VICTORIA 



VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT 



1931 



Setting aside the costly construction, labor, etc., it is by 

 no means inviting even on u warm day to spend many 

 minutes in such a structure. Compare this with a nat- 

 ural pond and its surroundings and a cool shady seat 

 where these gorgeous plants may be viewed at leisure. 



Whether grown indoors or out, these plants are only 

 annuals, and seedlings are of necessity raised every 

 spring. They form no tubers as do the tender nym- 

 phsaas, or rootstock as do the hardy nymphasas. 



Few, if any, insects are troublesome on these plants. 

 The worst is the black fly or aphis. The use of insec- 

 ticidea should not be resorted to, as they are most 

 likely to damage the foliage. The safest remedy is to 

 introduce a colony or two of the well-known "lady bug." 

 They and their larvaa will soon clear off all the aphides 

 without any injury to the plant. Wii. Trickee. 



VfGNA (Dominic Vigni,Paduan commentator on Theo- 

 phrastus in the seventeenth century) is a leguminous 

 genus of 30 or more species, closely allied to Fhaseolus. 

 It is distinguished under Cowpea in Vol. I. TheCowpea 

 is known both as V. Catjang, Walpers, and V. Sinensis, 

 Endlicher. The former name, however, dates from 1839 

 and the latter from 1848, and the former should be used. 

 The Cowpea is an annual bean-like rambling vine with 

 three rhomboid-ovate stalked leaflets, the lateral ones un- 

 equal-sided, the petioles long. The flowers are bean- 

 like white or pale, borne two or three together on the 

 summit of a long axillary peduncle. The pods are slen- 

 der, usually curved, a few inches to a foot or more long. 

 Seeds small, kidney-shaped, bean-like, white or dark, 

 usually with a different color about the eye. The Cow- 

 pea varies much in stature, and particularly in the 

 color of the bean. It is possible that more than one spe- 

 cies is concerned in these horticultural forms. 



The nomenclature of the cultivated varieties of Cow- 

 peas is almost hopelessly confused. Formerly the name 

 Cowpea was restricted to the buff-colored or clay pea, 

 but now it is commonly used generically. The word 

 < lowpea is an Americanism. Common generic terms now 

 in use in the South are "black-eye pea" and "cornfield 

 pea." 



While the Cowpea is now used mostly for animal food 

 and green-manuring, the pea itself is also a good human 

 food and has been so used for many years. For table use 

 the peas are usually gathered when the pods begin to 

 change color, although the dried peas are also exten- 

 sively used. As long ago as 1855 an excellent essay on 

 Cowpeas was written by Edmund Ruffin (Essays and 

 Notes on Agriculture, Richmond, 1855). l H. B. 



VIGUIERA (Dr. A. Viguier, botanist of Montpellier, 

 France). Compdsitoe. About 60 species of herbaceous 

 or somewhat shrubby plants, found in the warmer parts 

 of the world, especially America. The following is a 

 native of Lower Calif, and is iffered in S. Calif. It is a 

 tall, bushy plant with silvery foliage and small yellow 

 fls. like single sunflowers, but borne in ample corymbs. 

 The plant blooms both winter and summer. For generic 

 characters see Gray's Synoptical Flora or Bot. Calif. 



tomentdsa, Gray. Shrub or branching subshrub : lvs. 

 opposite, subcordate, serrate, tomentose on both sides, 

 3-5 in. long: heads corymbose: akenes villous, with 2 

 long awns and many small scales. yv. jj_ 



VILLAGE IMPROVEMENT AND CIVIC IMPROVE- 

 MENT. An improvement association is an organiza- 

 tion of persons who band themselves together in or- 

 der to promote the civic beauty and hygiene of the 

 town wherein they live. Such associations have no 

 legislative power outside their own bodies, yet they 

 may rightfully use their influence to promote laws af- 

 fecting the general welfare. The secret of their suc- 

 cess in the long run is in educating public opinion to 

 demand good officials, and then in cooperating with the 

 officials, not antagonizing them. A few notable associa- 

 tions are composed entirely of women. Those of Hones- 

 dale, Fa., and Fetaluma, Cal., are good examples. Other 

 associations equally noted are composed of both sexes, 

 Bar Harbor, Me., and Stockbridge, Mass., having ex- 

 amples of the best type of mixed associations. The 

 Merchants Association of San Francisco, with a mem- 



bership of more than a thousand, is an excellent exam- 

 ple of an effective society composed wholly of men. 

 Experience has taught the older organizations that a 

 juvenile auxiliary is a valuable adjunct. These juvenile 

 branches are worked through the public schools, and 

 their promotion is the most practical way known of 

 teaching civics. 



These associations are organized by one or more in- 

 terested persons calling a meeting and electing officers. 

 The officers are president, vice-president, recording and 

 corresponding secretaries, a treasurer, and an executive 

 committee, all elected annually. The duty of the last is 

 to plan the work, make the contracts and expend the 

 funds. The funds are raised by annual dues of the 

 membership, by contributions and by entertainments. 



2669. Glimpse of a village street in a community where the 

 idea of village improvement flourishes, showing that 

 a central lawn with border planting is adapted even 

 to small areas. 



The usual and most successful mode of work done by 

 these associations is to form as many committees as 

 are desired, and place every member of the association 

 on one of these committees. Each committee has a 

 chairman, who calls its meetings independent of any 

 meetings of the central body. This placing of each 

 member upon a committee assures the working inter- 

 est of the entire membership. 



In large cities it has been found best to have section 

 or ward organizations, which work for the especial 

 needs of their ward or section, while delegates from 

 these sections are elected to the central body, which 

 works for the general good of the whole city. Denver, 

 Col., Oakland and San Francisco, Cal., and the famous 

 Woman's Civic Club of St. Paul, Minn., work upon 

 these lines. The standing committees are never quite 

 alike in any two associations. They necessarily vary 

 with the needs of the community. 



While the avowed object of these associations is the 

 improvement and ornamentation of public streets and 

 highways, the cleaning and beautifying of premises, 

 school yards, library grounds, railway stations, and 

 other public buildings, the formation of parks and the 

 preservation of natural beauties, yet in an association 

 of progressive, broad-minded people, much kindred 

 work naturally creeps in. For example, the Montclair, 

 N. J., association has ten standing committees and con- 

 stitutional power to add special committees as need 

 arises. The names of these committees are as follows: 

 stint, sanitary, finance, humane, railroad, children's 

 auxiliary, park, preservation of natural beauties, pre- 

 vention of cruelty to children, prevention of cruelty to 

 animals. 



The work of committees may be well set forth by 

 specific examples from the Montclair society. Under 

 the supervision of the street committee, galvanized 

 iron barrels were placed at intervals along the main 



