turtles are imitated, may occur on fruit trees, ornamental shrubs, and very particularly on the tulip poplar tree. The check for these scale pests is spraying in early spring, late March, or very early April in Pennsylvania, with lime sulphur or some oil spray which will smother the small larvae under the scales. Aphis may also attack fruit trees. The Rosy apple aphis, as well as the woolly aphis, is a nuisance in an orchard or even in a garden. These act in much the same manner as the true rose aphis, secreting a sticky substance all over the leaves. Spray with kerosene emulsion or Black Leaf 40. Vegetables are not immune from insect attacks. There are two beetles which adore bothering asparagus; one the Steel Blue Asparagus Beetle and the other a Spotted Beetle. The larvae eat the young sprouts. Spray the plants with arsenate of lead after the cutting for food has stopped, or allow chickens to run in the asparagus patch. The chickens will enjoy eating the grubs and beetles. Potatoes are devoured by flea beetles. In the adult stage these creatures eat the leaves, while in the larval stage they feed on the roots. The Colorado Beetle, too, is fond of potatoes. We have all seen this and we know it to be the pest that the farmer detests. To control both the beetles, spray with Bordeaux mixture or Bug Death, commercial products which may be bought in drug stores or from seed houses. The wire worm, the larva of the Click Beetle, lunches on the potato tubers themselves and the control for these larvae is good cultivation. And so from the sublime, roses, to the ridiculous, potatoes, (the A. B. begs your pardon if you are Irish) it is demonstrated that there are pests in bugdom. However, the lady birds, to whom you speak the poem concerning the home that is afire, will serve you when they live on the apple trees and gobble up the scale insects. The dragon flies you see near creeks and ponds will also help you by engulfing some of these harmful creatures discussed above. The praying mantids that you will meet on golf courses are valuable so please do not kill them even though they look ferocious. Instead of the ditty, “Oh! woodman, spare that tree”, sing to your cruel golfing partner who is about to murder a praying mantis, “Oh! lady, spare that mantis.” - «( 51 Wise-Acres The Friendly Shrubs Helen Mowry I can imagine nothing more soul-satisfying and delightful than owning, or rather living as friends and neighbors with a collection of shrubs. They are not as aloof and awe inspiring as trees, not as childish and demanding as the smaller plants in the garden are apt to be, but are real friends. The idea of shrubs as decorations to a place is disagreeable to me. Our friends are welcome to our homes because we like them, because something in us responds to something in them, not because they look well in a certain chair or because the light from a window sheds such a glow on their hair. These qualities may lead us to invite them once in a while, but we would not think of installing one permanently in a certain corner because she took our fancy there once. We must choose our shrubs in the same way, as they must be chosen because we feel that everything is not quite right when they are not there. It is all very well for enthusiasts to state that certain shrubs should be in every garden. A shrub to be suited to every garden must needs have such a versatile character that it would appeal to every one who came in contact with it, such an innate appeal and charm that every one would instantly feel it, a shrub somewhat like Mary Garden, or Helen Hayes, or Alice Joyce. There are a few shrubs like this. Who could resist Daphne Cneorum or Viburnum Carlesei? A few shrubs are just too friendly, however, to be desirable or comfortable to have around. They remind one of the person who comes for a week and stays a menth. Such a group is the Forsythia family. They come so early and stay so late and arc withal so desiring to please, throwing up suckers and putting cut bigger blossoms and more of them that one is fairly embarrassed by the forwardness of the tribe. Spirea Van Houttei has somewhat the same character, but being white and very graceful carries herself off much more passably. It reminds one of an old servant who knows all the family secrets and who is forever on hand with admonitions and advice, and with whom it seems impossible to part since she is so sweet-tempered and ready to do all the mean little jobs, such as darning stockings and sort'ng laundry. The lilacs have been on intimate terms with us for some generations. Delightful girls they are, of more or less grace, likely to become a trifle squat and solid in old age, but with a gift for passionate bloom which leads one to wonder just what sort of psychopathic undercurrent there is to all this smooth hair and these demure eyes. The Viburnums also have been friends of our family for years, being 4 52 School of Horticulture introduced by the dear old Snowball, who has grown so disreputable lately that, although we hated to give her up, we just had to turn her over to the authorities who have penned her up. Her cousins, brothers, and sisters are of a totally different type. The delicious freedom and independence of Viburnum prr.nifolium, the neat grace of Viburnum tomentosa, the ruggedness of Viburnum 1 hytidophyllum, together with the intriguing fragrance of Carlesei persuade one that there is character and versatility in this family. The Loniceras, on the other hand, are more or lees alike. If you know sister maackii or brother Morrowi, you will be sure to recognize cousin fragrantissima and tatarica. This family resemblance, however, makes the knowing of all members a necessity because we think fragrantissima is so sweet, so utterly dear, we really must have maacki and morrowi to help us pass the time until she comes to her best again. There are other shrubs who stand on their own merits, family all dead or left in the east when they went west, rare, beautiful friends. Such are Exochorda, Symplocos paniculata, and others. Of course, we must live in friendly relation with these shrubs, saying occasionally to the lilacs, “My dears, you are not what you should be. I really shall have to see that you get some bone meal every morning for breakfast for that seedy look.” Or say to the Evonymous, “You have no idea how a trip to a beauty specialist brightens one up. Now, if you don’t mind I’ll send my own over to give you a good oil spray tomorrow. You’ll look years younger.” Occasionally, one of them must have a tooth straightened or one of those new bob:j, but generally we live in sweetest accord, breathing mutual admiration and pledging devotion, until one or the other of us has to leave for parts unknown but very pleasant, we hope. -4 53 ►- Wise'Acres ♦+a — - £� ♦• The “Wizardry” of Luther Burbank Gisela A. Grimm The name of Luther Burbank is a familiar one to most people today, but comparatively few realize the great scope of his work. In common parlance he was frequently called the “plant wizard.” But he objected to it, and rightly, for he was no wizard who, with a wave of the hand, could create new marvels of plant life. He was a man with a keen mind, infinite patience, an understanding love of nature, unwearying application, great capacity for work, and intuition. The latter characteristic might almost justly have caused Burbank to be called wizard. A mere glance at a plant would usually suffice for him to determine its merits and shortcomings. The aim of Luther Burbank was to give service to the world by producing new forms of plant life. His work was of several types. In the first place, he improved old varieties of fruit, grasses, flowers, vegetables, and trees. In the second place, he crossed wild or degenerate types of plant life with cultivated ones, to their mutual benefit. In the third place, he created absolutely new forms of plant life, unknown to the world before. He accomplished these marvels by breeding and selection. It was not an easy task by any means, but Mr. Burbank was equal to it. The new forms of plants with which Burbank has enriched the world are indeed many. Perhaps the best known is the Shasta Daisy. In his youth he loved the little wild daisy that grew about his house. In later years he planned to lift it from its lowly place and make it larger and more beautiful. So he sought for the best daisies he could find. From England he brought a daisy similar to the American, but larger and coarser in stem; from Japan he brought another daisy which was not so large, but of a beautiful dazzling whiteness. He searched the United States for the largest daisy he could find. The ideal toward which he strove was a daisy of beauty, grace, hardiness, great size, and pure whitness. In his gardens in Santa Rosa he combined these three daisies to produce a fourth. This fourth daisy bore only six or eight seeds. The seeds were sown and of the resulting plants only the best were chosen to seed. The sowing continued until there were several thousand plants from which to select. During the time they were in bloom they were subjected to the most rigid inspection. Finally, after many, many selections the ideal daisy was obtained. Many another flower has passed through these stages in its development to greater beauty. For Burbank, though working for the practical good of the race, also desired to make the earth a still more beautiful place for man to live in. Successful tree breeding seems absurd when one considers the length of time it takes for a tree to come to maturity. Besides, are not the «Sf 54 School of Horticulture w — — g ♦. trees we have good enough? Burbank had studied the question of tree improvement for some years and his keen mind saw the possibilities in the walnut. He crossed by fertilization an English walnut and a common California black walnut and raised seedlings from them. Then he selected the best of these seedlings and bred forward, always selecting those that came nearest to his ideal until he obtained a number of hybrid seedlings which he was willing to trust to themselves. He planted them in a spot where they would receive no cultivation or irrigation, and eagerly awaited the passing of the years. Fourteen years later, in 1905, the trees were nearly eighty feet high with a branch spread of seventy-five feet, and trunks two feet in diameter at the height of a man’s head. This rapidity of growth is the new walnut’s outstanding characteristic. At times the annual growth was an inch or more. The wood was a fine grain, hard, compact, having a lustrous finish, and taking a high polish, thus being very suitable for cabinet work, inside furnishings of houses, or open ornamental woodwork. Also as a fuel it gave a strong, steady heat. The new walnut, which was called the “Paradox,” is especially suited to regions like California. Mr. Burbank wanted another tree which would grow anywhere where the northern black walnut would grow. By crossing the northern black walnut and the California black walnut the new hybrid “Royal” was produced. This tree is the equal of the Paradox is the rapidity of growth and type of wood, and furthermore, is hardy. His initial object was to develop the trees themselves for commercial purposes, but as the experiment progressed it was noticed that some of the seedlings produced fine nuts, different in form from the parent nuts, and having a fine flavor. The trees also bore much more heavily than the old walnut trees. These two trees are without a doubt the most rapid growing trees in the temperate zones of the globe. They should have a large place in the rapid reforestating of denuded areas and in the preservation of our forests. The work of Burbank in tree breeding is in itself enough to make him a great plant breeder. It seems that the more difficult the problem the more eager Luther Burbank was to solve it. The development of the cactus was perhaps the most difficult task he undertook. Some plants are of a simple nature and have a comparatively short life history. These are usually easily induced to give up their old habits. Other plants are very complex in nature and of great age. It is very difficult to induce these plants to break away from the habits of millions of years. If they do appear to yield, the old characteristics are very liable to appear later. To this class belong the cacti. For millions of years they had grown on a desert, struggling against drought and the depredations of animals. As a result they developed a heavy coat of spines and thick, fibrous leaves or thalli. Mr. Burbank knew that even in its wild state the cactus had its good points. It was hardy, thriving on deserts where nothing else would 4 55 ►- Wise Acres ■ ----------------------- grow, and its thick thalli were nutritious. When transplanted from the wild into more favorable surroundings it improves wonderfully. The two main difficulties were the spines on the branches, leaves, and fruit, and the woody, fibrous skeletons which made them indigestable. These difficulties being overcome, the fruit and leaves must be developed as food for man as well as for animals. Burbank obtained thousands of seeds of the many varieties of cacti and sowed them on the trial grounds at Sebastopol. When they bloomed they were crossed for several seasons in order to