116 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
April, 1917 
A Delightful Story About Flow- 
ers and Friends Entitled, 
“The West Allis Garden 
Club.’’ 
The West Allis Garden Club is 
quite young, being only ten 
months old. It was organized in 
February, 1916, by a number of 
enthusiastic gardeners, who for 
some years had exchanged plants 
aud experiences with both pleas- 
ure and profit. 
They finally decided that a 
more formal organization with 
regular meetings and more mem- 
bers, would be of advantage to 
themselves and the community. 
We are not burdened with offi- 
cers, having only a President and 
Secretary. And just one strictly 
abided by rule for membership ; 
no one is admitted to this club 
who is not willing to work in a 
garden. 
When we asked to be admitted 
to the W. S. H. S. Mr. Cranefield 
said he hoped we had no dead 
ones in our club. We can proud- 
ly say there isn’t one. 
The club was organized for mu- 
tual help and pleasure and the de- 
sire to interest people in having a 
garden, especially the old fash- 
ioned garden that our grand- 
mothers used to have, one that 
was permanent, the kind that 
edged the walks, nestled against 
the house, strayed off into the row 
of apple and plum trees, with 
grape vines growing on the di- 
viding fence, where there was a 
strawberry bed, some currant and 
raspberry bushes, where lilac and 
mock oranges, peonies, phlox, nar- 
cissus, daffodils, and tulips, roses, 
tiger lilies, sweet arcadia and 
June pinks and countless other 
sweet flowers bloomed in a riot of 
color, from spring until fall ; a 
delightful spot to wander round 
in ; something good to eat nearly 
all the time and always beautiful. 
The garden one remembers as 
long as life lasts. That is the 
kind of garden we are trying to 
have ourselves and induce others 
to have. 
But if they feel that is too much 
of an undertaking, why have 
some kind of a garden, even if it 
is only a porch or window box. 
Dig in the ground and learn what 
a wonderful thing it is to watch 
things grow. 
We are especially interested in 
the growing of perennials, for 
Hepatica tribola: plentiful in Wisconsin 
woods in April. 
while none of us would give up 
the annuals, there is so much sat- 
isfaction in a plant that comes up 
year after year. It makes one 
feel as though they had some- 
thing to stay for in that one par- 
ticular spot. That is something 
to be desired, a permanent home. 
And if you have planted a gar- 
den with trees, shrubs, fruit and 
flowers you certainly do not care 
to leave it. 
So the members of this club are 
trying to make their gardens 
beautiful, for a lovely garden is 
as catching as the measles. Some 
one else is going to have one too. 
When we see some one trying to 
start a garden we try to help 
them, not only with advice, but 
with some of our surplus plants 
even though they are not mem- 
bers, we know they will soon want 
to join us. The exchanging of 
plants is one of the pleasant 
things about our club. 
We meet on alternate Wednes- 
days at the home of some one of 
our members, some times having a 
regular program with papers, 
etc., at others just taking up the 
problems that come daily to all 
amateur gardeners, in looking at 
the garden of the member at 
whose home the meeting is being 
held, praising, criticising and giv- 
ing advice as to the best methods 
of planting and taking care of 
the different plants. 
And when an epidemic of cut 
worms, rose slugs or plant lice de- 
scend upon us we are prompt in 
telling our favorite methods of 
getting rid of these undesirable 
garden pests. To illustrate — my 
own particular method of getting 
rid of the green aphis is really a 
preventive. I cover the ground 
thickly with strong tobacco 
around the rose bushes and am 
almost never troubled, while a 
spray of paris green the same 
strength as used for potatoes just 
before the leaves unfold, rids the 
bushes of slugs. 
When we have papers, they 
must be the writer’s own expei*- 
ience in raising those particular 
plants and shrubs, not something 
she has read. We do certainly 
read everything we can that will 
help us and try a good many of 
the suggestions and find many of 
them very helpful. But we have 
learned also not to be too credu- 
lous, as I was, for instance, when 
1 read in a garden magazine that 
a good thick mulch was beneficial 
