When I knew this spring that I had this meeting to look forward to 
all summer, I wondered what on earth I could take as a subject for 
my paper, — then came the President's "call to arms," and as we 
tried to respond to his appeal, it gradually became evident that the 
garden was obviously an attempt at "Intensive Gardening." When 
the cry went forth "to make every family self -supporting," we 
wondered how we could do our bit without adding a real vegetable 
garden, and in this, circumstances were with us — for at that moment 
the architect and I were at variance about the hedge which was to 
surround the rose garden and make a background for the long borders. 
I had rejected privet with scorn and was looking with some favor on 
inkberry, when his estimate for the latter came! The size of that, 
combined with the fact that it was an experiment at best, settled the 
question; no hedge for the garden after all, or rather an entirely new 
kind of hedge — one of vegetables! 
When this fiat was issued to the architect, instead of the dismay 
and disappointment I expected to meet, he quite approved, — though 
perhaps not with genuine enthusiasm. However, the idea took root 
and grew, for within 48 hours he came back with the suggestion of a 
hedge of blueberries, — a variety with which the Government had 
been experimenting, Vaccinium corymbosum which he added would 
be in the light of "permanent preparedness." So blueberries it was, 
and all sides were satisfied. 
In planting, it was necessary to consider the lasting qualities 
and the hedge effect through the flower garden, as, of course, that 
could be seen from the house, so on the avenue side of the long border, 
we planted a row of tomato plants; and in front of, and alternated 
with them, we set cabbages and cauHflower. Did you ever appreciate 
what a lovely gray-green these two plants are? I never did. 
To balance the tomatoes were planted 25 poles of Kentucky 
Wonder beans, with cabbages between, and now we know what kind 
of a bean Jack planted for his beanstalk. All these cabbages were 
young plants, but later when our own seedlings were big enough, we 
planted more in front of the blueberries and behind them, and in 
every nook and corner, till the man of the family cried "enough!" 
lest we have to live on the despised food. Now, however, we have 
learned better, and "cabbage au gratin" meets with hearty ap- 
proval. 
Under the pear tree was a very prominent place, and being a warm 
south exposure, early peas were planted — two rows of them — and 
surely in our ignorance we chose the best place, for the pear tree was 
later than ever in blooming, so that every atom of sun reached them, 
and also it was the best drained and most protected bed of all. 