break up thoroughly habits brought about by years of struggle in the deserts. The seeds resulting from these cross-pollinations were sown. Whereas most of the plants which grew from these seeds possessed as many as, if not more, thorns and fibre than the original cacti, a few showed improvement. These were isolated for further hybridizing and selection. Finally, after ten years, a huge cactus, eight feet high, with thalli ten to twelve feet long and eight to ten inches wide, and an inch thick, and above all without thorns or fibre, was produced. The fruit is delicious to the taste and edible either fresh or cooked. The thalli are especially valuable as food for cattle, being half as nutritious as alfalfa. The thornless, edible cactus has wonderful possibilities. There arc estimated to be over two million acres of desert land in the world, which can now be, if necessary, made to produce food for both man and animals. It is very difficult to estimate the amount which Mr. Burbank’s commercial creations have added to the wealth of the world. He has introduced over twenty varieties of plums and prunes which have distinctive and valuable characteristics. Several are revolutionizing the fruit industry in Borneo. His plums are grown all over the world from Europe to Cape Town. His prunes, being richer in sugar content, are supplanting the older varieties grown in the United States. Since the introduction of these new prunes, the prune industry of the United States has increased by leaps and bounds so that now it has become a staple asset of the nation. The Burbank potato has increased the wealth of the United States by millions of dollars. Other of his creations are of great scientific value, such as the Primus berry produced by the crossing of the raspberry and the blackberry. This was the first recorded instance of the creation of a new species, the accomplishment of which was considered an impossibility. He also crossed the dewberry and the Cuthbert raspberry to produce ihe Phenomenal berry, and the plum and the apricot to produce the Plumcot. Luther Burbank devoted every energy and resource to the permanent betterment of civilization. It is not an exaggeration to say that he has accomplished more in his chosen line of work than any man that ever lived. -4 56 )■ - JUNIORS 05 ; • Jv is ' | '- r gK|. fw ;-i ,%iyj e XiisMcytrs Terrj Bftty iiA'ictr ■JM HotunA Virgin a (.fern Rosebud A Jsck A ck Siim Jeon Pc ry PjW Wise'Acres Phases of Gardening By Susan Arrington There are several phases of gardening, many more than most people realize. There are the Rock, Wild, and Water Gardens, the Blue Garden, the Rose Garden, the Iris Garden, the Spring and Autumn Garden, the Perennial Border, and the Annual Garden. One cannot disguise one’s handiwork in the Rock Garden and Wild Garden, but let it be beautifully done, and simulate nature in her beauties, so that in looking upon it a feeling of distaste through the lack of harmony does not predominate. A Rockery can be extensive or intensive; can be made on a dry wall, on a natural slope, or in a man-made quarry. A few square yards of beautifully arranged choice plants can make as lovely a picture as a large area covered with great patches of ordinary things. A large Rock Garden is like a large house, beautiful when well arranged. This also applies to the Miniature Rock Garden; it must be in scale with its surroundings, and the few things which go towards its make-up must be well chosen to give their surroundings all possible charm. The most desirable type of Rock Garden is made where the rocks are found exposed. The large rock garden can have huge boulders with great masses of Cerastium and Sedums, bold clumps of irises, shrubs and evergreens in proper scale, and pockets filled with precious plants. Several levels can be seen at once and the whole becomes a mass of color set off by the stones and perhaps framed by a wooded area in which one can grow one’s favorite wild flowers. If it is impossible to frame the rock garden, the wild garden may be used as a background. The foreground may consist of a stream which has been dammed up (or has not). In this aquatic plants may be growing. A small rustic bridge across this stream will lead to the stone steps which wander through the rock garden. Along the path are choice bits of Daphne, Semps, Draba, and other flowers which make the rock gardener rejoice. The path leads on and suddenly one awakes to the happy fact that the scene has shifted and we are in a wild garden, a woodland cathedral, great arched trees swaying above us, and Solomon’s Plume, Fringed Orchids, Dogtooth Violets, and a host of other flowers are thriving about us. One passes on with a feeling of awe for the Maker of all and envies the artist who could use his materials so adeptly. The use of the materials is the important matter. The first thing is to choose the situation. If there is a choice, have a sunny, southeastern slope. The type of slope is according to the taste of the builder. The main thing is to develop this taste by taking time to study an old quarry or rocky hillside, discover the type of stone native to your locality, and how -H 58 School of Horticulture •♦♦a - - — o it lies in the soil. Do not pile the stones as though they have been put there by upsetting a dump cart and then rain a little soil over them. Place them with relation to the stratification and look to the comfort of the stone or the passer-by. Do not let the stone hang over a precipice and then wonder why, after the first storm, it is hanging no longer, but has found a comfortable bed among your favorite Phlox Divaricata. The stone in this position has too much importance and is immediately removed. But think. Are there any others which have greater importance than the floral effects? If so, regulate them to their proper position, a part of the structure to help the plants but not as things of beauty in themselves. Rocks are the type of things which need to be clothed and softened to bring out their best effects. The plants as a rule grow beside the rocks, sending out adventitious roots to cover the rocks. They grow beside the rocks so that the roots can find the cool root run which is furnished if the rock is set at the proper angle. Between the stone pocket an area of not less than one square foot is left, except where one is building a miniature rock garden, and the pockets are only required to hold a few plants. Sandstone or limestone is the best, but they should not crumble with action of frost. Be careful if using limestone to give the plants which need acid soil plenty of oak leaves, or acid phosphate, to make it have the proper amount of acidity. If the rock garden is surrounded with trees, take care to see that they are far enough away so that the roots of the trees do not take the nourishment, and the drip of the trees does not injure the plants. The wild garden, rock garden, and water garden are formed into one, thus these three are perfect. If this treatment is not feasible, try to get as much beauty as possible into the type that you can have. The Blue Garden The blue garden is one of the most interesting to me. We tried it at school with good success. We had a small area between the annual, rose, and perennial gardens. There was plenty of color in these gardens, and in this place one seemed to require peace and quiet, so we devoted it to a garden of blue plants—Delphinium, Anchusa myosotidiflora, and iiosts of other blue plants, with just enough white to relieve the monotony. The Rose Garden The rose garden should be in a place by itself. It can be in any shape or size, and often rose gardens are used to fill up an awkward corner. It should be in an open, sunny position. The soil should be on the clay side, but not too heavy. If the ground is soggy, or the water stands in pools on top of the beds in winter, drain by putting a soakage pit made of ashes in the lowest part of the garden. Other systems of - -4 59 )§- Wise Acres drainage can be used, but they are not practicable, except in extreme cases. The roses should be backed by a screen of climbing roses or evergreens. This will keep out the cold north winds and supply the need of background. The rose bushes themselves should be placed two to three feet apart. The space between may be filled with Pansies, Virginian Stock, or any other bedding plant. Most people are afraid to prune roses. The weaker the bush is the harder it can be pruned. Prune in April. Be sure before pruning to look up in some reliable source the proper way to prune the type which you are contemplating. There are different rules for every type. The Iris Garden The iris garden is beautiful in itself, if it is in connection with other gardens and has enough different species and varieties to give it color and charm. The main thing about the iris garden is to keep the plants in good condition. They require good, well drained soil and to have their rhizomes well above the soil so that they can become sun baked. Divide the German irises every two years just after flowering. When the plants are up look for the iris root borer or soft rot. These usually come together and are shown by the mushy appearance of the leaves and rhizomes, and the terrible odor. The only thing to do in both cases is to cut away all the discolored portions of the rhizome. Dip the rest in permanganate of potash and allow them to sun for a day or longer. Collect as many of the iris borers as possible and kill them. Bone meal added to the soil helps. The Spring and Autumn Garden In the spring the first scillas and crocuses greet us and then the tulips and narcissus burst forth. In between the bulbs and spring bloomers, and hiding just enough of the bare ground are the bedding plants, like myosotis, etc. When these things are over, one can place in the autumn plants and forget them until the fall, when they will come trooping out in a gayful pageant. The Perennial Border or Garden Can either be drab or interesting, according to the taste and knowledge of the maker. The main thing is to have continuous bloom from April until September or October. Of course, if the place is large enough the spring and autumn border will fill in the gap in the fall and spring, but in the usual case the perennial border must be the spring and fall, iris garden and perennial border all in one. If this is the case the color schemes for several months ahead must be worked out. It is best to make 60 School of Horticulture •♦♦a ■ -■ — ■ ---- —= a plan on paper and plan for your heights, colors, and succession of blooms. The border can be a mixture of all colors or one color. One color should predominate at a certain season. Have some things which bloom all season and some which add a distinct charm and individuality to the border at a special time and in this way keep up a definite interest. The soil for perennial borders must be well prepared. It is best to double dig it with farmyard manure and add on top of the soil, after it has been, prepared, eight to ten pounds of bone meal to a square rod. The perennials can be planted in groups allowing for the full growth of the plant. The best time to transplant them is in the fall. Protect ;he border in December or after the ground has been frozen hard, covering with leaves, straw and sticks. In the spring when one is sure that the last blizzard is over one can go out and rake off the mulch. During the growing season the flowers should be kept staked and the dead leaves and flowers cut off. The ground should be weeded and cultivated at least once a week. Twice during the season a top dressing of bone meal or sulphate of ammonia can be given. If the flowers are kept cut back and the plants are fed during the season, the gardener is repaid one hundred percent. Insects and diseases should be watched for and checked at once. Biting insects should be sprayed with arsenate of lead and sucking insects with Black Leaf 40 or a nioctine wash. If fungous diseases are prevalent spray with Bordeaux. The Annual Garden Is made up of plants which complete their life cycle in one year. The annual garden has not as much importance nowadays as it had several years ago, but slowly the annuals are gaining respect again. There is nothing more beautiful than an annual garden, especially in the dusk, when tho scent is so sweet and the flowers nod gracefully on their stems. The bees appreciate the annuals and seem to prefer them to the perennials. They are not particular as to soil, but will grow better in a well prepared garden loam. Do not let the annuals go to seed or stop blooming. The Green Garden Is made up of lawn, trees, shrubs, and evergreens all placed with relation to design rather than to the floral effect. This type of garden is the most restful. The Tea Garden Is made purely to suit the designer’s fancy. One of the nicest that I have ever known was a tiny flagstone court under a tree, with borders of our best beloved flowers around the outer edge. The size of the plants must be in scale with the whole garden. I have given you a few phases of gardening, but, of course, there are many more which are just as interesting. Rosalind Linson Where is there a garden without its shady spots? It is there one so often finds the ideal place for a fernery with all its cool and restful loveliness. Need