Ornamental Plants for Personal Enter- 
tainment and Friendship. 
Preparations for the extensive horti- 
cultural experiments in ArcAdiA in- 
clude a rustic hardy garden made from 
the branches of the huge oak limb 
blown off in a severe storm last year 
and causing considerable damage to 
the apiary by crushing and upsetting 
some of the hives. This calamity has 
as much as possible been turned into a 
benefit, and what is a loss to the pic- 
turesqueness of the apiary will be an 
addition in horticultural lines. 
The experiments are in harmony 
with the entire spirit of ArcAdiA — that 
is, we do not expect to produce any 
new or better varieties nor to especially 
develop the beauty of flowers. That 
work is well done by the expert horti- 
culturist in elaborate greenhouses and 
gardens. However, there is more in 
plants than mere beauty or utility. 
There is a real nature interest that may 
be used in developing personality in 
the same sense that other realms of 
nature have been used very success- 
fully in this Institution. 
There are at least three main points 
of view of plants and flowers. The first 
may be called the generally useful, 
whether for the beauty or for food. The 
second is limited to the botanist and is 
taught in biology classes in schools and 
colleges. The third point is almost 
totally neglected and is what might be 
called personal friendship and interest 
as a matter of expression and develop- 
ment of human beings. This phase is 
more difficult to get at and perhaps 
more difficult to popularize than the 
others. But that has also been the ex- 
perience with various phases of nature. 
For example, the ordinary vegetable 
garden is well-known to everybody 
from the utility point of view, but com- 
paratively few get from it the benefit 
of the real uplift in thought. That same 
uplift may be developed through orna- 
mental plants, for after all, plants are 
living and growing things with their 
own identity to be cultivated as a mat- 
ter of personal companionship and 
friendship. 
There will also be suggestions for 
bringing into more general apprecia- 
tion some of the most beautiful yet 
generally unknown ornamental plants. 
Young Foxes for Pets. 
The daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Her- 
bert Madison, Sound Beach, Connecti- 
cut, saw some little animals playing in 
the field and captured them with the 
assistance of their parents, Mr. J. T. 
Denning and Edward Thinck on Thurs- 
day afternoon about six o’clock. Not 
knowing what the little fellows were 
they at once telephoned Dr. Bigelow at 
ArcAdiA, asking if they might bring 
them down and find out. They reached 
there in a few minutes and all hands, 
including the Bigelow family, greatly 
enjoyed the four young foxes. 
Although they were captured from 
the wild not half an hour before they 
were as readily handled and apprecia- 
tive of the petting as if they had been 
tamed for a long time. They seemed 
especially fond of getting under one’s 
coat anparentlv for hiding and for the 
warmth. Both families were so enter- 
tained supper was forgotten. It might 
also be said that the uleasure included 
the foxes. Dr. Bigelow says that no 
nature discovery that has been brought 
to Arc \bi\ has proved more interest- 
ing. The little fellows soon learned to 
eat readily and are a great source of 
delisrht to the Madison household and 
their friends. 
On Saturday afternoon Dr. Bigelow 
nfiotogranhed the foxes and was in- 
formed that subject to the instructions 