we then be so gloomily perplexed in trying to plant our shady areas? Not at all, for the majority of ferns can be grown with very little difficulty. Most ferns thrive best in moist, sheltered locations and in slightly acid soil of a fine, light, and porous texture. Clay soils may be lightened by adding plenty of sand mixed with leaf mold, peat, or well-rotten manure. This organic matter also aids in producing the requisite acid condition. In preparing the ground for your ferns you should dig as deeply as the roots of the neighboring trees or perennials permit to insure a loose, well aerated soil, and as a consequesce, good drainage. This last is essential to most ferns, there being only a very few, such as the Cinnamon Fern and the Royal Fern, which prefer very moist or even wet locations. (The former is usually found in mucky soils, and the latter in very moist or wet places, sometimes growing in two or three inches of still water.) To insure good drainage it might be wise to raise the fern bed three or four inches. A means should also be provided to supply the fernery with plenty of water during the summer if the maximum of luxuriant new growth is desired. When planting ferns space them so as to allow plenty of room for development and spreading. Do not plant them too deeply. An inch of soil is a sufficient covering for most ferns, and those growing from crowns should be set so that the crown is not covered. Ferns are best planted in the spring or summer. If you wait until fall they must be —6{ 62 School of Horticulture protected with a good leaf mulch. When moving your ferns cut back the fronds to some extent to aid them in more quickly establishing themselves in their new environment. There are many types of ferns to lend variety to your grouping, from the tall, luxuriant Osmundas to the charmingly dainty Spleenworts. For instance, the Royal Fern (Osmunda regalis) is from four to six feet is height. It is easy to cultivate, asking only for a soil which is moist or wet, and a location somewhat shielded from the sun. Do not plant deeply. The Royal Fern is occasionally called The Flowering Fern because of the appearance of its fertile fronds. These are surrounded by a graceful crown of sterile fronds the beauty of which will amply reward you for your trouble in caring for its comfort. The Sensitive Fern (Onoclea sensibilis) is not apt to exceed three feet, and may be as small as six inches. It will grow quite happily in soil which is even somewhat dry, and either in sun or semi-shade. Therefore, it is quite commonly seen growing along dusty roadsides as well as in more attractive localities. As it is not at all fragile in appearance its name was probably given it becau.se of its senstitiveness to early frost. It spreads rapidly and is extremely easy to cultivate. To me it is of especial interest because of the uniqueness of its fertile fronds, which are stiff and erect with berry-like sporangia, totally different in appearance from the sterile fronds. The Interrupted Fern (Osmunda Claytoniana) is also about three feet tall. It, too, likes dry soil and will grow impartially in either sun or shade. It can be easily cultivated and is well worth one’s while as it has a peculiarly graceful and stately beauty. The sterile fronds form a rather shallow spreading vase from which the fertile fronds rise, at first erect, then curving outward above the fruiting pinnae. In the fall we find the fronds turning a glorious brilliant gold. Another fern of moderate height is the Lady Fern (Asplenium Felix-foemina) which rises from one to two feet above ground. It also is obligingly non-particular about both moisture and sunlight. Its leaves are yellowish green. The stems are pinkish in spring and later turn a reddish brown. Although extremely pleasing during the early summer, it is perhaps apt to get a little coarse and untidy in appearance later on. The Christmas Fern (Aspidium acrostichoides) is slightly smaller, being from eight inches to a little over two feet tall. It has numerous advantages, growing in any soil in either sunny or shaded positions. And added to that, it possesses the charm of being evergreen, the old fronds having a polished, dark green, somewhat leathery appearance. An extremely graceful plant is the Rattlesnake or Grape Fern (Botr.vchium Virginianum) with its strange fiuiting habit. One to two feet in height, the fertile portion of the frond rises with a gracefully drooping fruit cluster above the spreading sterile portion. —3f 63 Wise'Acres +st ■ ■ - ■ — — -s ■ The Maidenhair (Adiantum pedatum) is one of our daintiest ferns. Standing from eight to twenty inches high, it has a fragile, feathery delicacy which captivates one at once. Nevertheless, in spite of this apparent fragility it is not difficult to cultivate if provided with sufficient shade and moisture. It prefers a neutral soil, well drained but moderately moist. Another fern which for me has an unfailing appeal is the dainty Ebony Spleenwort (Asplenium platyneuron). It is about nine to eighteen inches in height with shining blackish stalks and very slender fronds. It is not at all particular as to its soil for it is found in limestone legions and also growing under acid conditions. Moreover, it grows in sun and shade, the fronds ever twisting to face the source of light. 1 have found it sturdily clinging, with what seemed but a precarious foothold, to the side of a cliff, as well as quietly lifting its slender fronds on the mossy banks of a wooded stream. The Walking Fern (Camptosorus rhizophyllus) is a sturdy, little oddity from four to eighteen inches in height. It is said to prefer limestone legions, and likes moist rocks in dense shade. Its striking name is earned by the habit of its tapering fronds of rooting at the tips to form a new generation. (See illustration.) As an evergreen companion to the Walking Fern in its native haunts one often finds the Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium Trich-omanes), lifting its tufted fronds with airy delicacy, their fresh greenness offset by the dark glistening of the threadlike stalks. This tiny plant, between four to eight inches in height, usually frequents shaded crannies between rocks. And although it seems to prefer a comparatively dry soil it needs an atmosphere which is moist. The Common Polypody or Snake Fern, as it is sometimes called, (Polypodium vulgare) is about four to fifteen inches tall. It will grow in practically any soil, and although it will thrive in the sun, it does better on the flat surfaces of rocks in shaded places. Sometimes one finds it growing on the trunks of trees or on fallen logs. Its vigorous growth forms dense mats on cliffs and softens their rough or jagged outlines. This fern is an evergreen which possesses a decided richness of foliage. Of course, there are many others which it would be possible to cultivate by studying their habits and preferences. It gives you a triumphant thrill to finally succeed in coaxing some rare and wayward stranger to take up its abode in the midst of more familiar friends. 1 believe that those I have mentioned are among the best to use as a foundation for a fernery. They will readily adapt themselves to cultivation, are not too difficult to find, and are of sufficient variety to give one ample leewray in arrangement, thus adding interest to the fernery and keeping it from appearing monotonous to the uninitiated observer. -4 64 )§— School of Horticulture An Alphabet on Botany A is Alburnum, as all of you know, The splintvvood of trees that doth help them to grow. B is Biometry: studying well By statistical methods what life has to tell. C is the Cambium—students pray hark! The cell-forming layer twixt xylem and bark. D is Duramen: trees’ heartwood, quite dead. In our juniper-cedar it shows very red. E is the Endosperm found in the seed, Stored outside the germ as the text books all read. F stands for Fibres composing schlerenchyma; Examples as well as dove-tailing prosenchyma. G Geotropic—old Gravity’s call To the roots of our plants—it is answered by all. II Heteroecious—such rusts that might boast Of conveniently living on two distinct hosts. I is for Ilex—the genus of holly, Which Shakespeare has rhymed with “This life is most jolly!” J Is for Juglans—the group, you will see, That includes our black walnut and butternut tree. K is for Kohlreuter—or at a push It might stand for Kalmia—the calico-bush. L is for Latex—the thick milky juice Which occurs in some plants for an unexplained use. M stands for Mendel who sagaciously saw, And explained in the hybrids a valuable law. N are the Nuclei—surely you’ll grant That without them ’twould be an exceptional plant. ■«S( 65)� — •♦♦a W ise-Acres 0 is Osmosis—the authors all tell: The transmission of substance from cell unto cell. P stands for Petals, those parts of the flower That insects attract to the blossoming bower. Q is for Quercus—no pretence or hoax, We find but one Q—it’s the genus of oaks. R stands for Rhizoid, and also for Root, Which anchor the plant and drink water to boot. 5 Silicle, Silique and Samara suits; Stands also for Spermaphytes which bear these fruits. T stands for Testa—the firm outer wall Of seeds—and for Tegmen, the inner, that’s all! U Uromyces—we surely do trust, Your carnations are free from this damaging rust. V is for Vessels that water convey To the tops of our trees any summery day. W is Weismann, the learned expounder On heredity’s score—and few theorists are sounder. X stands for Xerophyte, Xenia and Xylem. Ask Juniors their meanings—it surely will rile ’em. Y is for Yucca—few species there be Of the lilies so odd as the Joshua Tree. £ is Zanthoxylum—do not be rash In handling the spines on the prickly ash. 6 Et cetera stands for all terse Teiminology Found in morphology, found in ecology, Found in all realms of botanical lore, Since there lived Theophrastus or even before To fill up a Carnegia Library or more! But the Editor warns me: “Enough, Sir, from you.” Jn other words “Stop!”—which I hasten to do! —•{ 66 )i - GEORGE B. KAISER. School of Horticulture •♦45)' Can you think of anything lovelier for a souvenir than that which has life—something which will take you to God’s out-of-doors to enjoy its beauty and recall past memories? I know of a garden that has specimens of flowers which have been cultivated for at least four generations in the same family. Each succeeding generation has transplanted these flowers and diligently watched over them lest one should be lost. Usually, history is not considered when we see a plant, but we must remember that had some one not admired it for its beauty in the native state we would not be able to enjoy the thousands of plants grown today. Few of our herbaceous plants are native to America. Each nationality coming to our shores has brought with it the old favorites of the ancestral home. It is these “old-fashioned flowers” which lend so much joy to the gardens of today. It is a compliment to call a flower “old-fashioned” because that indicates that it was popular with our grandparents and it was so worth while that it is still grown by us today. The true Monkshood or Aconitum napellus is native to Europe. The flowers themselves are showy and unusual in shape, appearing like a helmet or hood. The lustrous, green leaves form a dense mat which throws out long, compact stalks of dark blue flowers in early July. They grow from three to four feet high in any good garden loam. They combine beautifully with Madonna Lilies, white Phlox, Miss Lingard, or Shasta Daisies. One of the most pleasing members of the Campanula family is per-cisifolia or Peace Bells. This is a perennial which produces shallow bell shaped flowers in blue or white. They bloom from June to August. The -4 67 Wise Acres •♦♦a - soil for them should be a good garden loam and they should get full sunlight. Several members of the Dianthus family have proved their merits in the course of time. Dianthus barbatus, better known as Sweet William, is one of the best. This flower grows about a foot and a half high and they vary from white to deepest crimson. Dianthus barbatus will thrive in any warm soil which has good drainage. Another interesting species, which is perennial, has flowers similar to a carnation. This is Dianthus latifolius strococcineus, the ever-blooming Sweet William. The plants grow eighteen inches tall and are intense crimson. The Grass or Garden Pinks (Dianthus plumarius) are low growing plants which bloom in early June. The double flowers have fringed petals and are very fragrant. The dainty white flowers grow above a tuft of gray green, grasslike leaves. Bleeding Heart (Dicentra spectabilis) is one of our most showy old-fashioned flowers. It grows from two to four feet high and spreads out almost the same distance. The leaves, which are a light transparent green, are very neat, exceedingly graceful, and rather fernlike. The flowers are heart-shaped and vary from a light pink to a rosy crimson in color. It is excellent for the perennial border or for margins of shrubbery, doing well in either shady or sunny positions in a rich, light soil. A lesser known old-fashioned plant is the Gasplant or Dictamus. However, it is one of our most interesting ones. The white and pudplish flowers are borne on spikes three feet in height. The foliage is a glossy, leathery, dark green and retains its color until late fall. Both the foliage and flowers are fragrant, having the odor of a lemon when crushed in the hand. It begins blooming in early June and the seeds ripen in August. Unlike many other flowers, Dictamus does not like to be disturbed at the roots. The longer it is left untouched the more beautiful it becomes. A single plant has been known to outlive three generations. They do best in a rather heavy soil in a sunny position. The flowers of Gypsophila have a misty grace not found in other plants. Gypsophila paniculata flore pleno has double rosette-like, white flowers. It is an extremely satisfactory plant to use when a neutral color is desired. It does not require a rich soil, but likes a sunny position. The name Gypsophila, which means “1 love lime’’, seems to indicate its preference for limestone soils. One of the most profuse bloomers of the Sunflower family is Helian-thus multiflorus. Its golden yellow flowers are very double and the petals are quilled so that they resemble a dahlia. This flower is about four feet tall and blooms in September. It is suitable for the back of the border and is also useful among shrubbery. They are quite lovely when grown with hardy asters. The soil should be deep and rich and the plants should be given plenty of feeding and moisture. -4( 68 )§►- School of Horticulture .. . The lemon Day Lily (Hemerocallis flava) has clear yellow flowers. It is delightfully fragrant and grows about two feet high. The plants are easy to grow and can be placed in the spring border, along woodland paths, moist banks, and in front of shrubbery. No matter where planted they will thrive in full sun or partial shade. No protection need be given them, but the plants should be divided every three to five years. What could be more fascinating than to uncover a clump of Helle-borus niger (Christmas Rose) in mid-winter and find dozens of waxy-white flowers? As the flowers fade they became a deep pink. The colder the weather, the happier the plant seems to be. The dark green leaves are attractive the entire year. This flower should be planted in a shady position in well drained soil. An eastern exposure is the best. Once established it should not be divided for at least five years. Until recently this plant had not been listed in American catalogues, but now hybrids of it may be secured from a few sources. It certainly deserves more extensive cultivation on account of its uniqueness. If Cowslips (Primula veris), Polyanthus (Primula polyanthus) and the true English Primroses (Primula vulgaris) are once grown they are certain to become favorites. They are easy to naturalize in the woodland garden, requiring well drained soil in a sheltered position. The true English Primrose is clear yellow and has a single flower borne at the end of each stem, while the Cowslips and Polyanthus are arranged in clusters and vary in color from yellow shades to reds. No garden is complete unless it has lilies. The Madonna Lily has trumpet shaped, immaculate, white blooms which are borne in tiers on tall, rigid leafy stems. When well established this lily grows vigorously and multiplies into large clumps whose June beauty is lovelier than that of any other plant at that time. The bulbs of this lily must be planted in August or September, because before winter comes they send up a cluster of leaves which remain green until spring when the flower stalks shoot up from the center. In order to insure good drainage some sand should be placed in the hole (about four inches deep) in which the bulb is to be planted. This lily likes the presence of lime in the soil. Spirea filipendula flore pleno is a fern-leaved plant. In late June the plants send up flower stalks eighteen inches tall, bearing masses of creamy white flowers. These are exquisite for the border, where they lend a misty charm to almost any combination of other perennials. I shall not attempt to tell you about Hollyhocks, Irises, Peonies, or Phlox, which are among the souvenirs, because the older varieties have been so hybridized that one is scarcely able to recognize the original sorts. If ever you wish to make a herbaceous border and are in doubt as to what is hardy, it seems that you cannot go far astray if you include plants which have stood the test of time, like the ones mentioned in this article. What better recommendation can they have? 69)5- School of Horticulture Visiting the Bees Hinda Smith “Hello, Pat. Thank goodness none of my fiiends can see me in this outfit. Pat, may I have a pin? Thanks. Got stung last time so can’t afford to take any chances. Wonder if it is true that professional beekeepers handle bees without even wearing gloves? My! but it’s hot with this hat on. The wire netting makes me feel as though in a cage. Talk about your beautiful costume—latest from Paris. The hat ought to take first prize at a fashion show. And these big boots—thought they were safer than oxfords so the bees can’t crawl up my legs. “Pat, look me over. Is my cover-all buttoned up? How about my hat, any gaps in the back of my neck? O. K? Thank you. Now I can put my gloves on and pay my respects to the beer. Pat, please pin the hat to the collar of my cover-all so the bees can’t creep up my face. “Did I hear you say why the big rush? There is a visitor waiting downstairs for me. She is very anxious to see the bees. Sunny is getting her dressed properly. Bye, see you later.” “Well, here’s the hive. By the way, hope you aren’t nervous. If you get stung don’t get frightened. Just tell me and I will pull out the stinger. It just burns, that’s all. A bee will only sting in defense. It dies when it uses the stinger as all the internal organs are torn apart. “Just looks like an ordinary box doesn’t it? Sec those bees in front of the entrance? They are there to defend the hive. Better not get in front of them. The two boxes on top are the supers. That is where all the surplus honey is stored. We’ll have to take them off so you can see the brood chamber underneath. Get ready now. My, what a racket they are making. They hate being disturbed. Can’t blame them, can you? Let’s walk away for a minute or two until they quiet down. “Scared? They can’t go through the netting in your hat. While we are waiting I will introduce you to the bee family. Come on over to the hive so you can see them. Here’s a fine frame! Look at all the eggs and young brood. Hmm, here’s a Queen cell. Wonder if they are thinking of swarming? We will have to search through all the frames now and look for the old Queen. If she is in the hive I will destroy the Queen cell, otherwise a new Queen will be hatched and there will be a fight between the two Queens, until one is killed. This is the only time a Queen will use her stinger, when in combat with another Queen. “Will you please help me hold this frame so I can look on both sides for the Queen? Thanks. Have to shove the bees aside with my fingers. The Queen likes to hide. Thought she was underneath. Can’t see her here. This is a good chance for you to examine the inside of the brood «f 71 Wise Acres •♦+� - --------------------------------------------------— - chamber. See that bee emerging out of that cell? It has just been born. Look, it can barely walk. An experienced beekeeper can tell at a glance that it is a worker bee by its size and length of wings. “As I was saying, it takes a worker bee twenty-one days for it to develop from an egg to an adult, That one that just came out is eating honey now. After its hunger is satisfied, it will act as nurse to the larvae, feeding them until they are ready to go into their cocoon. A young bee will stay in the hive acting as nurse, cleaning and ventilating the hive, making herself useful in every way possible. When two weeks are up she will go out and become a field bee. Each bee has a different task outdoors. Some gather the nectar from the flowers to be used in manufacturing honey. Some gather the pollen to make the beesbread which is fed the larvae. Others act as guards outside the entrance of the hive. The worker bees are very important members of the bee colony. They decide when to make Queen cells, worker cells, and drone cells, when to swarm (especially if the hive is too crowded or too hot) and all matters dealing with the welfare of the bees. They generally die when about two months old. They literally work themselves to death. “Please hand me the hive-tool. The next frame is stuck and I will have to pry it apart. You see, the bees make propolis (bee glue) and apply it wherever necessary to make the hive sung and weatherproof. It sticks worse than cement glue. “The Queen ought to be around. Look at all the eggs she has laid. Do you know a Queen can lay two or three thousand eggs a day during the busy season? She really is the mother of the whole hive. If you knew what she looked like you could help me find her. She has a very long abdomen and short wings. The workers feed her and cater to her wants just as any Queen should be treated. The only thing she cares about is to have sufficient empty cells in which to lay eggs. If she doesn’t get this a swarm will result. “Look at this bee with the pollen in the baskets on her hind legs. Yes, that yellow pellet is the basket stuffed with pollen. She got it from the flowers and will now store it in one of the cells. Later it will be made into beesbread. “Have I got a bee in my hat? I hear a buzzing right near my left cheek. Thank goodness I only imagined it. Wouldn’t relish having a swollen cheek. By the way, hear that loud buzzing? Can tell it’s a drone without even looking. Yes, was right that time. See that bee over there with the broad abdomen and wings which extend the whole length of the body? That’s a drone. He hasn’t any organs for gathering nectar or secreting wax. He can’t even feed himself because he hasn’t a sucking mouth. He is the only lazy member of the hive. He is only tolerated so as to fertilize the Queen. At the end of the busy season all the drones are pushed out of the hive by the workers. The poor creatures starve to death because they can’t feed themselves, can’t defend themselves -4 72 School of Horticulture •� +8 - — ■ == S� - either as they are not equipped with stingers. Perhaps the life of ease lived in the hive in some way atones for their sad ending.” “This is the sixth frame. Hope she isn’t dead. She certainly was a good Queen. She must be around. Look at all the eggs. Did you ever see such a beautiful frame, full of eggs, larvae and capped worker cells? Now I will push the bees away from that corner. Willing to wager the Queen is hidden there. Here she is. Isn’t she good looking though? See that long abdomen. That’s one of the quickest ways of identfying her. She hasn’t any pollen baskets on her legs as she never has to do outside work. We clipped her wings last year so she couldn’t fly away. A Queen can live several years, without ever going outside the hive except in the case of swarming. “Feel much better now that the Queen has been found. You have seen every member of the bee family, worker, drone, and Queen. This certainly is a dandy hive, lots of young brood, lots of honey (remember how heavy the supers were) a good Queen, and—good thing I remembered, will have to go back to the first frame and destroy the Queen ccli otherwise there will be a battle when she hatches out. “There it is. Doesn’t it look like a peanut? A Queen cell is always that shape and always projects downward. Now I will just cut it out with my hive tool. If the Queen ceils were allowed to develop the first young Queen that hatched out would immediately find the other Queen cells and deliberately rip them apart and kill the unborn Queen inside. She herself, just hatched out of a cell. How did she know which was a Queen, drone or worker, having never seen them before? Suppose it is instinct, but it is wonderful just the same. “Now we will close up the hive and go back. Please hand me the Queen excluder. We put this between the brood chamber and the supers. The wires are spaced so that the workers can go from the brood chamber up to the supers and deposit honey there. The Queen is too large to go through the spaces and in this way is prevented from laying eggs in the super. Bee eggs and honey are not the best combination for the human palate. “There, that’s finished. Let’s walk down the road. If we go through the gardens some innocent by-stander will get stung as they aren’t protected with any costume. I know it’s hot but better not take your hat off yet until all the bees have left us. Still hear some buzzing around?” “Hello, Pat. Do me a favor and take this hat off. I got stung on the neck when we were only out a few minutes. Didn’t dare tell the visitor for fear she would get panic stricken and run away. “Ouch, don’t pull so hard Pat. It burns like anything. Is it swelling up? Gee, I’ll look a wreck for my date tonight.” -M$f 73 )g- Among Our Cows MAID MARION The pride of the School is Fauvic Fern’s Maid Marion, out of Raleigh’s Fairy Pet Martha by Fauvic Fern’s Noble, a combination of two of the best known blood lines of the Jersey breed. She was exhibited at the Pennsylvania Parish Show in October, and although she was not among the winners, we were justly proud of her, and received many compliments, as well as experience in fitting and showing. At present, she is making a very excellent record in the dairy herd, proving herself capable of taking her place among the highest producers of the breed, and being a real credit to the school. J. C. Broughton, Manager, Farm Department. - 474 School of Horticulture ♦45 The Father of American Botany Theodora E. Wenz Between the years 1699 and 1766 the birth of a nation was taking place. Colonies with various ideas on government and religion were being established on the eastern coasts of what is now the United States. In these colonies grew up men who laid the cornerstone for a great nation, some of whom belong to history and will never be forgotten. Such men were Patrick Henry, George Washington, and others equally famous. While Patrick Henry was addressing the House of Burgesses in Boston with his forceful and stirring words, “Give me liberty or give me death,” and Washington was vigorously training his troops for action, there lived on the banks of the Schuylkill just outside of Philadelphia a Quaker, “modest and gentle in manners, frank, cheerful and of good nature.” If we could have visited him at his home, we would have most probably found him peacefully engaged in ploughing his fields. However, while doing this and other work necessary on a farm, his mind frequently dwelt on the contemplation of vegetables, the beauty and harmony displayed in their mechanism, the progress of their growth, and various stages of their maturity and perfection. This man, rather above average height and upright, with a face expressive of a degree of dignity, with a happy mixture of animation and sensibility was none other than the subject of this article—John Bartram—the Father of American Botany. Although we will not find history singing his praises, his name is not one to be forgotten, as he is listed among the famous botanists in almost every botany, to be read and discussed by true lovers of nature. John Bartram was born in 1699 in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Like so many English people, he traced his ancestry back to the time of William The Conqueror. He came from what was even then considered an “old American” family, his grandfather, Richard Bartram, having accompanied William Penn to this country. His father was killed by the Indians in North Carolina when John was quite young, but, in spite of his father’s death, he was well taken care of by his uncle Isaac, who left him an estate at Darby. Young Bartram soon discovered that he had a great thirst for botanical knowledge as well as an inclination to study physics and surgery. In fact he acquired so much medical knowledge that many were the times when he might have been found at the bedside of some poor neighbor who was unable to obtain medical attention from Philadelphia. Many think it quite probable that as most of his medicines came from the vegetable kingdom, this may have shown him the necessity 75 Wise-Acres +a ■ — of the study of botany and created a desire for it. Then, too, the fact that he was of English descent may have had something to do with it, for did you ever hear of an Englishman who didn’t love flowers? However, Bartram tells us that it was a common daisy of the fields which inspired his love for the plant world. One day while resting he picked up a daisy and, examining it closely, he immediately became fascinated with its many parts. Then and there he resolved that the study of botany was to be his life work. We can do no less than take off our hats to a man who pursued scientific studies is a country where the sciences of the “Old World” were little known, where even cities such as Philadelphia and Boston had scarcely a library to boast of, or adequate grammar schools. From the time John Bartram acquired his estate he cultivated the ground in order to support a large family. He was married twice, his first wife being Mary Maris, of Chester Monthly Meeting. They were married in 1723, and had two sons, Richard and Isaac, the former of whom died very young, while Isaac lived to be in his seventies. Mary Bartram died four years after their marriage and two years later John married Ann Mendenhall, of Concord Monthly. They had nine children, so there was little wonder that he had to toil hard with his hands and push aside his botanical interests to second place. Even at that Mary felt that John was wasting too much time on natural science instead of utilizing his time to better advantage by aiming to become a wealthy farmer. The more Bartram learned about flowers the more intense grew his interest to find out more about them and to spread this knowledge to the public. One day he conceived an exceedingly brilliant idea which he wanted immediately to tell his wife. As the idea came to him while he was plowing, he threw aside the reins, entirely forgetting the existence of either horse or plow, and burst into the kitchen where Ann was churning butter. Eagerly and excitedly he told his beloved that he had a wonderful idea, an idea that he was certain no one else in these colonies had ever dreamed of, and Oh! he must carry out this idea at once! Will Ann help him? Certainly Ann will help. Ann had always known that John was a genius and that some day he would do something great. Now he was going to do it, for had any one in this country thought of establishing a Botanic Garden for the cultivation of vegetables, native and exotic? No, they had not. So it was decided that John should purchase a piece of property on the banks of the Schuylkill three miles outside of Philadelphia. The location he chose was a good one as it possessed every type of soil desirable. With his own hands Bartram built what was then a very comfortable brick house and garden at Fifty-fourth Street and Kingsessing Avenue, where it stands to this day as a relic of colonial days. When one sees this house still challenging wind, weather and time, one cannot -«K 76 fe— School of Horticulture •♦♦it -■ — help wishing that modern builders could have taken lessons in the art of building from Bartram! It was this botanical garden which made Bartram famous, for many were the distinguished visitors who called on him with the express purpose of viewing his garden. Visitors seemed to be enchanted with the place. One guest wrote to a friend of his, “One day Bartram dragged me out of town and entertained me so agreeably with some elevated botanical thoughts on oaks, ferns, rocks, etc., that I forgot that I was hungry until we landed in his house about four miles from town.” John Bartram made excursions all over the eastern part of this country from Canada to Florida for his collections, penetrating sections known only to the Red Man. Even at the ripe old age of seventy-three, he was still an enthusiastic collector. It was said that he would readily take a journey of a hundred miles to see a new plant. All Europe, and especially England, was greatly indebted to Bartram for their acquaintance with the flora of America through his correspondence with different illustrious scientists to whom he frequently sent seeds and plants. To read Bartram’s letters to Peter Collinson and other notables is a delightful entertainment to one interested in botany as they are full of botanical discoveries. In one letter to Collinson (who was highly distinguished in the London circle of naturalists and one of the most constant correspondents of Linnaeus) he wrote: “Where plants of a class are growing near together they mix and produce a mingled species. An instance we have in our gardens, raised by the late Thomas Fairchild, who had a plant that was compounded of the Carnation and Sweet William. It has the leaves of the first, and its double flowers like the Carnation—the size of a Pink—but in clusters like a Sweet William. It is named a Mule, per analogy to the mule produced from the horse and ass.” In another letter Bartram tells Collinson that he is sending him a rare plant, Tipitiwitchet, of which he had but one root. This plant evidently impressed Collinson a great deal for in a return letter he remarks, “but what surprises me most is the Tipitiwitchet sensitive. It is quite a new species, a new genus. It was impossible to comprehend it from any description, which made me very impatient to see it.” Probably more important than either his Botanical Garden, or his letters, are Bartram’s books, as they are among the first botanical books to be written about the natural sciences of America. One of them— “The Observations of the Inhabitants, Climate, Soil, Rivers, Production, Animals, and Other Matters Worthy of Notice Made By John Bartram in His Travels Through Pennsylvania to Onandago, Oswego, and to Lake Ontario in Canada,” won him the position of Botanist to King George in. He also published “Trip to East Florida” together with his journal. In 1766 John Bartram died. Well may Philadelphia be proud of her son whom Linnaeus called “the greatest natural botanist in the world.” -« 77 Wise Acres •♦♦a- Beauty and Plants Susan Arrington Beauty is the drawing together of individual factors which go to make the ideals of the human race. Therefore, who are we to judge true beauty? It is purely a matter of training. As we are trained so beauty appeases our senses or takes us above the ordinary things of life into a veritable fairyland. Every time we say a thing is beautiful we do not think of why it delights our senses. We just realize the effect without the cause. The cause is the interesting problem. Beauty in plants—how can we tell? We must gain our ideals before we see beauty in them. So few people have any idea of the relation of plants to beauty and to the rest of the world. They are here, common enough things—indeed, all too common in a great many cases and not common enough in others. Often here at school we have interesting experiences which open our eyes to the lack of understanding of beauty in plants by the public. For instance, one day a charming woman came into the greenhouse and saw an Ornamental Pepper, which was dead. She said, ‘‘Oh! how lovely! may I buy that? It looks like an Italian tapestry! 1 will put it in an Italian bowl, against a tapestry which carries out the colors of the plant.” The thought struck me as funny at the time, but then I began to think. The brown crinkled twigs, the red crinkled peppers, in a lovely jar, could be effective. It might be truly beautiful because of its originality and probably that plant satisfied that woman’s longing for the new and interesting. To me, plants have almost human qualities. They express austerity, dignity, love, sadness, grace, joy, demureness, and so on. Who can dispute that a Primula malacoides looks like a debutante at her first tea; or that Virginian Cowslips like so many old-fashioned ladies joyfully dancing at a garden party; or that a Japanese Anemone expresses dignity as well as a king might—in fact, it is the same sort of dignity, wise and benevolent, far above the other beings close at hand and yet one of them. The Johnny-Jump-TJps seem to radiate mischief and sagacity. We often look for Puck in their midst. The Delphiniums express loveliness and dignity at the same time. They are the queens of the garden and rule with graciousness and pride, flaunting their colors but never jealous or fighting! All the other perennials seem to be the knights and ladies in waiting to these queens. The Columbine is the expression of love with the four doves around the corolla. The rose is called the queen of the flowers, but to me she is the sad 78 ►- School of Horticulture ♦+a _ - ;♦ ♦. princess in the tower, because she is never allowed to escape all the insect pests and diseases which attack her. She is true beauty fighting against evils. We are hoping she will win in the end. There are graceful plants and stiff plants, foliage plants and variegated foliage plants, each of which can serve a distinct purpose. If we think of them with this in mind, they are bound to be beautiful, at least to some of us. To me, Cinerarias are at the foot of the scale as far as beauty is concerned in the plant world. Maybe they can be lovely on the Riviera, with the climate, temperament, and architecture of the place to compliment them, but here in this hard cold climate, they are all wrong. The under side of the leaves is a beautiful purple, but the colors of the flowers of most Cinerarieas are too hard. While showing a lady around the greenhouse she said, ‘‘Now, how did you grow that beautiful plant? Here at this school you are so clever.” The Cineraria had turned up its toes and practically died from cold, but it had exposed the beautiful, soft, downy purple surface. The woman bought the plant, perhaps because it appeased her desire for austerity and was therefore beautiful. Training is essential in the make-up of our thoughts of beauty in plants. We should study the texture, color, and dominating characteristics of our plants. Geraniums are the delight of the novice, and the bugbear of the educated horticulturalist. We see them in round beds in front of houses—a pink bed on one side and a red bed on the other. We try to convince people that other plants are better. They agree in a bored voice and say in a tone as though they were discovering a new thought, “Oh! but there is nothing like a Geranium for a spot of color.” True, but who thinks a spot of color is beautiful? If Geraniums are not overworked in expressing all the ideals of man, they can be quite lovely— trained into a standard tree or climbing on the greenhouse wall in bare corners. There they are at home and to me express faith alone! If plants express the characteristics you wish your garden to possess, they are beautiful, and drawn together they give us the true ideals of the human race. -4 79 } - Wise Acres • w A Gardener’s Trip to Bermuda L. K. Herring I had heard that Bermuda was well worth a visit, and feeling that warmth and sunshine would be welcome, I went there for my Christmas holiday. There are no railways and no motors which fact at once makes for rest and peace. The inhabitants, both white and colored, are very friendly and courteous, and it is a joy to be with them. I naturally found the flowers, both wild and cultivated, of very great interest and spent a great deal of time studying them. I had an introduction to the men at the Agricultural Station and they were extremely helpful. The flora is very varied, consisting of plants from many different climes. The truly indigenous plants are few, less than one dozen, but species have been introduced from lands far across the sea to the north, south, east, and west. Weeds of cultivation from northern Europe, which 1 had not seen since I left home, were growing happily by the side of plants from the West Indies and the tropics. It is interesting to speculate how they arrived from their native homes—borne by wind, by ocean currents, carried in the cargo of ships, or as treasures by seamen and settlers. Once established, plants grow luxuriantly. Even in December one could see what a wealth of beauty and color there would be later. On my way up from the harbor on arrival, I was struck with the hedges of Hibiscus rosa sinensis. They were four and five feet high, their crimson flowers glowing against the dark green, glossy foliage. All the gardens were hedged in or walled in and not open to the road as is mostly the case in America. Acalypha, a foliage plant seen in the temperate climes only in greenhouses, was used largely for hedges. On one kind all the leaves are red, whereas on another they are green, with pink and red margins, giving rise to the local names “Match me if you can” and “Joseph’s Coat.” Many of the fields are surrounded with Oleander (Nerium oleander), some scattered blossoms giving a hint of what their full beauty would be later on. The Pointsettias were fully out and were a great joy. I have never been to Florida, so have only seen them as greenhouse plants. The brilliant red flowers against a white limestone house, or the dark foliage of a shrub, were wonderfully beautiful. The Bougainvilleas were in flower and were tumbling over other trees and shrubs. The most attractive one I saw was purple and trailing across the road above an avenue of dark green, native cedars. Seen against a blue sky, it made a lovely picture which gave me pleasure every time I passed up the road. 80 }§►— School of Horticulture � : «♦ Many of the trees were quite unknown to me, and others so different that I hardly recognized them. The most common one is the native cedar, Juniperus Bermudiana, from which the sweet smelling pencils and boxes are made. The foliage is very dark, making a splendid foil for the white houses, and the trees are often gnarled and twisted by storms. None are large, but I read that when the islands were first settled the trees then growing were tall. All the old ones have been used in shipbuilding and the present ones have not yet had time to develop. The Norfolk Island Pine, Araucaria excelsa, grows into a large tree. It is hard to realize that it is the same species as the softer, smaller one grown in pots. The India Rubber Plant, Ficus elastica, makes a dwarf, spreading tree, much-branched and covered with its glossy evergreen leaves. On the south side of the islands where it is more sheltered there are quite a few palms and they give a very tropical air to the scenery. December was not the best time of the year even there to visit gardens, but it was surprising to see how many flowers were out. Roses, mostly Teas or Hybrid Teas, were in bloom, though not at their best. Calendulas and French Marigolds were in flower. The Polyanthus Narcissus and also the Poetaz were flowering and naturalize there better than the other types. In one garden I saw a mass of Freesias planted thickly in the grass, but unfortunately not yet in flower. Many other plants known to us only in greenhouses were perfectly happy out-of-doors. One of the most familiar was the Amaryllis or Hip-peastrum. Gerbera Jamesonii was doing so well and flowering so freely and I suggested it might be grown as a crop for the New York market. Instead of box the flower beds were often edged with Alternanthera, a plant with small red leaves that is often used here round beds of Cannas. Perennials such as Delphiniums, Lupins, Pyrethrum, and so on do not flourish. Owing to the mild climate they get no rest and wear themselves out. Annuals are very largely used and are sown from September onwards, starting to flower in December. The Berumda Garden Club and the Department of Agriculture have together published a booklet giving names of suitable annuals and their care. Among them are most of those that we grow in the annual garden here, as well as Cineraria, Didiscus, Nemesia, Schizanthus, Streptocarpus, etc. Every house has its garden, however small, and it is usually enclosed either by limestone walls, a fence or hedge. Flowers were grown everywhere and the colors were very clear and vivid, giving one glimpses of beauty at every turn. The houses are built of limestone cut out of the natural coral rock. On many estates you find old disused quarries with steep, smooth sides and it is a problem to know how to make them attractive. Some were 81 Wise Acres ♦: not very cleverly handled, but one owner had been very successful with hers. Vines were planted above to hang down and break the hard lines; Pointsettia was placed below and looked lovely with its wide spreading branches and crimson flowers against the white background. Ferns and Begonias were planted in a rockery at the foot and looked very happy. In the vegetable gardens in December I saw onions and cabbages at the stage they would be here in June, also lettuce, tomatoes, and string beans. We were eating fresh green peas and new potatoes and they were most delicious. I was told that the Bermuda onion is not sent to New York now as they are all needed locally. The market gardens and farms are very small, usually consisting of irregular clearings of an acre or two, cropped with onions, potatoes, or mixed vegetables. A dwarf kind of banana is grown in the fields for home use. Various citrus fruits were formerly grown, but owing to diseases their culture has died out. The Pathological Department is working on the disease, so later the citrus tribe may be grown again. The Bermuda or Easter Lily used to be very much grown commercially, both for bulbs and flowers. Through the importation of diseased stock the industry decreased rapidly until the Agricultural Department set a pathologist to work on the problem. All the lily fields are now inspected and all sick plants discarded. No bulbs are allowed to be imported until examined by the pathologist at the farm or harbor. Great care is taken to keep aphids in check as they spread the virus disease which is the cause of the trouble. Through this care the standard is rising and the Easter Lily trade is coming into its own again. Flower buds, cut and shipped to New York and even England, open perfectly. Diseases are rather rife, owing to warm conditions and lack of frost, keeping the pathologist very busy devising means for control. Along the roadsides were large bushes of orange Lantana, while on the tops of the limstone walls were masses of Bryophyllum, there called “life plant” or “Floppers” through its habit of forming new plants from every fallen leaf. Maidenhair Fern akin to the greenhouse species grew abundantly in clefts of shady, moist stone walls. The soil is curiously red and very fine in texture. I was told that it was very lacking in nitrogen. Seaweed is gathered and used as one source of organic manure. The only source of water is rainfall so that irrigation is impossible. I do not know how dry it gets there in summer, but during my visit we had frequent showers which, I was told, were very welcome. I would love to visit Bermuda again a few months later in the year to see it in its full beauty of foliage and blossom, though I really doubt if I could enjoy it more than on my visit there last Christmas. -‘4 82 )• •- 2 r yton S m i tty Betty (f? Sue W ise Acres Southern Spring Spring is here! The brief, chill clays are gone And now at dawn The birds more blithely sing. The dogwood trees are seas of bloom And the jasmine wafts a sweet perfume On the evening air of spring. On every hand is a fairyland Of color and bloom and song; The jonquils gay on the terrace sway And the days are sweet and long. The mocking bird carols her lullaby And the marsh frogs echo the joyous cry That spring is here! Is this a time to be gloomy or sad, When our mother Nature laughs around; When even the deep blue heavens look glad, And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground? Louise Bush-Brown. Nature William Cullen Bryant. -4 84 ►- School of Horticulture My Garden Elizabeth Arrington “May 8, 1927. We were given our lot today. Boundaries, Coffin's fence, dead wllows and apple tree, side of the hill, and the lane. Cleared out elderberry bush pruned wild rose bush, planted yellow violets, blue violets, wild sedum in the wild garden, dug up skunk cabbage. Pruned spice bush. Austin and I worked from 10 A. M. till 7 P. M.” This is the first entry in our garden diary. It now lacks two days or so of being one year old. We could have had our choice of a lot anywhere else on the place, but certain things about this particular piece of land appealed to us. Consider the Coffin’s fence—nothing wrong with it as a fence, and it fulfills its object most beautifully of keeping a nice sleek Jersey cow home. But that cow! What I have muttered to her isn’t fit to print. It wasn’t her fault—how was she to know that those delectable looking spears which she could just reach by sticking her nose through the fence were anything as precious as iris? However, they made her a nice meal. We now have palings placed head’s width apart (cow’s) so the fence is non penetrable. Consequently, the cow and I are good friends —besides, as she is one of my nearest neighbors, we at least should be on bowing—or should I say borrowing—terms? The dead willows standing so black and tall with a few suckers growing at the base appealed to us. The apple tree—gnarled and knotted—was in full bloom. These marked our eastern boundary. A steep slope thickly wooded with dogwoods, tulip trees, maples, spice bush, and cherries, with a bubbling creek flowing along at the bottom was to be our northern boundary. An old lane bordered with cherries was our fourth boundary. We planned our garden; here would be our lawn, there our rose garden, perhaps a rock garden on that slope, a wild garden down under those trees. A pool to be dug thusly—a bridge to be built here—Something was wrong! Where was the house to be put? Over a half-acre of land and no room for a house! We would have to buy more land. And that is what we did. Now our house will be built above that steep slope overlooking the garden below—connected with it by rock steps and a rock garden. “Cleared out elderberry bushes and dug up skunk cabbage.” “Suspicious,” as the old father in Blossom Time was so fond of saying. “Ha! these people have damp soil—what a site for a garden.” We have damp soil in our wild garden; we rejoice in it, because almost all wild flowers flourish in it. By clearing out bushes and trimming spice bush we found we had an ideal spot for our wild garden. The ground was covered with deep -4 85 fcV- Wise Acres •♦♦a ■ . - — n+- blue violets, spring beauties (Claytonia Virginica) and trout lilies (Er.v-thronium Americanum). This was along the further boundary by the dead willows and directly under the apple tree. There huge boulders jut out from the slope, and at this point the stream makes a righc angle bend and flows lazily by the apple tree. Spice bushes bordered the stream; with their little yellow flowers and their pleasant aroma they arc a jcy for any wild garden. A couple of beautifully shaped flowering dogwoods furnished plenty of shade. An old rose vine so covered a willow tree that a bower was formed beneath. We pruned it well, cutting out dead wood only. On June 12th there is this entry—“Austin cut beams (beech with its silvery bark) to make an arbor for the white rose to climb on. It is about four feet wide and six or seven feet long. In summer it is covered with a mat of white blooms.” I am getting ahead of my story—May 9th—“Liza took Sue and me to get Mertensia Virginica (Virginian cowslip) which I planted in the wild garden.” May 15th. Austin and I worked 'till seven o'clock. Pianted Quaker Ladies (Houstonia Coerulca), wild geraniums (Geranium maculatum) and also planted a white flower found in Coffin’s field. I would like to quote from a letter about these flowers. “Down the stream almost to the main part of the woods there is a beautiful clump of flowers growing in the edge of the water. It looks something like Mertensia, only the little bell-like flowers are smaller and pure white. They are scattered all the way down, but this particular clump is gorgeous. I can hardly wait 'till you tell me what it is. I know the name will be no less than six inches long which will be fine for bewildering the victims that come to see our garden. We will send them home mumbling to themselves, ‘By gum, I could a’ swore them was daisies, and they turn out to be some new kind of spasm. Yes, sir! It’s awful’.” My good friend and teacher, Mr. Kaiser, told me that it is called “Cardamine Bulbosa.” May 30th. We went to a swamp forty-three miles from Camden, New Jersey. We collected some wonderful plants—among them were Lupinus perennis (Blue Lupin) ; Kalmia Angustifolia (the sheep laurel that is so poisonous to sheep); the Rose Acacia (Robinia Hispida) with its beautiful rose-pink blooms; Polygonatum Biflorum (True Solomon Seal); Pitcher Plant (Sarraccnia purpurea); Golden Club; and numerous other things. I wish I could say that they arc all living and doing well, but I can’t—they need a very acid roil, and some being very finicky died a lingering death. However, Golden Club lived and flourished in our stream till a bad storm washed it away. Cur Pitcher Plant is doing beautifully —it is a carnivorous plant, and, with its little hairy pitchers and dark 86 fr- School of Horticulture ♦+H — : - . g� - red flowers, it is equally interesting and beautiful. I heard Austin explaining it to one of his friends as a man’s plant—in fact, a “he-man’s plant; it eats raw meat.” June 6th—Plants that I had ordered from Gillet’s, Southwick, Mass., came and were duly planted. Iris versicolor—a beautiful native iris was planted along the stream; a showy Lady Slipper (Cypripedium spectabile) planted under the willow by the rose arbor where we hope to have some day a big orchid bed; Primulas, native Columbine (Aquile-gia canadensis), Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) were all planted in their proper places. The most exciting of all were the delicate cream-colored flower Dutchman's Breeches (Dicentra Cucullaria). We planted the bulblets in a prominent spot, directly at the base of the dogwood tree. During the week I received this letter: (first let me explain that Pal, who loves to come down into the garden, is the little brother’s “meat-hound.”) “Pal’s wardrobe must be running short—he’s a Daschshund—he dug up all our Dutchman’s Breeches. ’Spect they didn’t fit, because he turned up his nose and tail and walked off. 1 planted them again to see if they wouldn’t grow larger, somewhere nearer his size.” This year they look nicely, so I’m not at all worried about the upheaval. June 20th. Austin found the levels for the pool, and started excavating. July 22nd.—School vacation begins. Aug. 1st.—Lake Bonaparte, N. Y. (Adirondack Mts. forty miles from Canada). Trip to Mud Lake—found wild iris, pickerel weed (Ponte-deria cordata), swamp milkweed. Packed and sent them to Pennsylvania. Aug. 3rd.—Dug some “Smaller Purple Fringed Orchids” (Habenaria Psycodes), also have some inconspicuous white orchids—which I found out later were Ladies Tresses (Spiranthes odorata). Dug up Cypripedium acaule (market basket full) ; a few trilliums (difficult to get without cutting roots) some Aquilegia canadensis seedlings, which I planted, or rather heeled in, in a bed in front of the camp. Aug. 5th.—Dug up market basket of yellow moccasin flowers (Cypripedium pubescens) and trilliums which were growing along the road; heeled them in by the old stump. One day, armed with my basket and the only trowel the camp afforded, my uncle’s bayonet (which also served as the camp bread-knife), I started out on an orchid hunt. I was stooping over investigating some flowers in the woods by a little stream. 1 looked up and found a man pointing his gun at me. I straightened up quickly and he moved off. He must have seen me moving—dressed as I was in dark clothes, I could easily have been taken for a furry animal. T thought of the stories that a guide had been telling us—“There’s many an unburied man in the Adirondack?.” I didn’t want to join their ranks, 87 Wise Acres • 4i ■ not even for orchids. After that the famous “red flannel” shirt made me conspicuous. Aug 14th.—I sent a box of Cypripediums, Monarda fistulosa (lavender bergamot), Iris, and Maidenhair Fern (which grows abundantly north) down to Sue to plant. Aug. 29th.—Packed and brought down with us in the car— Pickerel Weed, Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) and native white water lilies. Sept. 4th.—Austin started the bridge. Cut, hauled, placed timber (chestnut for main bridge structure) hewed chestnut slabs for bridge flooring. Labor Day—Cut, trimmed and fitted ten wild cherry trees for railings and supports for the bridge. Sept. 11th and 12th.—Built the rock steps leading down to the bridge, and hauled stones for a flag walk to lead past the rose arbor to the apple tree. We have had many presents for our garden—one of the nicest was a clump of arbutus (Epigaea repens) which bloomed this spring profusely. There is no need to continue with the entries. Today, as I walked through my wild garden it never looked as pretty. I have in bloom yellow, white, and blue violets, Quaker Ladies, Spring Beauties, white and red Trilliums, Virginian cowslip, Gill-over-the-ground, Myrtle, Lesser Celandine, Saxifrage, Bellwort, Scillas in the wild garden; and Narcissus Recurvus blooms along the pool edge. Near the topmost step is planted Birdsfoot violet (Viola pedata)— this dainty wilding needs poor soil, so I made a pocket of sandy soil; now it looks quite happy. “The famous prickly pear” (Opuntia vulgaris), Phlox subulata, sedum, Mazus, Primulas, Arbutus, Cerastum, Pinks, and numbers of others grace the rock steps. In a few days my Orchids, Aquilegias, Dutchman’s Breeches, Wild Geraniums and Trout lilies will be in bloom—which all make me think cf this poem: A garden is a lovesome spot God wot! Fringed pool Rose-plot Ferned grot The veriest school of peace, And yet ’tis said that God is not. Not God in a garden When the eve is cool? Nay, I have a sign, ’Tis very sure God walks in mine. -4 88 )■ .- School of Horticulture •♦♦a------------------------ . ■ - A Qreen Lawn, A Lasting Investment R. G. Test It is with a feeling of satisfaction that one, after days of toil to achieve the result, transforms a heretofore ridged and rocky landscape, into a green mantle of closely tufted blades of grass. It is immaterial whether the allotted space be but a plot or acres in expanse, the purpose and thought is similar in both instances—that of covering the harsh and torn with a smooth medium restful to the eye. Fortunately for all of us this result catt be achieved with but little effort and expense when the latter are linked with knowledge. There are many varieties of grasses which are so similar in color and texture that they are very difficult to distinguish from each other. The Bent varieties belong to this class. The characteristics of Bents are a deep green color, closely interwoven mat, and very long lived, both as to wear and resistance to temperatures. In comparison with other classes the cost of seed is high. However, the exceptional results obtained so outweigh the extra expenditure, that one is readily justified in granting the initial expense. The grasses of our rapidly increasing golf associations are always planted with Bent varieties for the simple reason that they fulfill the ideal where perfection must be obtained. Among the Blue Grass species is “Rough Stalked Meadow Grass”, a variety of excellent characteristics adapted to shade conditions. This variety, where well fertilized and top dressed in the spring, will give an ample covering of a deep green color, though three-quarters shadowed. Kentucky Blue Grass, the leader of this class, has been and is still used in many of the cheaper mixtures for general turf construction, but it is rapidly being superseded by the more tenacious Creeping Bent variety. Old English Rye has not been abandoned where a quick green covering is desired, but it is rapidly losing favor because of its fault of becoming very coarse and difficult to mow as it continues in growth. The Fescues are very hardy, but of a coarse texture and are, therefore, not recommended for the lawn. Having gained the belief that the Bent varieties fulfill our expectation for a general lawn planting, and the Rough Stalked Meadow Grass for shaded areas, our interest now turns to the best method of placing the seed in the soil. This is not difficult. To prepare the soil bed, spade or plough the ground to eight inches in depth or deeper if the tools permit. Level the surface introducing foreign top soil, rather than local levelling, to effect grading. Sow the seed evenly and at the rate of five pounds to one thousand square feet area. Then rake the seed slightly in both directions, and roll in the same directions. After the grass appears water whenever the soil becomes dry, and roll thereafter each spring. -• { 89 The Gardener’s Calendar Grace S. Henderson Jamm y.—This is the month to join societies—Iris, Peony, Rose, etc. Catalogues should be carefully looked over and if new ones are wanted they should be sent for. A special study of these should be made before ordering seeds and one should always be on the lookout for novelties. Sutton Sons, Reading, England, offer some gorgeous bicolor eschscholtzias. A yellow Cosmos called “Klondyke” may be ordered from Michell’s, Philadelphia, and Vinca from Farquhar’s, Boston. Plants which were not protected in December should be given protection now without further delay. Salt hay, peat moss litter, and leaves make excellent coverings for protection. Bulbs which were planted and plunged in the fall should now be taken out and gradually forced into flowering. February—Catalogues of native western American plants can be obtained from Carl Purdy, Ukiah, California, and D. M. Andrews, P.O. Box 493, Boulder, Colorado. Many of the eastern American plants are still difficult to get in this country, but may be obtained from Thompson Morgan, Ipswich, Suffolk, England. A list of annuals should be made and no list is complete without Cynoglossum Amabile, Torenia Fournieri, Dimorphotheca Aurantiaca hybrids, and some of the beautiful and varied colored Salpiglossis. Roses should now be ordered for planting in April when the frost is out of the ground. Long shoots of Forsythia and Cydonia Japonica may be cut and gently forced indoors. March.—Rambler roses may be pruned this month if the weather is open «S( 90 School of Horticulture •♦♦a - ---- and spring-like. The old and dead shoots are cut out and new shoots are tied to the trellis or to supports. If one has a small greenhouse many annuals may be sown to give an early display of bloom in the garden. One should remember to sow a few seeds of Dahlias. It is always exciting to watch them come into flower and to decide which are worth keeping for future propagation. The dwarf type is very satisfactory. It comes into flower in August and continues flowering until frost comes. Waterer offers a good selection of Dahlia seeds in his catalogue. Toward the end of the month the protection of leaves may be removed from the plants. To get a stock of perennials in the garden one should order seeds now. The seeds may, as soon as they arrive, be sown in a cold frame or later on in May out-of-doors in specially prepared ground. Delphinium seed may be ordered from Blackmore Lang-don, Bath, Somerset, England, or the Wrexham strain may be ordered from Samuel Watkins, Wrexham, England. April.—Annuals that have been sown in the greenhouse should now be hardened off in frames preparatory to being planted out toward the end of the month. Certain annuals as Calendula, Shirley and other Poppies, Cornflower, Nigella, Mignonette, etc. grow better when the seed is sown out-of-doors in places where they are to flower. This should be done in mid-April. Roses and shrubs should be ordered without further delay and these should be planted as soon as possible after arrival. A shrub which is well worth growing is Caryopteris Mastacantha, or Blue Spirea. It flowers in autumn and makes a patch of blue in the garden at that time, a contrast to Helenium and other orange flowers. It is advisable to look after newly planted trees in early summer in case of drought. A mulch of peat moss may be put around them to prevent them from drying out. Bush roses should now be pruned. Gladioli may now be planted. Primulinus hybrids are well worth growing. Perennials may be taken up and divided. Alpine plants such as Phlox subulata, Arabis, and Cerastium may also be propagated either by cuttings or division of the old plants. May.—Annuals may still be sown. Those that have been already sown in the greenhouse, such as Snapdragons, Petunias, Larkspurs, - -Sf 91 Wise-Acres •♦4a - ■ - — Scabious, Phlox drummondi, etc., may now be planted out in their permanent quarters. Seeds of perennials and biennials should be sown this month either in the greenhouse or out-of-doors. Blue Flax, Geum, Heuchera, Hollyhocks, Columbines, Wallflowers, etc., are a few perennials that are easily raised from seed. Canterbury Bell, Foxglove, Honesty, and Rocket are suitable biennials. A few of the rather more uncommon rock plants may be sown—Erinus, Mossy Saxifrages, Helianthemums and Androsace. June.—Some of the plants sown earlier now require staking and tying up. Weeding and cultivating are constant jobs. Chrysanthemums for early autumn flowering may be planted. Some of these are Wolverine, Murillo, White Normandie, etc. Mae Suydam, Mrs. Buckingham and Red Doty are later ones. The last of the Gladioli should be planted. Syringe roses for aphis and a keen lookout should be kept for rose chafers. Hand picking and dropping the rose chafers into a receptacle containing kerosene is one of the best ways to get rid of them. Dahlias may be planted out in ground that has been well dug and well manured. Take up rock plants if they have finished flowering and propagate them either by division or cuttings. July.—Flower beds should be constantly cultivated and dead flowers removed to prolong the flowering period. All weeds should be gotten rid of before they go into seed. Annuals may still be sown to fill in gaps in autumn. Stocks and Asters may be potted up and then later planted out to give effects in autumn. First bloom of Delphiniums should be cut off and plants fed with bone meal or liquid manure to encourage second flowering. All plants should be carefully staked and tied. Take up irises, divide and transplant them. August.—Stake Gladioli and other tall growing plants such as Cosmos, Helenium, Dahlia, etc., to prevent them from being broken by the wind. Frequent watering is necessary if weather is dry. Disbud Chrysanthemums if large ones are wanted. Order bulbs for early use and if planted on arrival they may be in flower about Thanksgiving and Christmas. September.—Pot up bulbs for Christmas flowering. Paper White Nar- -4 92 School of Horticulture - ■ :� • cissus and Roman Hyacinths are used most for early work. Some of the perennials sown in May should be planted out in their permanent quarters. Plant Canterbury Bell and Digitalis in sheltered positions. October.—Bulbs of all descriptions should be planted both indoors and out-of-doors—Darwin Tulips, Daffodils, Hyacinths, and so forth. We should not forget some of the less imposing, but nevertheless charming, bulbs such as Chionodoxa, Scilla Campanulata, Winter Aconite, Snowdrop, Crocus, and Fritillaria. Dead herbaceous stems should be cut down and a general tidying up made over the entire garden. Take up Gladioli and store them. November.—Remove all annuals and put them on the compost heap. Manure and dig over all annual plots and leave rough throughout winter. As soon as frost comes take up Dahlias and store them in a frost-proof cellar for winter. Finish planting any bulbs. Manure and dig over all vacant flower beds. Bring in a few early bulbs from the plunge and gradually force for Christmas. If severe frost comes protection should be given bulbs and perennials. Earth up soil around roses to protect them. December.—Continue protection and if necessary erect temporary wind break. Wreaths may be made if evergreens are plentiful. Care should be taken when cutting evergreens so that shape and beauty of the tree are not spoiled. Such trees as Hemlock, Laurel, and Holly should not be cut except from one’s own garden and that in moderation. The Pine The elm lets fall its leaves before the frost, The very oak grows shivering and sere, The trees are barren when the summer’s lost: But one tree keeps its goodness all the year. Green pine, unchanging as the days go by, Thou art thyself beneath whatever sky: My shelter from all winds, my own strong pine, ’Tis spring, ’tis summer, still, while thou art mine. Augusta Webster. 93 wf' ii fcttr'rt The School of Horticulture For Women AMBLER, PENNA. COURSES IN Floriculture, Landscape Design, Botany, Poultry, Bees, Vegetable Gardening, Fruit Growing, Farm Animals, et cetera. Two Year Diploma Course Short Summer Session Spring Course Lectures For Catalogue, Address Mrs. James Bush-Brown, Director, Box E, Ambler, Pa. GARDEN DEPARTMENT FRUIT DEPARTMENT School of Horticulture Perennial Plants Annuals Cut Flowers School of Horticulture It. G. Tent. Manager Fresh Fruits in Season Strawberries, Peaches, Grapes. Apples Specialty Boxes of choice apples attractively packed. POULTRY DEPARTMENT School of Horticu.turc O. E. CoblciKh. Manager Certified and Blood-Tested Flock White Leghorns, Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, White FARM DEPARTMENT School of Horticulture C. J. Hroui hton. Manager Registered Jersey Herd Federal Accredited Wyandottes. Certified Cockerels and Pullets for sale. Our Alumnae Advertisers THE LILY'S COMING A beautiful flower God planned last Spring To give you joy anew— And so he summoned sun and rain To make the dream come true. His breath sent life and sturdy power— Sent mist and shining dew— And then there came a triumph hour— A Lily Fair—for you. Composed by Mrs. Frank A. Breck. Portland. Oregon. For JULIA E. CLARK GROWER OK LILIES R-2, CANBY, OREGON Buxus SufTruticord Dwarf box for edging Plants two to four inches Five dollars a hundred Fifty dollars a thousand Shooter’s Hill Nurseries RAPIDAN, VA. “Flowers for Every Garden” BY LOUISE BUSH-BROWN An Atlantic Monthly Press Publication Published by Little Brown and Company LARGE TREES MOVED On strength of past experiences, I feel justified in stating that if large trees can be moved at all, we can do it. We guarantee our work and our charges are proportional to first class workmanship. F. J. JOHNSON Providence Road, Media, Pa. Phone Media 853 Progress Publishing Co. Printers of School Publications ANI) General Printers CALDWELL, NEW JERSEY Zamsky Studio Compliments of the Zamsky Studio Maker of the Photographs in this Record 902 CHESTNUT STREET PHILADELPHIA HE real mi woo of the Clan Book t� to provide for etch graduate a permanent record of all that wa� good in the happiest day of bfe' ---- It i a completed album of thow friend of memory, who will never, never grow old—and therefore the pathway back to youth. Custom ha� now firmly CMahhshcd the publication, yearly, of a Claw Book in nearly every Khool and college in the land A the worth of the earlier Cla� Book become! more and more evident to their owner , the urge to make bigger, finer and more complete book become stronger in the younger college folk Thus, today, we find among the biggest and best executed examples of the Designer ', Engraver ' and Printer ' art , the Class Book of America great educational institutions The CoHejvite Sr Tr«i of ou� organisation kai kelpeJ lo twU some of |K« , .) fined of ikex M Complete tymfuthj with ike real purposes of ike Clsu Boo 4id(em iKopp (oat 7iof college OTMnil and i-oJe.-.i form ike groundworkupon ukick M hne built iku xenon of our business. PHILADELPHIA PHOTO-ENGRAXOJkH} COMPANY INC ..... (§) •MVAOI ir t� A Brenneman Brady, Inc. PHARMACISTS AMBLER, PA. Thor Bell Phono. Ambler 3‘22-J Appliances Kensington 7G Henry C. Deens and Brother Electrical Contractors 14 N. MAIN STREET AMBLER, PA. HAVE YOUR SHOES MENDED by the Ambler Shoe Repairing Co. LADIES’ and GENTLEMEN’S SHOE SHINING PARLOR We do Blocking and Cleaning of Hats. J. WALTER GREEN High Grade Coal Building Material Hollywood Building Blocks Bell Phone 189-M Keystone 79 AMBLER, PA. WYLIE B. DAVID CHRYSLER HUPMOBILE CHEVROLET MOTOR CARS Courtland St. E. Ma'.'.i St. IS N. Main St. LnntMlale Lan«dale Ambler Bell Phone 707 Keystone 47 JOHN J. LINKE QUALITY MARKET Prime Meats and Fancy Groceries, Fruits and Vegetables Imported and Domestic Cheese 433 BUTLER AVENUE AMBLER, PA. Call and Deliver Hell Phone 91S-W AMERICAN STAR TAILORING CO. Dry Cleaning, Pressing, Repairing SUITS MADE TO ORDER Open Evenings 5 S. MAIN STREET AMBLER, PA. STORAGE WASHING Bell Telephone 535 YOSTS Yellow Cab Service Keystone 25 DAY PARKING A LEM IT IXG In commencing the work of the School of Horticulture for Women We are pleased to number it among our patrons NICE LYLE 385 Butler Ave.. Ambler, Pa. RADIO, HARDWARE, PAINTS Scotts Creeping Bent for Perfect Lawns Sod In :dx weeks. ,v iicu. xwlvety stretch of lawn Ui.it chokes o..t v,coos before they can growl a deep, thick, uniform turf Hint's everlasting and that mul.is your homo a beauty spot. The New Super-Lawn ln� (nnd of lowing Mad, yon or lh« .-h ppo I «r� � n - mi In n fow w - -k you h� vo a lumi-lint Utrn Ilk Iho i!«p RMn pilo of u Turkish Ruud all About thin unu � al Irani In our llluttrntod booklet Hunt 1 mwi h. lallod on r«iu«l, O. M. SCOTT SONS CO. 177 Main Street, Marysville, Ohio YE HAPPY OWL TEA HOUSE JARRETTOWN, PA. is happily awaiting your pleasure on the Limekiln Pike not eighteen miles from Philadelphia TEA—LUNCHEON—DINNER GUEST ROOMS E. VV. SHOEMAKER Telephone Ambler 60-J-3 Benefit and Beautify with Pachysandra The Evergreen plant that Grows in the Shade Landscape Architects and Arborists are agreed that the planting of Ground Covers, under aged and undernourished Trees is extremely beneficial as well as beautiful Catalogs upon request HUGH B. BARCLAY Grower of Ground-Cover Plants NARBERTH. PA. LANE’S NURSERIES GROWERS OF Hardy Plants and Flowers Trees, Shrubs, Evergreens and Fruit Trees in Assortment ON THE LIMEKILN PIKE AT DRESHER, PA. Walter C. Dettera FARMS - SEEDS - GARDEN Implements and Repair —Poultry Supplies Ladder . Wire Fence, Garden Tools, Wheel-harrows. RoofinK Felt and Spraying Materials 523 Butler Avenue, Ambler, Pa. The Johnson Press Printing that Pleases 9 So. MAIN ST., AMBLER Both Phones NIBLOCK’S RESTAURANT Home-made ICE CREAM SAVE TODAY! Bo prepared for tomorrow This Strong and Safe Bank Invites your savings Account. THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK AMBLER. PA. 4Vo Interest Paid on Savings Deposits MICHELL'S SEEDS Everything for the Garden, Farm, Lawn and Greenhouse Catalog Free. 5I8'5I6MARKETS!PHILA. GEORGE SPOHN Plumbing PROMPT AND RELIABLE SERVICE Ambler, Pennsylvania WATCHES - JEWELRY DIAMONDS R. W. KRAUT AMBLER, PENN A. J. W. Craft Sons Wholesale- and Retail Dealers in Lumber, Coal, Grain, Feed, Fertilizers, Plaster, Cement, etc. AMBLER, PENNA. George W. Porter BUTLER AVENUE PASTRY SHOP 413 BUTLER AVENUE ICE CREAM AND CANDIES Bell 350-J Keystone 659-D GOLDBERG’S QUALITY MARKET HOUSE GROCERIES, FRUIT, FISH AND OYSTERS 311 BUTLER AVENUE Ambler, Penn. J3E Thrifty! “Save and Have” Cultivate Success Life Insurance is one of the thrifty roads to success. A good Policy offers a convenient way to save and guarantee financial protection. Ask your banker for his opinion of life insurance. Ask your friends among business men if they own policies. Then ask yourself if you should have one. The Franklin Life Insurance Company SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS $200,000,000.00 of Insurance in Force Phone Naperville 1 Established 1SG6 Naperville Nurseries Trees, Evergreens, Shrubs, Vines and Perennials Plant Material for Landscape, Horticultural, County Estate, Park and Forestry Projects. SPRING 1928 CATALOG ON REQUEST 300 acres devoted to glowing of Trees, Evergreens, Vines, Shrubs and Perennials NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS DuPage County 28 miles west of Chicago HAULE'S ALL Maule Seeds teem with Vigorous, Healthy Life. Always they are Tested, always they are Guaranteed. For 51 years the favorite of thousands of farmers and gardeners. For 51 years wo have been selling the highest class seeds and bulbs at the lowest prices. Maule’s Seed Book Free Shows a big variety of Flower seeds. Vegetable seeds, Farm seeds. Lawn Grass, Bulbs, Roots, Flowering Shrubs and Roses All Super-Quality, all TESTED, all GUARANTEED with a Money-Back Bond Write for this interesting Book NOW. A post card will bring it. It s free. WM. HENRY MAULE 203 lYlaulo Building, Philadelphia, Pa. COUNTRY ESTATES FARMS HOMES FINANCING, NOTARY PUBLIC, INSURANCE H. J. DAGER Realtor AMBLER, PA. Estab. 1901 Phone Ambler 137 Linen Knickers and Jackets For the Outdoors ALSO Topcoats Dresses Suits Hats IMPORTED FABRICS BEAUTIFULLY TAILORED, ORIGINAL STYLES MANN DILKS 1630 CHESTNUT STREET PHILADELPHIA A PROMINENT LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT SAYS: “I have a copy of your 1928 catalog. This appears to me to be one of the finest if not the very best one, issued today.” This book describes a complete assortment of well-grown Evergreens, Trees, Roses, Vines and Perennials, including many rare ■and unusual varieties. Truck delivery maintained within a reasonable radius of our Nurseries. You'll find the catalog helpful. It’s free if you mention “Wiseacres.” Moons'1 Nurseries THE WM. H. MOON CO. MORRISVILLE, PA. Ambler Furniture Company, Inc. 427 BUTLER AVENUE AMBLER, PENNA. Bedding, Rugs, Carpets, Radios Bell Phone Keystone 177 31 THE SCIENCE AND PRACTICE of URBAN LAND VALUATION by WALTER W. POLLOCK President. The Manufacturers' Appraisal Company ;rnd KARL W. H. SCHOLZ, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Economics University of Pennsylvania Price, $5, Postpaid THE MANUFACTURERS’ APPRAISAL CO. 4021 WALNUT STREET Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A. The Many Services that a Trust Company is in position to render to the public at large deserves your Consideration. Ambler Trust Company